August 1, 2021 | www.santansun.com
Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Top execs for city, schools settle in Josh Wright is Chandler’s CUSD’s Narducci focuses new city manager on ‘unfinished learning’ BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
You can remove the “acting” from Joshua Wright’s title. As of July 20, Wright is now Chandler’s new city manager following a closed-door meeting July 20 during which City Council picked him for the post from four finalists for the job. The exact terms of Wright’s new contract will be determined by Council Aug. 12. Wright said he is excited to lead the city into the next chapter of its history, which is expected to include a massive expansion of Chandler’s Intel campus and the creation of hundreds of new jobs. “I think Chandler is in an incredible position,” Wright said. “I think Chandler has long been the envy of many cities in the country because of our outstanding financial position.” At 38, Wright is one of Chandler’s
youngest city managers to be appointed in recent years. The city’s last three managers were all considerably older and nearing retirement age at the time they assumed office. Wright notably had the least amount of working experience among the council’s four finalists, but he was the only candidate who had a professional history with Chandler. The new city manager doesn’t think his youthfulness played much of a factor during the appointment process, as Wright tried to focus more on the managerial experience that he brings to overseeing the city’s $1-billion budget and 1,600 employees. “Age is just a number,” Wright said. “It is much more about the philosophy that you bring and the experiences and skills that you bring to the table.” An East Valley native who grew up around Chandler and Tempe, Wright See
MANAGER on page 8
EV cities pay up millions toward $12B pension debt BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor
Despite an $11.8 billion unfunded liability owed by more than 300 Arizona municipalities, counties and state agencies, some encouraging trends are emerging in the system that provides pensions for nearly 60,000 retired first responders, corrections officers and qualifying elected officials. Shaped in part by the unexpected surge in revenue many of those government entities have seen for nearly a year, those trends aren’t just good news for the retirees who receive pensions from the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System. They’re also good news for Chandler and other taxpayers. One trend involves the largely unflagging health of the stock market that – combined with some astute investment decisions by PSPRS – produced an unaudited return of close to 25 percent on the agency’s investments. Though the final percentage won’t be known for several months pending a routine annual audit, that one-year
return is the biggest the PSPRS has seen in more than 30 years. The other trend not only puts the pension fund on more solid footing, but also spares taxpayers millions of dollars in fees on the unfunded liability owed by municipalities, counties and some state agencies. Over the past fiscal year, many of those employers have paid a total $1.58 billion in additional contributions to PSPRS to whittle down some of their unfunded liability. For taxpayers, that means savings in penalties for the unfunded liability totaling more than $1.7 million. Employers either devoted some of their budget surplus from the 2020-21 fiscal year to pay down their pension debt or borrowed money at interest rates that are less than half and even a third of the 7.3 percent rate PSPRS assesses annually on their unfunded pension liability. That $1.58 billion in extra payments is on top of the $1 billion employers were required to pay on accruing pension See
PENSION on page 12
BY KEVIN REAGAN Staff Writer
As the Chandler Unified School District starts off a new school year, Interim Superintendent Frank Narducci is hoping the its 44,000 students are ready to continue the learning that went unfinished last year. As Interim Superintendent Frank Narducci settles into a leadership position that hasn’t had a new occupant in the last 25 years, his transition comes during what is perhaps one of the most precarious times in the district’s history. Enrollment has shrunk, health guidelines keep changing amid the looming threat of the COVID-19 Delta variant and a sizable achievement gap must be addressed in the coming months. Yet, Narducci does not appear to be daunted by the circumstances he’s having to navigate at the start of his tenure.
“We are going into the year optimistic, excited – but also cautious that we move forward making everybody feel comfortable and included,” Narducci said. The new superintendent’s priorities attempt to address lingering academic and social-emotional impact of the pandemic while looking ahead to a brighter future that ensures every CUSD student leaves the district properly equipped for adulthood. Narducci’s goals include implementing more data-driven strategies, studying the district’s changing demographics and helping students catch up on curriculum lessons missed during the disrupted 2019-20 school year. His one-year contract as superintendent doesn’t give Narducci an abundant amount of time to complete his benchmarks, but he seems eager to jump straight into all the complexities See
NARDUCCI on page 9
Hammer with heart
Chandler City Councilman recently hammered away at a wall in an unusual ceremony marking the start of a new training center being built in Chandler by McCarthy Building Companies. To read about the occasion, turn to page 2. (Pablo Robles/Staff Photographer)
F E AT U R E STO R I E S Robot-making kids getting center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COMMUNITY . . . . .Page 16 Renters in price squeeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUSINESS . . . . . . . Page 22 Chandler woman in LPGA Open. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPORTS . . . . . . . . Page 26 EV trio in grueling bike challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NEIGHBORS . . . . . . Page 28 Sun Lakes author has new book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARTS . . . . . . . . . . Page 32
More Community . . . . 1-21 Business . . . . . 22-25 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 26 Neighbors . . . .28-31 Arts . . . . . . . . . 32-34 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Directory . . . . 36-37 Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
