Gilbert Sun News 05/07/2023

Electric scooters pit cops against kids, parents

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Dominique Hypolite purchased an electric scooter from West Coast Scooters in Gilbert last year for her son’s 16th birthday.

“He didn’t have his license yet and quite frankly I didn’t have the funds to buy a car,” she said, telling Gilbert Town Council May 2 it is her son’s only way to go to school, the gym and work.

But Hypolite and others at the meeting said Gilbert Police has been con scating the scooters and issuing tickets because the Town considers the electric devices to be motorcycles –meaning a license, registration and insurance are required and they can only be used on the road.

But West Coast Scooters co-owner Scott Risley begged to di er.

He told the council the Arizona Department of Transportation doesn’t classify the scooters

see

page 6

Citizen rips Gilbert’s low pay for council, mayor

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

As elected leaders tasked with shaping Gilbert, Town Council members should be worth its weight in gold but are earning peanuts, according to one Gilbert resident.

“I’m here this evening to point out a huge discrepancy in compensation in the Town of Gilbert, the largest town in the United States,” Realtor Tom Smith told the council at its May 2 meeting.

“Gilbert’s median household income is $142,804, the highest in the state, seventh highest in the country – largely due to the past

council decisions in attracting great employers. ank you and all you past ones.”

Gilbert currently has roughly 280,000 residents and is expected to reach build out within a decade, boasting a total expected population of 330,000. According to an April

see PAY page 14

Co-owner Scott Risley of West Coast Scooters in Gilbert said the Arizona Department of Transportation won’t register motorized scooters like the ones he sells or issue operator’s licenses for those who use them even though Gilbert Police say they must be. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

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BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg got $3.6 million to tie his department over through June to cover mostly overtime that included stationing cops at council meetings during the controversial Ranch light-industrial project discussions.

Council without comment approved Soelberg’s ask on the May 2 consent agenda. According to the chief, his department would be in the red by June 30, the end of the scal year.

Most of the additional funding – $2.98 million – will go toward overtime pay, “which has consistently been well above the yearly budgeted amount,” according to Soelberg’s report to council.

Factors that also drove up overtime included increased workload, sta ng shortages in critical sworn and civilian positions, special events such as Gilbert Days. Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, the Super Bowl in Glendale and one additional pay period falling on the last day of the scal year.

“Between the dates of Feb. 8 – 12, 2023, the Gilbert Police Department assisted Scottsdale PD with security details at and around the Waste Management Open golf tournament,” police spokeswoman Brenda Carrasco explained in an email. “During this same time, our SWAT Team was on standby for the East Valley as other East Valley agencies were assisting with the Super Bowl in Glendale.

“In order to provide for the safety and security for those attending, these two large-scale events required the assistance of nearly every law enforcement agency in Maricopa County.”

Soelberg also cited “prolonged security” at the municipal building due to Morrison Ranch residents showing up in force over a proposed massive light industrial project.

Carasco said the cost for that security detail provided over the Morrison Ranch

issue in March was at a cost of $5,400.

Part of the extra funding also will cover standby pay to ensure that employees who work in the investigative units respond to a crime scene or fatal tra c collision during o hours, according to Soelberg.

As a cost-saving measure, the department’s investigative units don’t provide 24-hour coverage and work Monday through Friday.

If an emergency occurs, they respond on a callout basis and up until mid-Fiscal Year 2023, employees from various units were on a rotational standby, every day of the year.

Gilbert Police pays one hour of standby at the rate of 1.5 times the normal hourly rate, 365 days a year to 23 sta members.

“Without compensating the employees to be on standby status 365 days a year, there is a risk that they will not be available or willing to respond when an emergency occurs, while they are o duty,” Soelberg said.

e remaining $3.6 million will cover the following expenses:

• $286,770 for auto parts, supplies, fuel and increased eet rates

• $150,000 for standard-issue uniforms, supplies and equipment. e original budget allocated $750 to equip each sworn o cer but the actual costs are closer to $1,750 per person, according to Soelberg.

e chief said this area has encountered supplies, equipment, material and vendor scarcity, supply-chain disruptions, and sta ng level increases all lending themselves to increased costs.

• $127,830 for ballistic vests.

• $37,790 for leased vehicles for the Special Assignment Unit and the Drug Enforcement Unit for eld operations. Vehicle-related expenses have increased astronomically over the last few years due to COVID-19 shut-downs, car rental inventory levels, supply chain interruptions, shortages of labor and materials, as well as fuel costs, according to Soelberg.

• $15,000 for blankets for detainees at the Gilbert Chandler Uni ed Holding Facility. According to the chief, the average cost per month and expected expense through the end of the year for the required 45 cases of blankets is about $2,300 a month.

• $22,300 for medical reviews. e department typically budgets $1,000 a year for mandatory medical retirement reviews. is year the department saw two employees medically retire and possible three more will require medical retirement reviews before June 30.

• $9,500 in court reimbursements to Detective Michael Bishop, who retired in June 2022. Bishop “played a critical role in an investigation and arrest during a homicide investigation” of Mark Eric Ponsati in 2017.

A jury in March found Ponsati guilty of second-degree murder of his wife, Sherri Ponsati. Bishop testi ed in court and sat through much of the proceedings. e court reimbursement was an unbudgeted and unanticipated expense.

Gilbert Police Chief Michael Soelberg

SCOOTERS from page 1

like Gilbert PD does and won’t register them, putting the scooter owners in no man’s land.

“What I’m confused about is the classi cation of an apparatus that can’t even be titled or insured or licensed because it doesn’t have a VIN number,” Hypolite said.

“My son as a young African American –is he supposed to be riding around in fear that he’s going to get pulled over… it’s going to be con scated and his mom is going to be hit with a $1,900 ticket?

“I’m trying to gure out how do we come to a solution so that my son isn’t taking two extra miles taking back roads coming home from work at 11 at night because he’s scared that he’s going to get pulled over.”

Because Hypolite spoke during public comments, the council was prohibited under state law from responding to an issue not on the agenda.

“Everyone who is a parent in this town knows that there’s a transportation gap between teenagers and 16-year-olds,” Tyler Sundsmo told council members. “ ey still have places they need to be. ey have limited ways to get there.

“West Coast Scooters has provided an incredible way for people to get from Point A to Pont B using green technology. ere’s no motor that’s driven. It’s all electric.”

Sundsmo said his son goes to a gifted program but there is no bus to get him there and both he and his wife work.

But compounding the issue is that his son was hit by a car while riding across a residential street and police told him that the driver can’t be cited because the scooter “is illegal,” he claimed.

And police told him that because it was an unclassi ed device, liability could not be determined.

“I got a $2,600 ER bill, his scooter is absolutely totaled,” Sundsmo said. “I already have the headache of my son recovering from this accident and now I have to gure out the insurance part of it when there’s no liability established from the Police Department.”

Gilbert Police did not respond to questions about the scooters.

Co-owner Scott Risley has been operating West Coast Scooters in Gilbert for seven years and said he rst heard of police going after the scooters last October from

his customers.

e Gilbert resident claimed police action was triggered by angry phone calls from Morrison Ranch residents complaining of teenagers on electric scooters and e-bikes tearing up the common areas.

Risley said 10 of his customers so far have been given tickets and their kids’ scooters were impounded by police.

“All the ones who got pulled over were doing nothing but riding,” he said. “Not doing anything wrong. One was going to a golf range and another girl was going to practice or something, just riding on the sidewalk.”

Although most of the enforcement has been occurring in Morrison Ranch, an adult recently was pulled over while riding his scooter to work and was given a warning, Risley said.

He said that the Town is trying to classify the electric scooters “as something they really are not in order for them to take care of the issue of kids in Morrison Ranch.”

“ ey only go 20 mph, there’s no VIN, you can’t register them,” Risley said. “ ey’re not meant for the road. I’d never ride this down Ray Road where it’s 45 mph, I’d get run over. It’s just ridiculous.

“We’ve been invited by Gilbert every single year to do events. We’ve been in the Gilbert Day Parade for ve years now. I’m just really confused and bothered how the city has treated our business.”

He claimed the scooters were always classi ed by the state as class 2 electric bicycles.

He said his friend has been selling the same scooters in a beach community in

California, where they are classi ed as e-bicycles.

“I just want to know how this is supporting small business in the Town of Gilbert, said Danny Bassett, a town resident and co-owner of West Coast Scooters. “We have done nothing but good for this town.

“We bring in revenue, we bring families together. We give people opportunities to get around other than driving their cars. We have special-needs adults and children, they use our scooters.

“It’s very frustrating as a business owner. I want to also protect the 500-plus customers that we have out there that ride our scooters and now they’re not. ey are just sitting in the garage in fear they are going to get pulled over, impounded and get a $2,000 ticket.”

Bassett last week told the council that he tried to comply with the town’s request by taking a scooter to the Arizona Department of Transportation. “I took it to the state, ADOT to do a level 1 inspection,” he said. “I was laughed out of there. ey told me there is no way these should be on the road. ey are not DOT-certi ed.

“We have an importation document stating that they are not for roadway use. I don’t know why these are trying to be pushed on the road. It’s too dangerous. is is not where they need to be.”

He told the council that the town should instead be dealing with kids misusing the scooters on a case-by-case basis.

“We need to move in the direction of EV

anyways,” Bassett continued. “ is gives people so many opportunities to save money and get around in town in an ecient manner. I just want to know what we can do to resolve this.

“We are not trying to ght the town. We want to come to a conclusion and a resolution to this problem. It’s just getting worst and worst and worst for us and our customers.”

Risley said West Coast Scooters lost about $150,000 in sales over the past ve months due to the situation because they rely mostly on referrals.

Town o cials did not respond to the Gilbert Sun News for comment, but Councilman Jim Torgeson said state statute classi es the scooters as motorcycles and that any changes must come from the state Legislature.

“We don’t have that choice,” said Torgeson, who’s met with the owners over the issue. “If we don’t enforce it and something goes wrong, we are liable. If we allow it to occur, the town is liable.”

Torgeson said he’s advised West Coast Scooters a number of times to get in touch with their state representatives and that he’s even contacted Rep. Laurin Hendrix, a former Gilbert councilman, last week to reach out to the business.

“We don’t control the classi cation of what is acceptable,” Torgeson said. “ e state controls that classi cation.

Gilbert resident Dominique Hypolite told Town Council she is fearful that her 16-yearold son will get teicketed and his scooter impounded. . (YouTube)

West Coast Scooters in Gilbert offers an array of electric scooters. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

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(above 95% nerve loss is rarely treatable)

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The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This often causes weakness and numbness.

As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.

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Gilbert bar owners get jail time for tax evasion

GSN NEWS STAFF

The former owners of the Teakwoods Tavern & Grill restaurants in Gilbert and Chandler, have been sentenced to time behind bars and millions in restitution and nes for their guilty pleas in a multi-year scheme to evade various state taxes.

A Superior Court judge sentenced George Krotonsky to an 18-month state prison term and seven years of supervised probation for pleading guilty to three felonies and pay restitution totaling $1.97 million and a ne of $100,000.

Aubrey Sturdivant was ordered to spend nine months in the Maricopa County Jail and seven years of supervised probation for her guilty pleas to three felonies. She also was ordered to pay restitution to the Arizona Department of Revenue totaling just under $1.1 million and a ne of $100,000.

Krotonsky and Sturdivant were indicted by a state grand jury in November 2021 for failing to pay transaction privilege taxes and withholding income taxes along with failing to le the corresponding returns 2013 and 2019.

e investigation showed that both Teakwoods locations were properly charging and collecting TPT from customers, but the owners kept the TPT collected from their customers instead of remitting the tax to the state Department of Revenue.

e investigation also uncovered that between January 2013 and October 2019, Krotonsky and Sturdivant were withholding income tax from employees’ paychecks and not remitting that tax to the State, but instead kept the tax withholdings.

Krotonsky was charged with four

“Right now it seems smarter to have the state change that minor classi cation issue than for us to break the state law and be on hook for anything that happens by non-enforcement.”

Torgeson sympathizes with people who’ve had their scooters impounded given that the cost of getting them back is about the same as buying a new one.

“So it’s caused a problem that needs to be addressed at the state Legislature,” he said. “I would much more prefer to put a boot on it and have the parents pick it up later.

“It has to be impounded. If my car is unregistered and I get pulled over after six months of non-registration, they are required to impound my car. I can’t give the keys to my wife.”

Mesa Police spokesman Richard Encinas said that because of the scooters’ speed and lack of pedals, they are considered motorcycles in his city.

“MVD will not register them as of now,” he said. “ at may change in the future but that is up to MVD. If they are ridden on

the street, bike lane or sidewalk that will be a violation.”

Encinas said the scooters can be ridden on private property only.

In Chandler, electric devices are regulated depending on their size.

For example, smaller ones or those that only reach low speeds are considered motorized play vehicles and is prohibited on any public street where the speed limit exceeds 35 mph, said police spokeswoman Emma Huenneke.

“If it’s a bigger style motorbike with a bigger engine or modi cations, it could be considered a scooter that requires an Arizona Drivers license to operate and at some point, possibly a motorcycle endorsement,” she said.

Scottsdale considers electric mini-scooters as micro mobility devices that may ridden on streets or roads with speed limits less than 40 mph, bike lanes, public shared-use paths and sidewalks.

“We could move out of Gilbert and go to Chandler or Queen Creek,” said Risley, who still rides his scooter around town. “But we feel we owe it to our customers to ght for them.”

Supervisors pick nurse to replace ousted Rep. Harris

GSN NEWS STAFF

Julie Willoughby is the new state House representative for Legislative District 13, which covers western Gilbert, south Chandler and Sun Lakrd.

She replaces Liz Harris, who was expelled nearly a month ago.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in a special meeting May 5 appointed Willoughby on a 4-1 vote to ll the seat until the election in 2024, bypassing Harris and Steve Steele. e trio’s names were forwarded to the supervisors by the LD13 Republican Precinct Committee members.

comment on issues important not only for the board but every resident in the county, Proposition 400, homelessness, water and elections. e candidates provided thoughtful insight into these topics.”

Sellers said Harris told him she believed that her removal was improper and immoral. Sellers said Harris has the right to pursue a remedy through any lawful means.

TEAKWOODS from page 8

counts of ling a false tax return for underreporting on his Arizona individual income tax for 2015 through 2018.

Krotonsky is listed in federal documents as the recipient of a $329,000 federal Paycheck Protection Program loan from the Small Business Administration.

Sturdivant, who was listed as the Teakwoods manager, was charged with three counts of false returns for underreporting on her income tax in 2017 through 2019.

closed in August 2021.

At the time, a representative of the bar was quoted by a Valley restaurant newsletter, Mouth By Southwest, a saying, “We are not locked out nor behind on our rent. e lease ended and notice was given. We closed and are cleaning out our space for the property owner to do with as they please.’’

e west Chandler location closed a year earlier after 25 years in business.

“I had the pleasure to interview the three candidates and speak to the three from my district,” District 1 Vice Chairman Jack Sellers said. “Each was asked to

Sellers made the motion to appoint Willoughby, seconded by District 2 Supervisor Tom Galvin. District 5 Supervisor Steve Gallardo, the only Democrat on the board, dissented, saying he had hoped one of the three candidates would have agreed that the elections in 2020 and 2022 were accurate and transparent.

see LAWMAKER page 17

ey were charged as the result of a joint investigation between the Criminal Investigations Unit of the state Revenue Department and the Arizona Attorney General.

After giving away countless baskets of free peanuts over 15 years, the Teakwoods on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Williams Field in Gilbert

e sentences prompted the Revenue Department to issue a reminder to business owners who have fallen behind in ling tax return.

“Please reach out to the Arizona Department of Revenue for help,” it said. “Our staff are here to help you come into voluntary compliance, if at all possible. You can contact the Voluntary Disclosure and Compliance team to answer your questions and seek assistance.”

Check us out and like the Gilbert Sun News on Facebook and follow @gilbertsunnews on Twitter.

Ready to do whatever it takes.

It’s hard to prepare for the words, “You have cancer.” And when you hear them, it feels like a million questions are racing through your mind. What’s next? Who do I call? Where do I go? We have answers for you. We’ve been training for this moment, so we can be there the second you need us. Let’s take on this diagnosis together.

We’re ready for cancer. Cancer isn’t ready for us.

Julie Willoughby

Panel recommends Ranch project OK

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Gilbert Planning commissioners last week gave a thumb up to a compromise to put open space, apartments, retail and “a cool destination spot” of restaurants on 39 acres that would shield homes from a proposed 271-acre light industrial development called e Ranch.

Residences at e Ranch near the southwest corner of Power and Elliot roads now goes to Council June 20.

Only two people from Morrison Ranch’s Elliot Groves neighborhood spoke May 3 – a far cry from the 1,000 speaker cards turned in last fall from residents opposed to the original plan that called for light-industrial use on most of the 311 acres.

Jennifer Wada, who was part of a core group of Morrison Ranch residents who worked on the compromise with developer Colmena Group, said the new proposal “o ers something that actually includes some bene ts to the neighborhood.”

“I think we are almost there,” Wada said.

“ is process with the neighborhood is not complete yet. ere are some loose ends that need to be tied up in order for there to be support for the plan at the town council hearing.”

e council also in the same June meeting will vote on e Ranch project, which the Planning Commission recommended approval in October. e developer also is submitting a Planned Area Development overlay that would lock in the project design.

Wada said most residents were either neutral or positive about the Residences at e Ranch. Of the handful of negative feedback, a majority centered on the industrial proposal, she said.

“ e majority of concerns were still about the industrial impact,” Wada said. “In our experience it’s the industrial more than the multifamily that has been the bigger issue with some of the residents.”

A maximum of 750 residential units are allowed with the new proposed rezone and minor General Plan amendment.

“Yes, people in Gilbert are frustrated with the amount of multifamily develop-

ments but the one thing that our neighborhood hates more than apartments is industrial,” Wada continued.

“ at is what has always been center of concerns for this project, the intensity of industrial and its uses and the amount of resulting semi trucks.”

Ryan Handelsman, who has worked with developers, said he looked forward to patronizing the retail and restaurants on the site if the project is approved.

“Six months ago. I probably would have came with a pitchfork and a PowerPoint presentation and 150 reasons why I oppose the project,” Handelsman said. “ e amount of industrial that we’ve seen in the original proposal was absurd.”

Although the developer dropped the percentage of light industrial to 71% from the original proposed 93%, Handelsman still expressed concern.

“I don’t think anybody in Morrison Ranch or the surrounding neighborhoods understand why we need 71% industrial or millions upon millions of square feet,” he said. “ at is a question that will remain unanswered. I think the project as it stands now is bearable.”

Both residents thanked the developer for incorporating changes as late as the April 25 neighborhood meeting to address

their concerns.

e proposal called for 14.92 acres of two-story multifamily units along the site’s western boundary facing Elliot Groves; 9.07 acres of two-stories of multifamily over ground oor retail; 11.77 acres of multifamily units with at least 20% of the oor area allotted for non-residential uses and 3.82 acres for general commercial uses. Access to the 39 acres would primarily be from Elliot Road.

Furthering bu ering the residents from the industrial is a proposed 16.5 acres of open space, approximately 200 feet wide by 4,500 feet long or the size of 12 football elds, which would be landscaped with grass, shrubs and trees. e open space would be included in the rst phase.

Land-use attorney Sean Lake raised a concern with the Town’s Land Development Code that requires at least 20% of the oor area on the 11.77 acres be set aside for non-residential uses.

He said the developer has already committed to building 47,000 square feet of restaurant and retail on the 39 acres and that sta ’s interpretation of the code to require more non-residential uses using oor area instead of ground oor would dramatically increase the additional square feet for retail uses.

He said the 47,000 square feet to create “this destination restaurant zone, restaurant district” is already a big commitment for a developer to try to make that work.

“When you say 47,000, that’s not a big box or a grocery store,” Lake said. “ at’s small, individual restaurant, retail spaces. So it’s tough to kind of ll that up with boutique shops. at is a lot of retail.”

He said sta was recommending denial of the project because they wanted more non-residential uses and the developer o ered to add an additional 15,000 square feet on the 11 acres for a total of 62,000 square feet for the project, which “we think is a stretch.”

“It is a lot, quite a bit of that boutique retail to go into that area but we were willing to do that because we wanted to create this destination area and we are committed to doing that,” Lake said.

He said under the sta ’s interpretation using oor area the additional square feet of non-residential uses would increase to 78,000 square feet of retail instead of 20,000 using ground oor.

“We think that’s over-saturation,” Lake said. “ at is way too much and wouldn’t be able to do it.

A mixed-use project with restaurants, retail, green space and apartments will stand between Morrison Ranch homes and a light industrial complex. (Town of Gilbert)

PAY from page 1

report by SmartAsset, the median annual income sits at $104,802.

“ e lowest fulltime town employee starts around $58,000 and the highest paid employees hover around $250,000,” Smith said. “We pay for the cream of the crop and we expect to get what we pay for.

“But here’s what we don’t pay for the best: We have a mayor who receives $43,000 and a council that only gets $21,000. My rst suggestion is you may want to change your career and apply to MacDonald’s because you’re going to make more money. Municipalities of our size pay far di erently nationwide.”

House and Senate members of the Arizona Legislature earn $24,000 annually plus a per diem. e session per diem rate for state legislators residing in Maricopa County is $35 a day for the rst 120 days of regular and special sessions and $10 a day for all following days. For legislators residing outside of Maricopa County, the per diem is higher.

Smith said other municipalities comparable in size to Gilbert – such as Buf-

falo, New York; Chula Vista, California; and St. Louis, Missouri – pay their mayors between $132,000 and $158,000 a year. eir council members are paid between $61,000 and $75,000 a year, he added.

Last week, a salary review commission in Bu alo – population 278,349  – reportedly recommended a 12.63% pay hike for the mayor and council members, which if

approved would boost that city’s mayor’s salary to $178,000 and the council members’ to about $84,000.

And Gilbert is “by the far the lowest” in pay for its elected o cials in the Valley, Smith said.

“Phoenix pays their council three times what ours is paid,” he said. “Mesa pays their council twice what Gilbert pays. Tempe’s mayor is paid over 50% more. Mesa’s mayor is paid nearly 70% more than ours.

“Gilbert is a far more a uent community and growing while those mentioned are not.”

Phoenix is the fth largest municipality in the country with 1.6 million, Tempe has about 186,000 and Mesa has over 500,000 residents.

“We need the best and brightest leading us,” Smith continued. “ e compensations should be as such we attract that kind of talent for the future. And you’re not going to attract talent, in my opinion, by paying somebody that’s working full time, all of you are working full time.

“You guys work many hours and those of us around you know that. And you’re

not being compensated enough and I hope in the future that can be changed.”

Council members Chuck Bongiovanni created two franchises, Yung Koprowski owns an engineering rm, Jim Torgeson has a sign-making company and Bobbi Buchli is a Realtor.

Council members Kathy Tilque retired after decades of heading the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, Scott Anderson retired from the town as a planning director and Mayor Brigette Peterson last worked in the private sector in 2009.

Gilbert council and mayor haven’t seen a raise for quite some time and in 2019 council members actually saw their paychecks cut to the current $21,012 from $24,239 a year.

While council members’ pay was rolled back to what it was in 2008, the mayor’s salary was kept at $43,631 a year because the council in 2018 considered it a fulltime job.

In the Town’s Personnel Policy and Guidelines, the mayor and council jobs are classi ed as “elected o cials” and are

see PAY page 16

14th 14th

Gilbert resident TomSmith appeared before Town Council last week and told members they deserved to earn more pay for their service. (YouTube)

not speci cally classi ed as full time or part time.

Despite the low pay, the job comes with perks that include health coverage, retirement bene ts from the state’s Elected O cials Retirement Plan, a car and a communication allowances and reimbursement for work-related duties – all paid by taxpayers.

Four council members and the mayor are open to more compensation. Bongiovanni and Anderson did not respond to the Gilbert Sun News’ questions about the issue.

“I lose money serving this town,” said Torgeson, who was leaving one meeting at Town Hall for another one day last week. “I put in 40 hours and lose money in my business to serve the town – $21,000 doesn’t make up for the hole; it o sets it but doesn’t ll it. I think it’s $1,275 a month after taxes.”

Torgeson said he would advocate for a higher salary for future council members because the pay does not re ect they put into the job.

“ e pay for council is less than minimum wage,” he said.

According to Town Clerk Chaveli Herrera, any salary changes for the mayor and council must be made through a resolution and would not take e ect until the next election cycle when members take o ce.

Torgeson also said that the mayor’s wage needs to be higher. He noted that Peterson “buys things to donate them at grand openings” out of her own pocket so she is “not hitting the town budget for it.”

“I think she is underpaid,” he said. “ e o ce is underpaid. e compensation for mileage is grossly inadequate.”

Torgeson said while his car was out of commission for a couple of days, he had to take Uber to get to places to take care of town business.

While he spent hundreds of dollars for Uber, he was told his monthly allotment for mileage is capped at $160.50 a month.

O ering more pay for those who sit at the dais also would open it up to more people, Torgeson said, because right now only those who are well-o or retired can a ord to serve.

“For instance, an HVAC guy gets paid well but how many hours can he take o to serve?” he said. “Not that many. If you’re a teacher, can you do it? No.

“We’re not in a good place for attracting everybody. Do I think we should be paying $150,000? No. I don’t want to bring career politicians.”

Buchli said, “I completely agree the mayor and council’s salary should be increased.

“Gilbert is far behind with the majority of other towns and cities with the same demographics and population. Our ofcials should have a higher salary scale, which would allow more focus of their time on town needs, the residents and the duties they were elected to do.”

Buchli said in order for Gilbert to be in line with its peers, the mayor’s pay should be increased to $79,900 annually and council’s pay to $49,900 a year.

the community isn’t about making money, it is a labor of love and commitment to represent the entire community well.”

Koprowski said she agreed that o ering higher compensation can attract more quali ed and experienced candidates to run for o ce.

“Candidates may be hesitant to run due to concerns about the workload and the level of responsibility that comes with holding public o ce,” Koprowski said. “You can see that everyone currently in o ce has greater than average exibility and nancial independence due to being retired or not having another job outside of the home or being self-employed.”

Peterson said when she ran for council and for mayor, she was aware of the time commitment and that the compensation wasn’t a factor for her.

“Even this potential increase, I am told, is still not in line for council members, with the lowest-paid employee in the town of Gilbert,” she added.

Tilque said while the mayor’s position is de nitely a full-time commitment, she’s seen over the years that the hours council members put into their positions vary but that the current council “has committed full-time hours.”

“While I am grateful that I can serve the residents fulltime as the community expects and deserves without juggling other professional responsibilities, I absolutely understand and respect that each elected o cial serves at the level they can based on many factors,” Peterson said.

She added that she agreed with then-Councilman Jared Taylor when he stated ve years ago, “our time here as elected o cials is a matter of service and this isn’t a job.”

“ e one area I believe we could explore is a cost-of-living increase each year as that was taken away when a previous council reduced the annual compensation amount,” Tilque said.

at said, Peterson added that it would be good policy and practice for the council to review and benchmark council’s compensation package items on an approved predetermined schedule.

“ ese positions do take a toll on the ability to run your business, be employed by a company or expand any consulting opportunities,” she added. “But serving

“If this council chooses to move forward with reviewing, I would welcome a public discussion to see if items should be adjusted,” Peterson said.

Not many people were on hand at Gilbert Town Council’s May 2 meeting to hear a citizen tell members they deserved to be paid more for their service. (YouTube)

LAWMAKER from page 10

Willoughby is an emergency room trauma nurse and previously ran for the seat with Harris as a team last year for 2022 in an e ort to oust Democratic Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, who won a third term with the highest vote total among the three House candidates. Willoughby came in third in the General Election, trailing 270 votes behind Harris.

Willoughby campaigned on election integrity, but she does not talk about stolen elections as much as Harris and Steele.

Steele worked with Harris to uncover alleged fraud in the 2020 Presidential election and appeared on one of her Gab TV broadcasts.

Harris, a Realtor, came into o ce vowing not to vote on any bills until the election done over.

Her ouster by a two-thirds bipartisan vote April 12 weakened Republican grip in the 60-seat House to 30, leaving the state Legislature at nearly a standstill.

Harris’ removal came after the House Ethics Committee found she invited false testimony and lied.

e committee’s investigation revealed that Harris knew beforehand that a Scottsdale insurance agent she had invited to testify at a joint hearing in February on election integrity was going to present not just false but libelous accusations against lawmakers, judges and even the Church

RANCH from page 12

“Our concern if we have to live with it – total- oor area as opposed to groundoor area – it would put too much burden on retail in the area, too much supply and would either not be built and not create that bu er we are trying to accommodate with the neighbors or be built and be vacant and that is even worst. To have retail shops built and be vacant.”

Commissioner Brian Andersen said he was learning toward the Lake’s argument and that most projects look at the percentage of ground oor area and not the total project.

Planning Manager Eva Cutro said whatever is placed in the non-residential uses has to be open to the public.

Planner Veronica Gonzalez explained that sta wanted 20% for the entire square footage to ensure that the developer

of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

During a 40-minute rant Jacqueline Breger accused them of being involved in a criminal scheme to rig elections and other crimes and taking bribes from the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Ethics Committee members also concluded that Harris lied to them about what she knew ahead of time about what Breger was going to say.

e ethics committee found that Harris knew what would be outlined in that testimony in advance, and pointed to her text messages that indicated she took steps to keep that information from party leaders so they wouldn’t block Breger’s testimony.

No evidence was ever o ered and to date no proof of Breger’s allegations has been provided. One judge quickly dismissed them as “delusional.”

e odds of supervisors giving Harris back her job was slim to none. e board, mostly Republicans, refused to go along with claims that the 2020 election was rigged and that former President Trump should have been declared the winner in Arizona.

To date, there has been no credible evidence of large-scale election fraud. In addition, the company hired by Senate Republicans to conduct a full audit of county votes actually found President Biden had more votes over Trump than originally reported.

doesn’t pack all the non-residential uses into a single building and leave the other buildings as all multifamily.

Commissioner Charles Johnson said he agreed with the developer.

“Based on my experience with retail that goes back a couple of decades I think you are correct,” Johnson said. “You can’t force to have retail, extensive retail when the market may not sustain it. You will have vacant properties, which would be hard to basically ll.”

e commission voted 5-1 to recommend council approval of the minor General Plan amendment and the rezone with stipulations that ground oor and not oor area be used to calculate the non-residential uses on the 11 acres and that those uses must be in multiple buildings.

Commissioner William Fay was the lone dissenter and Commissioner David Blaser recused himself.

Arizona near top for drunken driving deaths

BY ALEXIS WAISS Cronkite News

COVID-19 was not the only killer accounting for an increase in Arizona deaths in 2021: A surge in drunken driving deaths on the state’s highways that year was among the highest in the nation.

Arizona drunken driving deaths rose from 295 in 2020 to 421 a year later, a 43% increase that was the fth-highest rate among states and territories in the U.S., according to a report this month by the National Highway Tra c Safety Administration.

In terms of raw numbers, the additional 126 drunken driving deaths was the nation’s fourth-highest – and accounted for virtually all of the increase of 127 tra c deaths of all types in the state from 2020 to 2021.

Experts point to a variety of possible reasons for the rise, but most said restless boredom spurred by the pandemic likely triggered an increase in unsafe driving

behavior, especially speeding and driving under the in uence.

“ e pandemic really reset a lot of people’s driving habits for the worse nationwide, and including Arizona,” said Julian Paredes, a spokesman for AAA Mountain West.

“Unsafe behaviors like distracted driving, drunk driving, all those things were going down, up until 2020, and … we found by 2021 those habits started increasing again.”

While Arizona was an outlier, it was not unique: Nationwide, drunken driving deaths rose 14% in 2021, from 11,718 to 13,384.

Rebecca Sustayta, manager of victim services for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Arizona, said she saw an increase in the number of people seeking help after a loved one was killed or severely injured in an impaired-driving accident.

For many, there is a nancial burden “on top of all of this loss that people were already facing during the pandemic.”

“A lot of people end up losing their cars,

they lose their home, and they have to nd other places to go because they just can’t nancially support their family anymore,” Sustayta said.

“It’s so heartbreaking to see that happen because this is not something that this family ever did … but because somebody else decided to make that decision for them.”

Mesa Police O cer George Chwe said he was not surprised by the data.

Chwe said he typically les more driving-under-the-in uence charges against people coming from home than from a bar or social gathering, because the homebodies often “thought they’re OK” and “want to go get food.”

But they are not OK, and Chwe said that trend was exacerbated during the pandemic.

“I had been in our tra c unit for the past 10 years,” said Chwe, who also coordinates the Drug Recognition Experts program for the Arizona Governor’s O ce of Highway Safety.

“And even in that 10-year time period, I’ve never seen where the alcohol had surpassed our drug-related DUIs.”

Michael Scott, the director of Arizona State University’s Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, said the pandemic created an environment where roads were emptier and fewer police were around, factors that encouraged not only drunken driving but also speeding.

Porn limits stump GOP lawmakers in Arizona

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

State lawmakers are struggling to nd a way that’s legal, e ective and politically acceptable to keep minors from accessing internet porn.

And so far, they’ve come up short.

e original proposal by Sen. Wendy Rogers would have required anyone seeking to access “explicit sexual material’’ to rst provide the website with a government-issued identi cation proving age.

“ is is a scourge that’s a ecting impressionable minds,’’ the Flagsta Republican told a committee reviewing her legislation. She called it one of several measures this session to “protect the innocence of children.’’

But her idea of adults having to give information like a driver’s license to a website proved to be a non-starter, unable to clear even the Senate.

at led to Plan B to require any website that contains a “substantial portion’’ of material “harmful to minors’’ to use a commercially accepted database or other “commercially reasonable method of age and identity veri cation’’ before providing access.

ose changes were enough to convince all Senate Republicans and three Democrats to vote in favor.

DRUNK from page 18

Paredes said collisions are more likely to happen in states that have a high population, see lots of travelers and are more reliant on cars, all of which are found in Arizona.

But even with that in mind, Paredes said he was surprised by Arizona’s surge in drunken driving deaths given the state’s zero-tolerance rules. Chwe said Arizona police can le a DUI charge even if blood alcohol content is as low as 0.02, as long as the driver is obviously impaired.

Scott said zero tolerance policies are only as good as their enforcement, and they are “almost impossible as a practical matter to enforce.”

“ ere’s not going to be any arrest if a police o cer doesn’t make the stop in the

e House has proven to be a di erent problem.

“I think we all want to make sure that internet pornography is not being distributed to children,’’ Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, said. But he said SB 1503 as approved by the Senate goes beyond that.

He said it would require adults who want to view those materials to register with documents that could wind up in the hands of the government. “ at’s a constitutional problem,’’ he said.

But the question for Kolodin and a handful of other Republicans who found the plan unacceptable goes beyond the legal issues.

“I do not trust the government even a little bit,’’ Kolodin said. “Why would I want to give the government that kind of power?’’

e key, he explained, is the power that would be in the hands of o cials who know who has signed up to download what some de ne as pornography.

“It’s a way for the government to try to blackmail people,’’ Kolodin said. “It’s a way for the government to try to scare o people from what materials they consume.’’

“Yes, it is socially desirable to reduce pornography viewership, I suppose,’’ he said.

rst place,” Scott said. “ ere’s not going to be any penalty if the prosecutor drops the charges or doesn’t le. So you really have to look at what’s actually happening.”

Sustayta agreed that “we can make as many policies as we want, but until people change that behavior, things really aren’t going to change completely.”

One of the best ways for people to make that change, she said, is to take the time to learn more about the experiences of drunken driving victims.

“I think we just need to work as a whole to hear more of people’s personal stories and to understand that there are families on the other side,” Sustaya said.

Chwe said people tend to underestimate the amount of alcohol in their drinks and overestimate their ability to drive while intoxicated.

“But the government doesn’t get to say ‘ is speech is socially undesirable, consume less of it,’” said the attorney and rstterm lawmaker. “ at is emphatically not our role.’’

e GOP opposition, coupled with the unanimous vote against SB 1503 by the Democrats, doomed that version to defeat.

Now a third version awaits a nal House vote. And this one seeks to take the government out of it entirely.

Instead, it essentially would put the burden on parents to take a rmative action, contacting their internet service providers and requiring that those companies block sites determined to have materials the legislation deems o ensive. at, however, raises its own issues.

What would have to be blocked would come down to a three-part test of the materials: whether they appeal to the “prurient, shameful or morbid interest of minors;’’ is “patently o ensive’’ to what adults determine is suitable for minors; and lacks “serious, literary, artistic, political or scienti c value for minors’’ when taken as a whole.

And it’s even more complicated than that.

It is only when a website contains a “substantial portion’’ of the materials meets all three tests that the content pro-

On top of this, Chwe said the danger of driving under the in uence “oftentimes gets lost” and becomes “just another number, another statistic.”

vider would have to consult the blacklist to see if that customer asked that the site be blocked. And the legislation de nes “substantial’’ as 33 1/3%.

Marilyn Rodriguez, lobbying for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, told lawmakers they are wrong if they think that will keep minors from accessing what they think is unacceptable.

“ ere are several websites, including Google, Reddit and Twitter that allow access to sensitive content but whose total sensitive information falls beneath the 33% threshold,’’ she said.

Setting up a blacklist to protect children also would block access to those materials to any adult in that household or anyone using that phone or tablet.

Moreover, SB 1503 actually is worded in a way that one spouse could actually limit what her or his partner could see: e provider would not be required to determine if there is a minor child in the house. e issue clearly caused some heartburn for some lawmakers.

Rep. Alma Hernandez, D-Tucson, said she personally doesn’t think children should be looking at pornography. But she said that the measure lacks any sort of enforcement mechanism.

Rogers said her legislation provides

see PORN page 20

“Look at how many deaths we have, hey, these are all preventable deaths. ey all are, every one of them,” he said. “And it all comes back to that very rst decision that you made, you know, drinking, and then getting in the car and driving.”

Robotics team triumphs over thousands

BY KEN SAIN GSN Sta Writer

The Squires of the Lab Table said they had no idea they were actually a pretty good robotics team until they won their state quali er.

“I think we did three or four and we won,” said Conner Westberg, an eighth-grader at Gilbert Christian Schools.

Easy to understand: A year ago the team didn’t exist.

Luke Rumer, also an eighth-grader at Gilbert Christian, came up with the idea to start a team.

“My brother is a part of a robotics team right now,” Luke said. “So I heard he was having a bunch of fun with it and I thought, ‘Oh, I might want to try that.’

e seven-person team came together in August. By spring, it won the state championship, earning a trip to Houston in mid-April to compete in an international competition.

e odds were stacked against them.

A team of six eighth graders and a seventh grader was competing against experienced teams, some seniors in high school.

It didn’t matter.

e Squires of the Lab Table nished in the top 75 of the 6,700 international teams competing. At one point, they set a record for an Arizona team score with 315 points.

To get to Houston, they asked for help from the community, which ral-

lied and helped them raise $7,000 to cover expenses.

e secret to success was their ability to work together.

“Teamwork,” said team captain Clairet Riesgraf, an eighth grader at Gilbert Christian. “We’re in the top 1% of teams in the world. Communication, making sure that everyone knew what was going on.”

e name the team chose is a tribute to Luke’s brother’s team, “ e Knights of the Lab Table.”

Luke said his brother’s team gave them a lot of help in the beginning, especially with coding. ey worked out of a South Chandler garage.

Teams had to build a robot that could pick up a small cone and then drop it on one of three sticks, worth di erent points if completed successfully. e higher the stick, the more points.

e goal was to get as many points as possible in two minutes of competition.

ere were four team members competing at a time. One had to put a cone down on the playing eld. Another gave instructions to the two players controlling the robot to make sure they were all on the same page.

One controller moved the robot from place to place. e other controlled the arm that picked up a cone, lifted it to the appropriate height and then dropped the cone on the stick.

team competing in the same arena, which has to be navigated.

e robot they built was reliable, something not all the other teams could say. A few broke down during competition.

“We wanted designs where we could move around the eld pretty easily and be accurate,” said Elijah Kellso, who is homeschooled.

“One and done,” said one of their parents.

“We are going to carry on all of the information that we learned from this season to take it on to other teams and their seasons,” Clairet said.

In other words, they may be competing against one another next year.

While this is going on there is another

“ at’s why we have the scrapper wheels, so we can move left or right pretty easily with very minimal terrain,” he explained. “It didn’t have to be fancy, it just had to be reliable and work well.”

So in less than a year the team formed, won state, and then nished among the top 1% in the world.

But for now, they are enjoying such a dominating performance at a world competition.

“We’re a rookie team,” Clairet said. “And so we’ve never done any of this before, like, ever. Luke invited us to start a robotics team, and we started from the base of our robot, and through many months, we designed the entirety of it and programmed all of it.”

What’s next?

PORN from page 19

“ rst steps’’ to regulating those who publish such materials “and gives recourse to those who happen upon it.’’

at “recourse,’’ however, would require parents to hire an attorney to le a civil suit. And they would have to show “damages resulting from a minor’s access’’ to those materials.

Rodriguez told lawmakers they are not considering how such a law would a ect the First Amendment rights of adults.

“Courts have repeatedly struck down attempts to prohibit minors from accessing adult content when they burden speech more than necessary to achieve that goal,’’ she testi ed.

She cited a 2004 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a similar federal law. ere, the justices wrote, “blocking and ltering software is an alternative that is less restrictive than the (law), and, in addition, likely more e ective as a means of restricting children’s access to materials harmful to them.’’

The Squires of the Lab Table robotics team includes, from left, eighth-graders Conner Westberg, Luke Rumer, Elijah Kellso, Christopher Meier, Logan Groat, Clairet Riesgraf and seventh-grader Jonathan Meier. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

GPS a winner in books, music education

Arts culture is thriving in Gilbert Public Schools.

For the fourth consecutive year, Gilbert Public Schools has been listed by a music foundation as one of the nation’s “best communities for music education.”

And on a di erent front, Canyon Rim and Quartz Hill elementary schools emerged as the district winners in the Battle of the Books competition sponsored by Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert. Both schools now proceed to the contest’s regional segment.

Battle of the Books is a voluntary program aimed at encouraging fth and sixth graders to read more books.

Students volunteer for teams of that read a total 12 books. For the contest, the teams read four of those books for each of three “battles” that are basically trivia contests testing what they remember reading.

e top two teams at the District Battle of the Books move on to the regional competition against other East Valley school district teams.

e rst-place Canyon Rim team was led by librarian Dr. Shawna Della Cerra

and comprised students Justin Nguyen, Cashton Campbell and Caden Shi ett.

Quartz Hill won second place, powered by students Rilynn Ledbetter, Cadence Payne, Madelyn Flaherty and librarian Trish Silveira.

Mesquite Elementary students Sterling Inge, Logan Judd, Jaxon Kitamura and librarian Mrs. Ardus Sturdevant came in third.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Music Merchants awarded only ve other Arizona school districts with that designation – Tempe Union, Tempe Elementary, Tucson Uni ed, Scottsdale Uni ed and Mesa Public Schools.

In all, the foundation cited 30 school districts and 78 schools across 43 states “for the outstanding e orts by teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders and their support for music education as part of a well-rounded education for all children.”

“ is year’s awards program acknowledges and celebrates innovative schools and districts,” the foundation said.

It noted that the National Arts Education Status Report Summary of 2019 found that while 92% of public school students in America have access to music education in school, over 32 million do not have access to arts education in dance, music, theatre, or visual arts.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, districts answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs.

Responses were reviewed by e Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

GPS’ music o erings are

available to all grade levels, including Pre-K.

A district release also noted the district has a long history of award-winning programs and students led by experienced teachers and with wide community support.

“It is a privilege to witness the positive impact music education has on our students, both socially and academically,”

e district release said those music programs not only develop students’ talent but also helps them “gain many life skills, including teamwork, self-discipline, concentration, commitment, muscle coordination, visual and auditory development, positive self-image, listening skills, self-expression and creativity.”

GPS Superintendent Dr. Shane McCord said.

Canyon Rim Elementary took first place in the district level of the Battle of the Books sponsored by Southeast Regional Library. The winning team comprised librarian Dr. Shawna Della Cerra and comprised students Justin Nguyen, Cashton Campbell and Caden Shiflett.

Mesquite Elementary students Sterling Inge, Logan Judd, Jaxon Kitamura and librarian Ardus Sturdevant claimed third place in the Battle of the books.

GSN NEWS STAFF

Quartz Hill took second place in the GPS Battle of the Books. Its team consisted of students Rilynn Ledbetter, Cadence Payne, Madelyn Flaherty and librarian Trish Silveira. (GPS)

Hobby keeps EV ‘Frog Lady’ hopping

BY JOSH ORTEGA GSN Sta Writer

With more frogs in her yard than a biblical plague, Judy Zobrist has almost everybody leaping with joy over her art collection of over 400 gurines.

e Mesa resident said she “always loved frogs” and yard art in general, hunting for the pieces and other knickknacks from thrift stores and ea markets and sometimes getting them for free from other people.

Zobrist’s collection has generated a legion of fans among her neighbors and passersby who drive past her front yard to gawk at the plethora of yard art, primarily frog ornaments.

But her favorite piece is a pair of frogs she got from her late husband in 2012 as a birthday gift not long before he passed.

While she has transformed her house into “frog heaven,” Zobrist said she en-

joys customizing knickknacks as a testament to a home that’s brought her so much happiness.

“When I come up the street, I just fall in love with it all over again,” Zobrist said. “It’s totally di erent.” e Bu alo, New York, native moved 16 times in nine years as a child. She spent her adult life doing “everything for work” and her last job was a

project engineer.

She spent several years single in Florida after her rst marriage broke apart and found work as a receptionist at a construction company.

ere, she met her prince.

In 1989, while working on an Interstate 95 project, Larry Zobrist proposed to her over a beer and they married two years later in a quaint wedding ceremony arranged with the help of their coworkers.

Soon after, the couple moved to Arizona, where Larry started work on the Mill Avenue bridge.

She recalls a happy life together with him, from friendly pillow ghts to her lessons from Larry on how to drink his favorite beer, Budweiser.

e couple moved to Sunland Village East in 2006, where the Frog Lady’s reputation began.

“I came home and he said ‘what do

see FROG page 24

Judy Zobrist’s backyard and front yard at her Mesa home brims with ceramic lawn ornaments, mostly frogs, that she painted. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

you have?’” Zobrist said. “And I said ‘well, the bedroom set’s going to be delivered but this is the new person in my life.’”

She pointed to a 2-foot-tall “frog butler holding a tray.”

Larry encourage her for years afterward to keep collecting ornamental frogs.

After 20 years of marriage and working together for the same company, they retired in 2009. ree years later, on April 1, Larry had heart surgery.

He had called her before the operation when he realized he wouldn’t be able to pick up a gift for her birthday and asked her to pick up the gift from the store.

“So, when I picked those up I was all excited and I was like ‘oh good, I can’t wait to show him,’ but I never got a chance,” Judy said.

Zobrist keeps that the pair of frogs – her late husband’s last gift – tucked against the back wall of her backyard, seemingly overseeing dozens of other gurines.

“He put me on a pedestal,” she said,

holding back tears. “Everything was for me, I couldn’t spoil him, I really couldn’t.”

She eventually found a new prince –John, who lives across the street.

He had heard about the “Frog Lady” but had never met her in person until they started dating nine years ago.

“Personally, I don’t go to any of the activities here,” Zobrist said. “I don’t know anybody, but people know me.”

She won her battle with her homeowners association over her lawn ornaments, getting it to allow the 136 frogs on her lawn and a sign in her backyard that reads “Frog Heaven.”

Inside her home, her living room is dedicated to wine-related figurines and her dining room brims with chef figurines.

Inspired by her mother, who made ceramics, and her late husband’s encouragement, Zobrist paints an average six pieces of art a week and plans to grow her collection as long as she can.

“And my biggest love of everything is that I bring something that can be broken or something that is dirty or something that’s cracked into the world and make it beautiful.”

Jewish War Vets board

Sun News)

Jewish War Veterans Copper State Post 619 has installed new board members for 2023-24. They are, from left: Arthur Uram, Junior Vice Commander; Buddy Greenberg, Junior Vice Commander; Bob Brooks, Commander; Robert Kaplan, Senior Vice Commander; Ron Siegel, Judge Advocate; and Chuck Wolin, Past Commander. JWV meets in Sun Lakes the third Sunday of each month September to May. For information on how this region-wide nonprofi t helps disabled and hospitalized veterans as well as those experiencing homelessness, contact Elliott Reiss at 480-802-3281, or ElliottBarb@q.com. (Special to SanTan

GilbertSunNews.com | @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews

Power Ranch Golf Club closes for $2.6M re-do

GSN NEWS STAFF

Power Ranch Golf Club in Gilbert is closing for a major re-do.

Owner ompson Golf Group is undertaking a $2.6 million overhaul of the putting green and bunkers on the former Trilogy Golf Club at Power Ranch that will take four months.

Demolition on the back nine holes began last week, leaving the front nine open for play. On May 15, demolition will begin on the front nine, e ectively closing the course for the remainder of the summer.

Led by Gary Brawley Design, the project will culminate in new greens that ompson said will be easier to maintain, provide expanded areas for pin locations and “create a more enjoyable and playable experience.”

Brawley is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and has been working in the golf industry in Arizona since 1986.

He has been involved in projects at both

Whirlwind Golf Courses, Seville Golf and Country Club, Alta Mesa Country Club and Trilogy Golf Course at Vistancia.

During Power Ranch course’s shutdown, its practice facility and climate-controlled golf academy will remain open – as will the Slate Bistro,

though with modi ed hours. e current greens have been there since the site was built in 1998. Designed by golf course architect Dick Bailey, the par-71, 18-hole course is built around the Queen Creek Wash.

Originally, “push up greens” were in-

stalled to provide a more a ordable option that consists of “pushing up” the native soil to create the shape and elevation of the green before adding a layer of sand and planting the grass.

However, those greens’ continued maintenance “has become overly dicult and expensive to manage,” according to ompson.

e green and bunker renovation project will instead install United States Golf Association speci ed greens.

“ e result will require less maintenance and allow for deeper root growth and more e ective drainage, which reduces the possibility of disease and creates a more consistent surface,” ompson said.

Group CEO Ryan ompson said, “A high-quality putting surface is the most important part of the golfer’s experience and can leave a lasting impression about a facility.”

e green surfaces will be stripped and dug to an average depth of 14 inches. e

Global tech rm opens shop in Chandler AirPark Corridor

BY KEN SAIN GSN Managing Editor

Intel’s expansion of its Ocotillo campus is helping, in part, to bring other tech businesses to Chandler.

And that means more high-paying jobs.

British company Edwards celebrated the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in Chandler’s AirPark Employment Corridor on April 20.

e tour company o cials gave visitors to their new 200,000 square foot facility included listing the reasons they decided to open in Chandler. Proximity to their customers was reason No. 1.

In addition to Intel’s expansion, Taiwan Semiconductor is building a large manufacturing facility in North Phoenix.

Best way to think of it is the di erent forms of H2O. It can be solid (ice), liquid (water) or gas (water vapor). A cryopump is so cold it turns whatever gas or vapor is in a chamber into a solid form and then condenses them.

Gov. Katie Hobbs and city o cials were on hand for the grand opening, celebrating the estimated 500 jobs Edwards is bringing to Chandler.

Edwards, which is part of the Swedish company Atlas Copco Group, employs over 7,000 globally.

“Today’s opening represents another milestone in our success as a state,” said Hobbs, who attended high school in Chandler at Seton Catholic. “ is facility

Edwards makes vacuums that help in manufacturing semiconductors because it is a global leader in cryopumps, which are used to trap gases and vapors.

Thompson Golf Group said the $2.6 million renovation at Power Ranch Golf Club in Gilbert will provide golfers with a more enjoyable experience. (Thompson Golf Group)

Edwards Vacuum President Geert Follens cuts the ribbon to mark the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in Chandler. Gov. Katie Hobbs and Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke were among those in attendance. (Edwards)

POWER from page 25

stripped dirt and “waste” will be used to reshape and shallow the current green side bunkers.

Several fairway bunkers also will be removed while tee box complexes are expanded and other features added on the golf course.

e demolition will take a month and will be followed by construction of new

EDWARDS from page 25

represents Arizona’s burgeoning innovation economy, our growing role as a central hub for America’s supply chain and continued foreign direct investment in our state, the leading states in the nation for foreign direct investment.

“People want to bring their ideas and their business to Arizona. e world wants to invest here.”

Most of Edwards’ new facility, which it is calling Chandler Connection, is empty. e front o ces are bare. e largest part of the manufacturing center is empty.

Edwards o cials said during the tour they expect to be lling it up over the next

greens led by National Turf Inc..

National Turf has already completed several other projects on the course, including a new practice putting green last summer and a pond bank restoration project last April.

Power Ranch will replant the greens with a process called “sprigging,” using TifEagle Bermuda grass, a species of grass that ompson said is “ideal for hot and cold weather and overall playability.”

18 months or so. Eventually, it will be their largest manufacturing facility in the world. Currently, most of the cryopumps the company manufactures are being made in Japan.

“Edwards is an important part of our semiconductor supply chain, and we’re thrilled that they chose Chandler to manufacture these critical products right in our airport employment area,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said.

“Here, our highly skilled and passionate people will use advance automation and data solutions to disassemble, clean, inspect, repair and reassemble cryogenic pumps as well as manufacturing as well turbo pumps and dry pumps,” said Geert

“ is is a long and intense process,” said ompson. “But the improvements are worth it. We have a strong local following in the summer months, the new greens will greatly improve the experience compared to years past.

“We look forward to a September opening with a fresh look and the improved playability of new bunkers and excellent greens.”

Cardholders and passholders will have

Follens, the president of Edwards Vacuum.

e company highlighted its commitment to the environment by using a grass backdrop on the speakers and as part of the design of the room.

One of the speakers during the tour said the company is committed to reaching a zero-carbon footprint by the year 2030.

e only part of facility that appears to be up and running is the repair section, where workers were busy as the tours took place. But that is only a very small section of the 200,000 square feet available.

“We are committed to supporting the semiconductor industry, and cre-

access to the ompson Group’s other courses, Longbow in Mesa and Dove Valley Ranch in Cave Creek, with preferred pricing during speci c times while Power Ranch is closed.

Family-owned ompson Golf Group was founded in 1999. It also owns a course in Minnesota and manages Sunland Golf Course in Mesa.

Information: powerranchgolfclub. com

ating opportunities in our community,” said Najwa Khazal, who is the general manager of the Chandler Connection facility. “We’re also dedicated to environmental sustainability, and workforce development.

“We have invested in renewable energy, we’re recycling, reusing materials, and implemented energy-e cient technology. We believe our responsibilities to the environment is crucial. And we will continue to work towards reducing our environmental footprint.

“We also recognize the importance of investing in our employees, and providing them the opportunities to grow and evolve in their careers.”

Stocks no sure answer to beating taxes, in ation

BY HAROLD WONG Guest Writer

CNBC last December published an article by Jesse Pound and Samantha Subin: “Stocks fall to end Wall Street’s worst year since 2008.”

In 2022, all three major stock market indices fell and here are the results: Dow Jones -8.78%; S&P500 -19.44%; Nasdaq Composite -33.10%.

For many investors, the question is whether to pull most of their nancial assets out of the stock market or stay in.

Je and Mary Jones are married, both 60 and planning to retire at 70. ey have $1.1 million in nancial assets and $200,000 annual income. ey pay $30,000 in annual income tax and spend $120,000 annually.

eir assets are invested $1 million in the stock market and $100,000 emergency cash that is deposited in the bank.

ey have no pensions.

Scenario 1: e stock market drops another 25% in the next year, due to the Federal Reserve continuing to raise interest rates to ght in ation and it causes a recession. e couple now has $750,000 in the stock market and lost $250,000.

We are ignoring any Wall Street fees to simplify this article. We next assume that for the next nine years, the stock market has a compound average growth rate of 6.25%, counting dividends. is was the historical number for the S&P 500 Index returns since 1/01/2000 (before subtracting fees).

From age 62, their $750,000 grows to $1,294,260 by age 70. At age 70, they retire and look at their income options for this money.

Assume that the S&P 500 companies generate an average 2% dividend rate; bank CDs pay 3%; and 30-year US Treasury bonds pay 4%. ey divide their $1,375,151 equally among three options and annual income is $38,827. Depend-

ing on what their Social Security income is and future in ation, they may have to substantially cut annual spending.

Scenario 2: e same couple has the same fact situation as in Scenario 1. However, they pull out all of their $1 million from the stock market before any further stock market decline in 2023 or 2024.

Step 1: ey also save $25,000 in taxes each year by buying a $70,000 piece of solar business equipment leased out to huge food companies and see an annual income of $4,900. In 10 years, this will become a steady $49,000 of annual income.

ey are able to buy this with their annual savings from income, now that their taxes are heavily reduced.

Step 2: ey deposit $700,000 in a private pension plan immediately. In 10 years, this will be a guaranteed annual $109,816 income, and none of the money is at risk in the stock market.

eir total income, not counting Social Security is $158,816. ey also have at least $400,000 in an emergency cash fund

vs. the original $100,000. ey never have to worry about money in retirement.

Conclusion: e key to happiness in retirement is high guaranteed income and little stock market risk.

Free seminar: 6 p.m. May 16, Hyatt Place, 3535 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler. Free catered supper. Topic: “Beat in ation by saving taxes and increasing income.”

Free tour/workshop: 9 a.m.-noon May 20, Solar Reefer (Refrigeration) Factory at Advanced Energy Machines: 4245 E. Norcroft St., Mesa. Topic: “How solar reefers can reduce taxes to $0 and earn a steady 10-14%!” Lots of refreshments.

To RSVP for the seminars or schedule a free consultation, please contact Dr. Harold Wong at (480) 706-0177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com. His website is drharoldwong.com.

Dr. Wong earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs.

Saira Prince aiming to cap o track career with more titles

BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor

Saira Prince is usually fairly animated when she crosses the nish line of her hurdle races.

Sometimes the Williams Field senior does so with a smile, usually using her stellar closing speed to either pull away or chase down anyone in front of her — though that is rare. Other times she will simply use some sort of hand motion.

But in California at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational last month, she let out an exuberant, “Yes!” when she crossed. It came out naturally. She knew she had just set a new personal best for herself in the 100-meter hurdles.

What she didn’t know at the time was that she also accomplished much more.

“Looking up at the board and seeing the time, I didn’t make the connection,” Prince said. “I knew I (set a new personal record). I just felt it. at’s why I had so much emotion.

“I personally was aiming for the 100-hurdle record. I didn’t think I would reach the 300.”

Prince’s time of 13.58 seconds was a new state record in Arizona. She surpassed the old mark of 13.59 set by Ashlee Moore from Hamilton in 2014.

It didn’t hit her until her coaches noti ed her of what she had just accomplished. But at the same time, she couldn’t celebrate too much. She had the 300 hurdles in less than an hour to prepare for. en she did it again.

Less than 60 minutes after setting a new state record in the 110-meter hurdles, Prince set yet another record in the 300. is time, she passed Ma’Kayla Dickerson from Betty Fairfax, who ran the event in 41.38 seconds in 2019. Prince timed 41.24.

Prince was part of a group of Arizona athletes that had standout performances at the event. Mountain Pointe’s Jayden Davis, who Prince will compete alongside with at Arizona State next year, broke the

400-meter record at Arcadia.

Red Mountain’s Tyler Mathews broke the 800-meter record in the process.

Prince said it was special to see all those records fall on the same day. She said it took time for her to process what she had accomplished.

“It took a week to set in because immediately, I was like, ‘I want to drop those times, I don’t want anybody to reach them,’” Prince said. “It took a little bit for me to realize what happened and how I had performed that day.”

Prince’s athletic background started with gymnastics. When she got to junior high, she thought about taking up another sport.

Her idea to try track came from her mother, Sandee, who was a track athlete herself running the distance events. But she also has part of a hurdle as memorabilia from her time as an athlete.

e piece of hurdle gave Prince the motivation to try the event for herself, thinking she was following in her mom’s footsteps. She went on to excel given her exibility to get over each hurdle. But it wasn’t until last year she found out her

mom never did the event.

Nonetheless, she had become a natural and stuck to it.

“It’s her progression,” Williams Field hurdles coach Stephanie Pearson said. “ at’s the main key. She always does what I ask her to do.”

Pearson said Prince’s exibility was key to her success. ough there were times where she had to dial her back a bit.

Being too loose while going over a hurdle can slow an athlete down in their sprints between each one. So, they worked vigorously to get Prince to near a point of perfection.

It’s something they still constantly work at in practice. Pearson also challenges Prince by pinning her against Josiah Dye, a standout defensive back for the Williams Field football team committed to UTEP who is also a state champion hurdler.

Prince said competing against him brings out the best in both. at showed last year when they both won gold in their respective events.

“It’s very highly competitive and I don’t like to lose,” Prince said. “We can ultimately make each other faster.”

Prince’s legacy at Williams Field is already strong.

Not only does she compete at a high level to represent the Black Hawks, but she’s also become a top tier teammate in the process.

In between her own practice sessions, Prince will cheer on her teammates. She o ers words of encouragement, advice and simple high ves to those — even younger groups — running around the track.

Her goal when she joined the track program was to make an impact and participate in something new. Not only did she excel at hurdles, she created a future for herself.

Now, as she prepares for her nal races at the state championship May 12-13, she plans to enjoy her nal moments at Williams Field and her high school track career.

“I need to take a step back and really soak in this last month,” Prince said. “I’ve been stressing myself out about dropping my times. After the season is over, I’ll be graduating. It’s all going by way too fast.”

Williams Field senior Saira Prince is ready to further establish herself as one of the top hurdlers ever in Arizona as she prepares for the track state championships. There, she will attempt to break her own records in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, which she set in April. (Dave Minton/GSN Staff)

Part of Prince’s training comes from racing against Williams Field senior and state champion hurdler Josiah Dye. The two are competitive and bring out the best in each other, which helps them be successful in races. (Dave Minton/GSN Staff)

Limelight presents ‘High School Musical’ sequel

BY ALEX GALLAGHER GetOut Arts Editor

As report cards begin to be filled out and children plot summer plans, nearly 30 East Valley thespians are winding up the school year by taking part in Limelight Performing Arts production of “High School Musical 2 JR.”

The play follows a group of high schoolers preparing for some fun in the sun during summer break. Once the characters realize that they are low on cash, they end up getting jobs to pay for that fun.

The plot thickens when one of the main characters, Troy Bolton, begins working at a ritzy resort owned by the family of the Sharpay Evans, who hires him with an ulterior motive in mind.

When the Limelight cast first learned that the Gilbert theater company was presenting the second installment in the

“High School Musical” trilogy, they leapt at the chance to audition.

“I’ve seen ‘High School Musical 2’ so many times … it’s about a bunch of friends who go through fights but are still like friends in the end and then there’s romance and then there’s singing and dancing and it’s just everything you could ever want,” said Daisy Cuddihy, 13, of Chandler, who plays the role of Zeke Baylor in the play.

Some cast members, including Addison Roundy, 13, of Gilbert, had been begging director Emma England for years to put on the show.

Now, Addison not only is seeing her wish come true but also has landed her biggest role yet as Gabriella Montez, Bolton’s love interest.

“I’ve been begging (England) to do ‘High School Musical’ and when she finally did it, I said ‘I’ve got to audition.’

East Valley jazz queen to perform at The Nash

BY LEE SHAPPELL GetOut Contributor

It’s summer -- well, technically it’s within two months of it, but already it feels like summer.

What better way to celebrate the arrival of the early heat than with a hot Latin Jazz Salsa concert?

Check your fire extinguishers and get ready for the ever-popular Carmela y Más, featuring Ahwatukee’s own Carmela Ramirez (better known as La Chicana de la Salsa) on vocals along with some of the finest musicians in the Valley, in a show entitled “Afro-Cuban Delight.”

The concert, with Afro-Cuban rhythms and Latin-infused jazz, is 7:30 p.m. May 13 at The Nash in downtown

Phoenix, one of the Valley’s leading jazz venues.

“It is so exciting to be performing at The Nash,” Ramirez said. “We promise that with our Latin music we’ll get you on your feet.”

Ramirez has a long history of moving audiences to their feet, dancing and clapping to her music.

Her sultry and soulful voice delivers heartfelt passion for lyrics and drives the band on exciting musical journeys.

For decades, she has been among the most influential producers in the Valley.

“As a performing artist, I have followed the path of many before me who have used performance platforms not

The Gilbert actors and actresses in Limelight Performing Art’s production of “High School Musical 2 JR” includes Eva Orbegozo, Maeli Kemp, Dominic Montufar, Gabriela Montufar, Connelly Roundy, Kali Kappes, Piper Perea, Addison Roundy and Charli Stahlecker. (David Minton/GetOut Staff Photographer)

Carmela y Más and her band will present a concert, “Afro-Cuban Delight,” May 13 at The Nash in downtown Phoenix. (Special to GetOut)

And I wanted to get a bigger role this time. That was when I had to get realistic about my comfort zone,” Addison explained.

Others fit naturally into the cast, such as Mesa’s Cannon Williams, 12, who plays Bolton.

Cannon had starred in the Limelight rendition of another hit Disney film, “The Lion King,” and got too caught up in that performance to realize that the nonprofit performing arts program had opened up casting for “High School Musical 2 JR.”

Once he found out, show programmers realized he was perfect for the role of playing the popular, ultimate cool guy, when he nonchalantly responded “Oh, that’s cool” when he heard the news about the play.

Cannon eventually auditioned for the role and after getting it, didn’t have much time to celebrate as he only had just over a handful of weeks to learn his lines, attend two rehearsals a week and juggle the other challenges, like school

work, that the rest of the cast had to manage.

Though the extracurricular activity of community theater can be time-consuming, the show has generate a tight bond among the cast.

Their camaraderie has created fond memories during the buildup to the show, which officially opened last Friday, May 5.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s been so fun,” said Mesa’s Jovie Pond, 14, who is sharing the stage with Addison as the two will alternate playing the role of Montez.

“It’s my first show here and I’ve made so many friends already and I just I love the environment that they create here,” Jovie said.

This has been especially remarkable to England especially since the cast “has a very wide age range.”

“But we’ve seen the older kids and the younger kids supporting each other and the older ones are embracing them and helping out which is nice,” England added.

The kids also see similarities between

their characters and themselves as the rehearsals progressed.

“It’s my first time ever playing a male character – and it’s actually one of my first times that I will actually be acting onstage since I’m usually ensemble,” Daisy said.

“Playing a male is not super different, because my personality matches (my characters).”

Others have embraced the opportunity to escape reality by pretending to be someone else.

“When you’re onstage, you’re kind of like a different person – literally,” Jovie added. “There are so many stresses of like school and other things that when I’m onstage it makes me happy and I like being able to show people what I love and hopefully it (positively) affects others.”

In addition to putting on a fun and unforgettable performance during the show’s five remaining performances –which resume Tuesday, May 9 – England hopes to inspire a sense of confidence among her cast and audiences.

“I think my biggest thing is building

confidence and being able to walk on that stage and walk off after performance feeling like you did amazing and you put your best foot forward,” she said.

The cast also includes Canon Williams, Edward Oster, Oliver Manwaring, Rachel Buckwalter, Suzie Peifer, Elaenor Boyle, Maeli Kemp, Kaylee Forth, Kariah Thurston, Elianna Gonzalez, Eden Lee, Gabriela Montufar, Charli Stahlecker, Kynzli Parks, Chase Wildung, Dominic Montufar, Zachary Orr, Mackenna Grover, Emma Kleniewski, Piper Perea, Eva Orbegozo, Krysta Wildung, Kali Kappes, Lucy Peifer and Scarlett Cullimore.

If you go

What: Limelight Performing Arts presents: “High School Musical 2 Jr.”

When: 7 p.m. May 9; 7 p.m. May 12 and 19; 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., May 20

Where: Limelight Performing Arts is located at 511 W. Guadalupe Road, Suite 12, Gilbert

Cost: Tickets start at $15

Info: limelight.ticketleap.com

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only to entertain, but to communicate,” Ramirez said.

She lends her talents to various community-outreach projects, such as arts and culture, education, health, civics, social justice and special needs.

“If I can open doors of communication through music performance or production, then I have used my talents well,” she said.

As a producer, Ramirez has created a multitude of concerts, community festivals, arts and education projects and mentored youth in the arts. Believing that community thrives in a healthy artistic environment, she uses her platform to build bridges of communication. Her community work has gained awards, such as Valle Del Sol “Profiles of Success,” City of Phoenix Excellence Awards, NAACP Education Excellence Award and Phoenix Elementary Schools “Star Mentor.”

Ramirez has been inducted into the Raul H. Castro Institute as an “Arizona Trailblazer” and nominated twice for the Gabe Zimmerman Award for Public Service.

About Carmela y Más

The award-winning nine-piece Latin Jazz Salsa band has performed at hundreds of night clubs, concerts, festivals and performance venues throughout the greater Phoenix area and the Southwest. They have also been featured in concert at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington D.C., The 100th anniversary of the Himeji Castle in Japan and the headliner for the Puerto Peñasco Latin Jazz Festival.

The band has also shared the stage with recording artists that include Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres and Claudio Roditi, performing salsa de sabor, dancing music, with expression and appreciation for the genre.

The band comprises jazz-performance and classical-music majors as well as music teachers, writers and arrangers who take passion in performing the intricate and syncopated rhythms and stylings of Latin Salsa and Latin Caribbean music.

It’s a don’t-miss show! But if you want to experience this exciting concert to usher in summer, hurry. Tickets are moving briskly and Carmela y Más is expected to play to a full house in this high-demand performance.

Carmela y Más delivers a kaleidoscope of Afro-Cuban and Latin-Caribbean rhythms in its electrifying performances. The band originated under the artistic design of Ramirez and Rebecca Kennell and celebrates more than 30 years of making music, paying homage to artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Celia Cruz, icons who helped format Latin Jazz and Latin Salsa as we know it today.

If you go

Carmela y Más in ‘Afro-Cuban Delight’

7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 13

The Nash, 110 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix, AZ 85004

$27-$35 ($10.80 to students 25 and younger with ID, use code “student” at checkout) available at thenash.org/ events or 602-795-0464.

There are periodicity limits on covered services. Cosmetic procedures are not covered under this benefit. ‘Ohana Health Plan, a plan offered by Wellcare Health Insurance of Arizona, Inc. Wellcare is the Medicare brand for Centene Corporation, an HMO, PPO, PFFS, PDP plan with a Medicare contract and is an approved Part D Sponsor. Our D-SNP plans have a contract with the state Medicaid program. Enrollment in our plans depends on contract renewal. Arizona D-SNP plans: Contract services are funded in part under contract with the State of Arizona. New Mexico (NM) Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) Members: As a Wellcare by Allwell D-SNP member, you have coverage from both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicaid services are funded in part by the state of New Mexico. NM Medicaid benefits may be limited to payment of Medicare premiums for some members. Louisiana D-SNP prospective enrollees: For detailed information about Louisiana Medicaid benefits, please visit the Medicaid website at https://ldh.la.gov/medicaid. Notice: TennCare is not responsible for payment for these benefits, except for appropriate cost sharing amounts. TennCare is not responsible for guaranteeing the availability or quality of these benefits. Any benefits above and beyond traditional Medicare benefits are applicable to Wellcare Medicare Advantage only and do not indicate increased Medicaid benefits.” Indiana D-SNP prospective enrollees: For detailed information about Indiana Medicaid benefits, please visit the Medicaid website at https://www.in.gov/medicaid/. Wellcare by Allwell (HMO and HMO SNP) includes products that are underwritten by Superior HealthPlan, Inc. and Superior HealthPlan Community Solutions, Inc. Wellcare (HMO and HMO SNP) includes products that are underwritten by Wellcare of Texas, Inc., Wellcare National Health Insurance Company, and SelectCare of

Two Day Hiring Event

When: Friday, May 19; 9 am - 2 pm

Saturday, May 20; 8 am - 1 pm

Where: CMC Steel Arizona 11444 E Germann Rd. Mesa, AZ 85212 •

CMC Steel Arizona has proudly been making the steel that builds America since 2009. Come tour our facility and learn about our openings and potentially receive an on-thespot offer! At CMC, we offer great benefits and provide all necessary training and certifications.