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3 AZPOST takes action against former Mesa cop

BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor

After a �ive-year period during which he was hit with one suspension after another, an of�icer is no longer with the Mesa Police Department. And proceedings have started to make sure he will not work in law enforcement elsewhere in the state. Cory Cover was found guilty of one of the gravest charges a police of�icer can face: putting fellow of�icers in danger. Cover abruptly resigned from the Mesa Police Department in October, noting “It has been a pleasure to work here for the last 19 and a half years.” His resignation letter was dated Oct. 7, 2020, and his last day of work was two days later. Seven months later, the Arizona Peace Of�icer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) began the procedure of revoking Cover’s certi�ication as a police of�icer in the state at its May 19 meeting. Billy Caldwell, a compliance specialist, told the AZPOST the Mesa Police Department conducted two internal investigations “that resulted in sustained allegations of neglect of duty against Of�icer Cover. “One investigation determined that between October 2019 and March 2020, he failed to complete required written reports in 17 separate incidents, failed to �ile criminal charges in a timely manner in four separate cases, and, after conducting a shoplifting investigation in December 2019, he neglected to place counterfeit money and suspected methamphetamine into evidence until May of 2020,” Caldwell told the board. “A second investigation determined in three incidents in January 2020, Of�icer Cover’s actions placed fellow of�icers into possibly unsafe situations.” On Jan. 28, 2020, a dispatcher urgently requested Cover return to the police department to assist with a man who threatened to shoot another of�icer. “Of�icer Cover brie�ly conferred with another of�icer, then left to take his lunch break. The suspect was arrested with help from other of�icers,” Caldwell said. Two days later, according to Caldwell, Cover lingered more than two hours for a lunch break at a retirement ceremony “while his squad was extremely busy with incidents including emergency calls. Supervisors of other units handled these calls while he was out of service.” The next day, a dispatcher asked Cover to assist an of�icer attempting to arrest a suspect. “Of�icer Cover acknowledged the call but approximately 9 minutes later told the dispatcher he would handle a business alarm that had come in and requested another unit handle the of�icer who was out with a wanted person,” Caldwell said. “GPS records indicated during those 9 minutes, Of�icer Cover’s vehicle was stationary and parked in a Starbucks parking lot.” According to Caldwell, Cover told an internal investigator “he struggled with case management and could have handled some calls better but he denied being complacent. “Chain of command recommended termination citing disciplinary history as an aggravating factor.” The AZPOST board voted unanimously to “initiate proceedings against Mr. Cover’s peace of�icer certi�ication.” The board may take �inal action against Cover when AZPOST meets again Wednesday, June 16. According to records provided by the city, Cover had multiple disciplinary actions over his 20-year career. On Aug. 27, 2015, an internal investigation found him guilty of �ive counts of “unsatisfactory performance.” He was suspended without pay for two weeks and placed on disciplinary probation for a year. He received a written reprimand March 3, 2017, for “failure to complete (a) written report.” On Aug. 30, 2017, he was suspended without pay for 10 hours, for “unsatisfactory performance.” The following April, he received another written reprimand, this time for violating department policy not to post any investigative materials on social media or the internet. On Oct. 22, 2018, Clover received notice he was being suspended without pay for 30 hours, for “failure to properly search a prisoner,” “insubordination,” “wilful disobedience of department rules or orders,” “incompetence and/or inef�iciency” and “untruthfulness.” He was also placed on disciplinary probation for one year. The city suspended Clover without pay for 20 hours April 10, 2020, for “being absent from duty without permission.” 

Drive-in �ireworks show scheduled

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

The city of Mesa is not quite ready for a full-scale, “pre-pandemic” Independence Day blowout. Instead, it plans a “drive-in �ireworks show” similar to last year’s celebration. The event will be held at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 3, in the parking lot of Fiesta Mall, 1425 W. Southern Ave. The parking lot will open at 7 p.m. “Last year’s Arizona Celebration of Freedom Drive-In Fireworks Show was an amazing success and we’re thrilled to provide the safe option of watching the show from inside or just outside your car again this year,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles. “We are proud to continue Mesa’s tradition of offering spectacular �ireworks to celebrate the holiday.” The �ireworks will be displayed while 94.5 KOOL-FM plays patriotic music. Food, non-alcoholic beverages, water, chairs and blankets are permitted. There will be no vendors at the event. The following are prohibited from the drive-in show: alcohol; glass bottles; grills or heating equipment for cooking food; �irearms; �ireworks/sparklers/�irecrackers; laser pointers.

For more information, visit azcelebra-

tionoffreedom.org.  Mesa plans another “Drive-in Fireworks Show” at 9 p.m. July 3 in the Fiesta Mall park-

THE MESA TRIBUNE | JUNE 13, 2021

Mesa poised for record $2.1 billion budget

BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor

Mesa is poised for a spending spree, with raises, bonuses and hiring unlike what the city has ever seen. Boosted by millions in federal stimulus funds and the eagerness of its residents to ante up to maintain and improve the city, Mesa City Council unanimously approved a record $2.1 billion budget this week. Mesa’s elected leaders signed off on an across-the-board raise of 2-3 percent for all 3,562 employees in the �iscal year beginning July 1 (1,097 are scheduled for 2 percent raises to bring them up to maximum pay, with 2,465 scheduled for 3 percent raises) – plus another $2,000 bonus for all employees in January. This follows a similar bonus that kicked off this calendar year. Adding in bond revenue and a carryover of $275 million, the city projects to spend $2.1 billion. That is up nearly 60 percent from the $1.3 billion the city spent in 2020-21. City Council also formally approved the city’s new property tax rate. In November, Mesa voters approved a $100 million general obligation bond to fund transportation-related projects. As such, $3.5 million is needed to pay the debt service on the new bonds starting July 1. Though the property tax/levy is 8 percent higher than last year’s, the secondary property tax rate will increase only 1 percent because the value of taxable property in the booming city increased by 7 percent over the last year. According to a city presentation, the annual impact to the typical Mesa homeowner is $170, an increase of $10 from the prior year; City Manager Chris Brady stressed the city’s booming development made that average increase far lower than the $28 increase expected. While Mesa residents and businesses directly pay for the city’s voter-approved road, park and public safety facility bonds, they pay for most city salaries and expenses indirectly via sales taxes and assorted fees. The Mesa Police, Fire and Medical and other non-utility departments are fueled by the general fund, which spent $335 million in 2019-20 and $323 milThe city anticipates having $2.1 billion at its disposal in the fi scal year beginning July 1. And it expects to spend a record $1.4 billion. (City of Mesa)

lion in 2020-21. In the coming �iscal year, which begins July �irst, general fund expenditures are a whopping $419 million – a 25 percent jump over last year. The Tribune asked Candace Cannistraro, Mesa’s director of Of�ice of Management and Budget, about the increase in the coming year, after a general fund decline in the 2020-21 �iscal year. “General fund expenditures for �iscal year 2020-21 went down compared to �iscal year 2019-20 due to a few factors,” she said. “When the pandemic started, the city made the decision to close some facilities, not offer summer programs, reduce staff and implement a hiring freeze that was general fund supported. “The city was also able to utilize CARES Act monies to fund some of the public safety personnel costs for half of �iscal year 2020-21,” Cannistraro noted. The biggest reason for the general fund spike in the year starting July 1: “The signi�icant increase in public safety pension costs.” The budget guru also pointed to a 5 percent “range adjustment increase” in January, as well as the 3 percent raises at the beginning of the year and starting July 1. Meanwhile, the city has a stack of new hire paperwork. “The city also began the hire process to �ill the positions that were vacant during the hiring freeze,” Cannistraro said. “It is anticipated that those positions will be �illed by July.”

Councilmen con�ident

In interviews with the Tribune, Councilmen Francisco Heredia and Mark Freeman both stressed the budget they approved this week was appropriate in size. “As a growing city, it’s re�lected in the cost to maintain our critical infrastructure and public services, �ire and police and quality of life items like parks,” said Heredia, who has represented District 3 in west Mesa since 2017. “As we grow, the budget will inevitably grow.” As Cannistraro noted, Mesa used a chunk of its $90 million CARES funding to offset some salaries. The $100 million the city anticipates in the American Recovery Act funding will likely be used for infrastructure. What will happen when the faucet of federal stimulus money is shut off? “It’s de�initely a concern,” Heredia said. “The �irst round did help us cover some gaps in our budget.” And, he noted, after city leaders went into “cut and freeze” mode early in the pandemic, residents ended up spending more money than originally projected in 2020. “We were worried the pandemic would drive us over the cliff, as far as budget concerns,” Heredia said. “Unexpectedly, we did OK in the aspect of revenue.” District 1 voters elected Freeman to represent them in 2016 and 2020. Despite the city’s record spending, Freeman insisted, “We run very �iscally conservative.” Of stimulus funds, he noted, “Those monies are one-time monies. We can’t count on it. … We have to leverage that money for one-time projects.” ���BUDGET ���� 8

viewer called his anthem “the ultimate anarchy song.” Shortly after heading to Los Angeles to try to make it, Cooper and company started wearing extravagant makeup and �illing shows with gushing fake blood to accompany “shock rock” hits like “Welcome to My Nightmare,” “I Love the Dead” (“I love the dead before they’re cold/They’re bluing �lesh for me to hold”) and “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” He smiles slyly in recalling his time as “every parent’s worst nightmare;” but now, with his positive-focused teen centers, the grandfatherly rocker is almost of�icially Mr. Nice Guy. Slender and athletic at 73, Alice Cooper (his legal name for 40 years) visited his new Mesa teen center Wednesday of opening week. He was thrilled to see the �inished product, a bright, colorful center with a professional-level recording studio, spacious dance space and multiple classrooms. When he was attending Cortez High in Glendale, the East Valley was the other side of the world to Cooper. “Mesa might as well have been Los Angeles,” he said with a cackling laugh. The then-Vince Furnier had his �irst lightbulb moment at 14, when he was painting a house and heard his �irst Beatles song on the radio. He called his friend Dennis Dunnaway, and the two taught themselves how to play, recruiting Glen Buxton to round out a band they called the Spiders. A few years later, the band became Alice Cooper and the lead singer became a rock star. He did his best to live up to the image, partying with the likes of John Lennon, Harry Nilsson and Keith Moon. Cooper called his unof�icial drinking club the Hollywood Vampires (he later formed a supergroup of the same name, with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and movie star/musician Johnny Depp). In the early 1980s, Cooper noticed something about his partying pals: They were dead. He sobered up, kept cranking out albums and touring. Except for a year he used to focus on sobriety, the pandemic was the only time in his 50-year music career he wasn’t on the road for at least half of the year. Eight years ago, the father of three decided to start nurturing the youth of Phoenix. “That all had to do with my religious experience. I was a prodigal son. I grew up in a Christian home. My dad was a pastor. I was a Christian. The band came along and I went as far away as I could get from that. I became the poster boy for everything that parents did not want to see. “And then I came back,” he said, patting a long, varnished table at the new teen center, where kids will soon be joining forces to tap into their creative spirits. “This is kind of the result of that.

Mayor John Giles and Vice Mayor Jenn Du welcomed Alice Cooper to Mesa. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and music legend opened his second Alice Cooper Solid Rock Teen

Center here this week. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Sta Photographer)

How do we know the kid out there selling drugs isn’t a great guitar player? He doesn’t know that - he’s never had a guitar in his hands. “So what if we pull him in off the street and say, ‘Look, you can get just as addicted to a guitar as you can to meth. And you can be in a band, not a gang.’ “And it works.” He said he loves to drop in and watch the young performers having their own lightbulb moments. “You can’t get the kids off the stage ... And the other kids cheer them on. It’s

As these teens demonstratred at its opening, the new Alice Cooper Solid Rock Center will be a venue for dance, music, visual arts and all things creative. (Special to the Tribune)

THE MESA TRIBUNE | JUNE 13, 2021 great to see,” he said. You can’t beat the “cover charge”: The Rock is free and open to anyone 12-20 years old. Hours are 2-7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Registration is required at alicecoopersolidrock.com/the-rock-mesa. Classes include guitar, drum and even ukulele instruction. Teachers will also share tips on making hip-hop beats and how the music industry works. And the teen center isn’t just about making music, as classes are offered in dance (a nod to Cooper’s wife of 43 years, dancer-choreographer Sheryl Goddard), art, fashion and mask making. The Mesa Solid Rock space is 12,000 square feet compared to the existing Phoenix center’s 28,000 square feet but it will include numerous studios, rehearsal rooms and a performance stage, as well as a basketball court and game room. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member stressed he wants to give teenagers the con�idence to tap into their creative spirit: “Search for that thing that makes you unique … Everyone has it. It’s just �inding it and mining it. That’s the whole idea behind Solid Rock. Come in, �ind your talent and then work on it. Nurture it. That’s what we’re here to do: to encourage that.” In January 2020, Cooper unveiled his plans for a second teen center at Westwood High. He said eight years of the original Solid Rock produced solid results, in surprising ways. “We’ve noticed there were kids coming in and parents would say to us, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing, but my kid’s getting better grades. My kids are talking to me now. My kids are wanting to do things at home with us because when they get into that school, they open up’,” he said. “It’s easy when you’re a teenager to get introverted because you’re, ‘Everybody’s against me,’” he added. “I was a teenager. I was like that.” “Kids can come in here and �ind what they’re good at,” Cooper said. “They might want to be a tattoo artist. Or maybe they’ll pick up a bass and think, ‘Wait a minute, I can play this!’ “And then they’re here every day.”

For more information, including how to donate and/or volunteer, call 602522-9200 or email info@alicecooper-

solidrock.com. 

THE MESA TRIBUNE | JUNE 13, 2021

Historic board ponders Heritage Neighborhood

BY SAVANNAH LEE Tribune Contributor

The Mesa Historic Preservation Board recently discussed the cultural resources in the Washington-Escobedo Heritage Neighborhood and how to preserve this landmark in the city’s African-American heritage. The area – bordered by Center and 6th streets and Mesa and University drives – had once been segregated and was the home to many signi�icant Black role models, board member Bruce Nelson said. Nelson recounted the city’s failed attempt to gentrify it in 1986, pitting homeowners against of�icials who wanted to replace their houses with a new development. A city document explaining the area’s signi�icance noted that the neighborhood “has its roots during a time of segregation that drove the residents of the area to create a close-knit community.” “African-Americans arrived in Mesa starting in the early 1900’s, but discrimination kept them from owning homes in the original town site,” it states, saying the Washington-Escobedo neighborhood was “the �irst housing subdivision to welcome them as buyers, homesteaders and residents.” Early in World War II, African-American soldiers who were stationed at Williams Air Force Base settled in the Escobedo apartments that the city built. In 1986, the community came under siege from the city, but residents pushed back against efforts to gentrify the area, The boundaries of the Washington-Escobedo Heritage Neighborhood are Center Street, Mesa Drive, 6th Street and University Drive. (Special to the Tribune)

Nelson said. Designating this neighborhood as a Heritage Neighborhood four years ago kept developers from bulldozing the buildings and constructing large-scale apartment complexes in their place. From military veterans who were former slaves to the �irst casualty of World War 1 to Jerry Boyd – Mesa’s �irst AfricanAmerican council member – this neighborhood has produced some in�luential people, Nelson said. Nelson later said he grew up in the Washington-Escobedo Neighborhood and attended the Booker T. Washington School, which was segregated during the 1970s. He saw �irst-hand how the neighborhood changed and grew while still maintaining its historical signi�icance. “There was an exodus from the neighborhood” as the older generation passed on and the school he attended as a child was shut down,” he said. Many of the African-Americans who used to live there have moved out and a larger Latino community has moved in, he added. “Things do change, but we do still want to hold on to as much as what we had,” Nelson said. The board’s discussion is part of a larger discourse to make the area a Heritage Neighborhood in Arizona. The neighborhood still contains several sites of historic signi�icance. including the �irst black church, Mount Calvary church, which has been designated as a historical landmark in Arizona. Nelson’s current goal is to add signs in the community to several important sites, including the homes of the �irst AfricanAmerican high school principal in Arizona, a famous photographer who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright and several professional football players. Nelson creates documentaries based on his experiences in the neighborhood and the people that live there in an effort to elevate the voices of his community. His current project is focused on the matriarchs of the neighborhood. “In order to move into the future, you have to know the history,” Nelson said. Nelson wants people to know that Mesa once had a segregated community and it “was not immune to the perils of the country as a whole.” He hopes that others will stop viewing it as “just another ghetto” and see the historic and cultural value it brings to Mesa. The Historic Preservation Board also introduced the new owners of the Mesa Women’s Club. The property was bought by Trevor Woodford but he said he plans to continue using the property for its original purpose, hosting events and all appointments made with the former owners. Woodford said he and his wife are “excited to be a part of the community.” The board plans to hold a retreat there on June 27. 

BUDGET ���� ���� 4

As such, he said he is looking forward to using the $100 million in ARA funding for major infrastructure projects.

Trending on spending

In 2014, the city spent just over $900 million. Mesa topped $1 billion in spending in 2017, with gradual annual increases since bringing it to this year’s $1.4 billion – a 40 percent increase in the last four years. In 2017, 3,805 full-time city employees were paid $265 million, an average annual salary of $69,645. This year, the city plans to pay its 4,204 full-time employees $308 million, an average annual salary of $73,263. While the pay increase was a relatively modest 5 percent, non-salary employee expenditures are skyrocketing. In 2017, the city paid $60 million in retirement costs and $60 million in healthcare costs, plus $32 million in “other costs.” This year, the city will pay $104 million in retirement costs, $80 million in healthcare costs and $37 million in “other costs.” Added to salaries, the total is $530 million, up 27 percent from the $416 million total employee costs in 2017. This year’s retirement costs increase is a 73 percent increase over 2017. 

Nearly three-quarters of Mesa’s general fund spending is for salaries, pension and benefi ts.

School safety and crime were concerns to 41 percent of the respondents. The least topic of concern among the six was police use of force, at 31 percent. Three-quarters of respondents were supportive of using public funds to help people experiencing homelessness by providing temporary shelter. There were also big majorities supporting public funding for mental health care (70 percent) and drug treatment (62 percent). Most respondents (64 percent) did not believe arresting people experiencing homelessness for minor criminal offenses is an effective public safety strategy. The researchers said they have a margin of error of 3.4 percent, with a “95 percent con�idence level.” “If researchers were to conduct a survey the same way 100 times, in 95 instances the responses will be within the margin of sampling error,” the study said. The ASU group said they weighted the survey “to closely mirror U.S. Census data for Mesa, the sample was mildly weighted on age; gender; Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin; and education level.”

Police have ‘work to do’

The survey found that nearly 69 percent of respondents are satis�ied with the Mesa Police Department, while less than 10 percent expressed disapproval. Two thirds said they were satis�ied with public safety in Mesa, with 68.3 percent rating it very good.

Hanging in there

Mesa residents Michelle Brooks, left, and her building partner Natalie Cleveland, survived the fi rst two episodes of “LEGO Masters,” a Fox TV show that matches teams with brick-building challenges. The two move on to the next challenge show at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 15. (Fox TV) The ASU study asked residents how they felt Mesa Police should handle problems involving homeless people and addicts. (City of Mesa)

Respondents to the survey gave high marks to Mesa’s quality of life. (City of Mesa)

The poll also revealed that effective communication is one of the keys to building trust with residents. Of the survey respondents who had interactions with Mesa Police, nearly two-thirds said their experiences with the agency were positive while an overwhelming 95 percent said of�icers suf�iciently explained their actions. “Building trust with our community is core to our mission. Independent feedback from our residents helps us ensure we are providing the best service to all,” Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost said. “Our commitment is to build on the already strong relationships we have with the citizens of Mesa.” “We know we have work to do in a lot of those categories and more,” Cost added during a Mesa City Council study session discussing the survey Thursday. City Manager Chris Brady said the survey results “is a huge credit to the men and women of the Mesa Police Department.” “I think the relationship between a Mesa police of�icer and a resident of Mesa is ex-

���POLICE ���� 11

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NAACP leader wants more from Mesa police

BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor

Kiana Sears, president of the East Valley NAACP, said she is optimistic about an ongoing dialogue with the Mesa Police Department but expects more accountability and transparency. “I appreciate our police department working with the NAACP and we’re able to have a conversation - that doesn’t happen in some places around the country,” she said, alluding to a year of demonstrations after the deaths of George Floyd and other Black men. “It doesn’t take an active protest to be able to have that dialogue here,” Sears said. But she wants action as well as talk from the Mesa Police Department. “The East Valley NAACP and the national NAACP are de�initely against any type of chokehold,” said Sears, who also is a Mesa Public Schools Governing Board member. “We’ve seen time and time again when chokeholds have been used, most of the time it’s been against Black/African American people and a lot of times has resulted in death,” she said. “It’s alarming and disappointing we haven’t abolished (chokeholds).” She said the recent Mesa survey commissioned by the department did not speci�ically ask about chokeholds and similar techniques. “A lot of times, the public doesn’t have the information about it,” Sears said. “Sometimes, there’s a different type of way it’s worded, ‘carotid,’ which tends to mask it’s a chokehold.” Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost said, “We don’t allow the chokehold. We never have … It’s a technique used in other areas of the country. “We do, however, approve and teach the carotid restraint – pressure on either side of the neck. But it’s only approved at the level of ‘deadly force,’” Cost said. Sears is not satis�ied with Mesa’s policy. “We want to do all that we can to stop the loss of life when it comes to law enforcement interaction,” Sears said. Sears also faulted that the ASU survey did not break down answers by ethnicity and other demographics. “We know there still continues to be bias,” Sears said. “Blacks being the smallest (demographic) in Mesa, but we have more interactions with police … So, the survey will be skewed. “When you look at police incidents, unfortunately for our race and demographics there has been more altercations and more excessive force that’s happened with Black people.” Yet Sears expressed con�idence and optimism about the police department leadership and direction. “From our police chief and leadership on down, I think they do want to work on it and make it better,” Sears said. “I believe there is a problem - that’s why we had a survey, that’s why dialogue is going on. There is a recognized problem.” Sears said she was not contacted about the East Valley NAACP participating in the Mesa Police Department Critical Incident Review Board, which formed last year. She stressed the Mesa Police Department should be scrutinized by a group led by citizens. “Currently, our city doesn’t have a citizen’s review board … I believe there should be a citizen’s review board,” she said. Councilman Francisco Heredia, who represents west Mesa, said the ASU survey re�lected what he hears in the community. “I think that survey was a positive survey. The respect folks have for the Mesa Police Department showed in that survey. When I’ve been campaigning and walking door to door, (residents’) comments have mainly been positive for the work the police are doing. The survey showed a re�lection of what I’ve heard,” Heredia said. “We still have things to work on, ensuring we maintain transparency and accountability when things happen,” Heredia added. “We can always work on getting better, that’s been my conversation with the chief.” Heredia asked at a study session if the survey provided answers based on demographics; he was disappointed to hear this was not available. “In the future, I’d like having cross tabs that look at speci�ic populations, both age and ethnicity. I would assume they would be a little different,” Heredia said. He said his district is about 30 percent Hispanic/Latino, which is similar to the city as a whole. Cost has been with the Mesa Police Department for 26 years. He was named interim chief in the fall of 2019 and became permanent chief last May. In an interview with the Tribune at the department’s downtown headquarters,

Kiana Sears, president of the East Valley NAACP, wants the Mesa Police Department to ban all forms of neck restraints and form a citizen review board. (Special to the Tribune)

���NAACP ���� 12

POLICE ���� ���� 10

cellent,” he added. Nearly all respondents (94 percent) said the Mesa Police Department should purchase on-body cameras for every of�icer. Cost said all �ield police of�icers currently wear body cameras, but some specialists do not. Mayor John Giles said he thought “this was a very positive report.” “The thing that bothers me is 51 percent of the people that responded are OK with the Mesa police use of force,” he said. “The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percent. It’s possible a majority of Mesa thinks we use too much force in our policing. That’s something we need to get better at.” When asked by researchers if they agree or disagree with the statement, “Mesa police of�icers only use the amount of force necessary to accomplish their tasks,” 20 percent disagreed. Cost said the mayor was “spot on.” “We need to do a better job of being transparent,” he said about the use of force. “Our goal is to increase that 51 percent to even higher,” Cost added.

‘4 out of 5 stars’

Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury added, “It was encouraging to hear that it came back favorable towards the Mesa Police Department. Oftentimes on social media you really only see people posting negative things about (the) police, so it was reassuring to see this study and know that the majority of our residents have a positive view of our police department.” Councilman Mark Freeman wondered if 811 respondents was a suf�icient large enough sample for a city of 500,000-plus. But later Freeman told the Tribune he was “absolutely” satis�ied the survey re�lects views of Mesa residents. “Our police department is progressive, it listens to the community,” Freeman said. “Out of a 5-star ranking, we hit about a 4. We can make some improvements.” And he summarized the survey caught the general view of those who live in Mesa: “People really enjoy the quality of life.” 

Most who responded expressed support of the police department, which pleased Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost, who shared his thoughts at a Mesa City Council study

Wild�ire plan

With smoke from the Telegraph Fire rising in the background, Sen. T.J. Shope on Thursday discussed plans for a special legislative session to deal with that blaze and other fi res and their aftermath. Gov. Doug Ducey visited the scene to announce plans for the special session, which would run concurrently with the still ongoing regular session whose completion has been stalled by Republicans' inability to fi nd enough votes for a budget that includes a proposed fl at tax that opponents say benefi ts the rich the most. (Howard

Fischer/Capitol Media Services) Cost said his department felt boosted by the ASU survey. “Our of�icers certainly feel the community supports them,” he said. “I just had lunch today with about six of our (of�icers). They felt the survey was validation of what they were feeling.” Though the survey showed general support from Mesa for its police department, one of the areas Mayor John Giles and others pointed out for improvement was the use of force. Fifty-one percent of those who responded agreed or strongly agreed that Mesa of�icers use force appropriately. That left about half that were either unsure or felt Mesa’s police do not use force appropriately. “We can always improve on the use of force,” Cost said. “We need to do a better job of educating the community,” he added, noting he strives to have a better understanding of the department’s policies by residents. And, Cost said, a “living dashboard” is in the works, which will provide statistics and insights on cases in which Mesa police of�icers use force. He said he expects that and other improvements to the police website, such as information about complaints against of�icers, within three months. That goes along with a goal of his that he said he was working on long before the Black Lives Matter movement demanded it around the country: Police transparency. “I don’t think I’m ever going to be comfortable with how transparent we are … I just had a meeting with my staff and asked them, ‘How are we going to be even more transparent?’” He said when the website is revamped in the coming months, “Just by a click, people will be able to see, ‘What are they doing?’ We’re going to open our doors and windows and let people come in and take a look,” Cost said. “You can do something like that,” Cost said, referring to commissioning the survey, “and not take action. That’s where our focus is, now.”

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2 airco companies help injured Mesa of�icer

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

Two air-conditioning companies banded together this month to help a Mesa police of�icer who was seriously injured when a car rear-ended his patrol vehicle on the job. Of�icer Sean Stoddard’s life was changed forever last August when he had stopped on US 60 to remove a ladder blocking an eastbound lane near Higley Road. Before Stoddard could get out of his vehicle, his patrol car was rear-ended. The impact forced the patrol car across several lanes of traf�ic and Mesa rescue crews had to extract him from his patrol car. The of�icer suffered a traumatic brain injury and now experiences severe memory issues and impaired motor skills.

In partnership with Trane, Arizona’s Dukes of Air recently installed two brand new HVAC systems at Stoddard’s home.

“After learning this family had two nonworking HVAC units, and our 100°-plus temperatures were right around the corner, I knew we had to help,” said Tonya Kubacki, Dukes general manager.

O cer Sean Stoddard and his wife, center, and Arizona’s Dukes of Air General Manager Tonya Kubacki, right, were joined by Kubacki’s team in installing a new air conditioning system at the Mesa patrolman’s home. (Courtesy Arizona’s Dukes of Air) “Of�icer Stoddard’s story and dedication to our community touched the hearts of our team members, and it is a privilege for us to support the Stoddard family.” As part of their longstanding commitment to give back to communities they

���AIRCO ���� 16

Historical Museum features multi-talented Arizona artist

BY SHANNON MAKI Tribune Guest Writer

As a young girl, Karen Kuykendall would make frequent trips to the San Diego Zoo because she was fascinated with the animals.

Born in 1928 and a child of the Great Depression, she also had a keen interest in geology and astronomy as she got older and spent a lot of time at the Museum of Natural History.

All of these interests are re�lected in her artwork – now on display in a dedicated room at the Mesa Historical Museum. (mesahistoricalmuseum.com)

Kuykendall studied advertising illustration at the Art Center in Los Angeles and motion picture costume design at the Chinouard Art Institute in California.

She visited Arizona in the 1950’s and fell in love with the desert landscape, which would later become the inspiration for the landscapes she created for her fantasy realm, “The Outer Regions.”

She moved to Arizona and obtained her master’s degree in art history from the University of Arizona.

She eventually moved in 1966 to Casa Grande, where she remained until her passing in 1998.

Early in her art career, Kuykendall was interested in science �iction and fantasy art. However, her artwork was often dismissed as being “illustrations and not art.”

She abandoned fantasy illustrations until 1977, when she attended a sci-�i convention in Los Angeles and discovered that her sci-�i/fantasy artwork was �inally being appreciated.

This encouraged her to publish Cat People and Other Inhabit-

���ARTIST ���� 16

The late Arizona artist Karen Kuykendall left a treasure of artwork for Mesa residents to

15 2 Skyline grads also earned MCC diplomas

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

Two members of Skyline High School’s Class of 2021 actually celebrated two graduations last month.

Olivia Bromenschenkel and Abbygale Gurr also picked up diplomas from Mesa Community College after earning more than 30 credits through its Early College Academy.

Both students enrolled in the inaugural MCC Early College Academy in the fall 2019 and earned a 3.8 GPA on their college course work.

Gurr is returning to MCC in the fall to pursue an associate in arts degree. Bromenschenkel is continuing her education at Grand Canyon University.

Currently more than 70 students from Mesa Public Schools are participating in the Early College Academy program, offered at the MCC Red Mountain Campus.

The program is available to students attending Mountain View, Red Mountain and Skyline high schools.

Participants enroll in college classes that meet both high school graduation and college degree requirements, receiving personalized academic mentoring as they progress through the program as a group, providing what a college spokeswoman called “a built-in, peer support network.”

The academy is the only program of its kind within the Maricopa County Community College District and spokeswoman Dawn Zimmer said it “is another avenue for Mesa high school students to attend college with minimal expense.”

Mesa Public Schools funds a majority of the program’s cost of $50 per credit hour, leaving minimal fees and expenses for participants.

Information: mesacc.edu/early-college.

Meanwhile, MCC has another program that helps students gain work experience and practical industry skills by working for local businesses in the school’s Technopreneur Experience Program.

Students pursuing careers in emerging technology work in teams to help solve businesses’ “technology de�icits.”

The model expands on a process MCC students and faculty used to develop a Resources, Information & Services for Everyone (RISE) iOS app. That app enables users to �ind basic needs services.

“We hosted conversations with healthcare, technology and East Valley businesses to learn what technology barriers they were experiencing,” said Diane Meza, director of the Maricopa Information Technology Institute-East Valley. “In addition to �inding employees with speci�ic technology knowledge, we learned there is a strong desire for talent with entrepreneurial aptitude to problem solve, the soft skills to work collaboratively and project management experience to

Abbygale Gurr, left, a 2021 graduate of Skyline High School and Mesa Community College's Early College Academy and her Skyline classmate Olivia Bromenschenkel have a head start on many of their counterparts in the next stage of their academic life. (Special to the Tribune) execute,” Meza said. Students with certi�ications in areas such as app development, cloud, graphic design, web development, website design and computer programming – all of which are taught at MCC – work together “while honing their business and related soft skills,” a college spokeswoman said. The program was developed with the help of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce and Apple Community Education Initiative. Sixteen Mesa Chamber businesses indicated interest in participating in the MCC Technopreneur Experience program. Recent alumnae Nicole Peterson, a �irstgeneration college student who earned her associate degree in applied science and web development last month, said she gained valuable experience through her Technopreneur Experience capstone project. She helped create two apps, one for a Mesa coffee shop, Jarrod’s Coffee, Tea & Gallery and another for ReachOutAZ. “The capstone project gave me insight and experience in development methodologies,” Peterson said. “I walked away with an earned degree, a valuable understanding of a related �ield of study, and the enthusiasm to continue community involvement.” The MCC Technopreneur Experience is one of six programs offered through the MITI-EV, a partnership of East Valley colleges, designed to grow talent to spur local business success and growth.

Businesses interested in the MCC programs can contact Meza at 480-461-

7077 or diane.meza@mesacc.edu. 

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serve, Trane donated the two home comfort systems, and Arizona’s Dukes of Air did the installation free of charge. “It is a miracle that Of�icer Stoddard survived the crash and subsequent physical and emotional devastation,” Kubacki said. “Knowing that we had more than 50 days over 110 degrees last year, Dukes of Air wanted to support this amazing family and provide relief from our brutal hot weather.”

Stoddard’s legacy of serving his country and the community began with helping veterans and �irst responders through his nonpro�it organization, “Archangels.”

He was deployed four times in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been with Mesa Police for 14 years.

During the pandemic, he was instrumental with Archangels Operation: Protecting Those Who Protect Us by delivering PPE and latex gloves to �irst responders.

“Humor, gratitude, and service is how we recover,” said Stoddard, who shared his favorite poem of a boy tossing stranded star�ish back into the ocean. He told the Dukes of Air installation team, “Thank you for making a difference to this star�ish and not letting us stay stranded,” and he gave each team member a star�ish �igurine.

Stoddard also told the installation team about the Army tradition of honoring someone with a commander’s coin to

THE MESA TRIBUNE | JUNE 13, 2021 show appreciation for a phenomenal job on the spot.

“It is more than just a thank you or a pat on the back; it is something tangible to remember the moment by recognizing hard work and excellence an individual displays,” Stoddard said as he presented Kubacki with the service coin.

Kubacki said she is so proud of her team and the partnership with Trane that allowed them to give back to the his family. 

ARTIST ���� ���� 14

ants of the Outer Regions, which details the fantasy “Out Regions” realm she created.

While a lot of Kuykendall’s later artwork focused on her fantasy realm, she used a wide array of subjects and styles.

She painted everything from Native Americans and ancient Egyptians, to 60’s and 70’s hippieinspired art, to sculptures of people and animals in papier mache.

She often prided herself in the fact that when she showcased her work at a booth, most people did not believe that all of the art was created by one artist because of the various different styles she used.

She also incorporated different mediums in her artwork including watercolors, oil painting, tempera on sand, papiermache, as well as costume and jewelry making.

Her 1,000+ pieces of artwork consisting of paintings, sculptures, dolls, jewelry, and costumes are now a part of the Mesa Historical Museum’s permanent collection and is the focus of a new exhibit. This is the �irst time some of Kuykendall’s creations have been seen by the public in 25 years.  Many of Kuykendall's pieces have not been seen by the general public for more than 25 years. (Special to the Tribune)

While the photo on the left indicates Kuykendall's fascination with cats, the one on the right shows her craftsmanship in jewelry design. All that is on display at the Mesa Historical Museum.

(Special to the Tribune)

TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow

Valley could be heading for post-pandemic of�ice glut

BY PAUL MARYNIAK

Tribune Executive Editor

As the pandemic appears to be giving way to a semblance of normality, the world of commercial of�ice space is anything but normal.

Just ask Jay S. Kramer, an experienced real estate and �inance attorney.

As Fennemore’s commercial transactions section director, Kramer has counseled numerous commercial and industrial developers, national and local homebuilders, planned community developers as well as �inancial institutions.

These days, as companies recall workers from their home of�ices or look at what post-pandemic work sites might look like, Kramer sees many employers asking themselves, “What now?” Owners of big of�ice complexes also are wondering the same thing.

“What now?” is only the beginning of a cascade of questions re�lecting the uncertainty of post-pandemic of�ice life.

“I think we’re all kind of focused on the same type of issues,” Kramer said: “How do you return to the of�ice? Are we ever going to have 100 percent work from home? 100 percent at the of�ice? Or some type of a hybrid approach. How do we retain and recruit employees in either a hybrid or work-from-home environment? How do we develop a sense of community, camaraderie or whatever kind of �irm togetherness?

“Those are the kind of large issues that everybody is grappling with,” he said.

The pandemic brought a new sensibility to of�ice workers that can’t be undone with a simple directive, Kramer suggested. Thanks to the virtual of�ice environment, quali�ied employees often have more options since they can seek jobs at companies hundreds of miles away without ever thinking of moving. Kramer sees no one-size-�its-all answer to the myriad of issues that the pandemic has raised for employers who inhabit large swaths of of�ice space in many parts of the Valley – and the country.

For some employers, he said, the questions include: “How do you make of�ices places where people want to come?” and “How do we make the of�ice more enticing?”

Others are grappling with how they can provide a comfortable environment for workers who want to alternate work time between home and of�ice.

“One thing that we’ve been talking about for a long time is hoteling, where you have of�ices that you reserve,” Kramer explained.

“But I think a lot of people feel their of�ice is almost like a second home. They want to make it more personal. They’ve got papers all over the place and pictures of their family and what-have-you.

“So the idea that every day you’ve got to pack up your stuff and either take it home with you or put it into a locker …that’s kind of disruptive.”

Kramer said the fact that many employers discovered employees often are more productive working at home complicates the issue. Attorney Jay Kramer of the Fennemore law fi rm said employers are asking a lot of questions as they ponder future o ce rental

needs. (Courtesy of Fennemore)

Some workers might actually yearn to shed the sweat pants and head into an of�ice at least a few days a week.

“It’s really the younger people who crave

Big companies that bring hundreds of employees to a new complex they build, such as State Farm’s massive development along Tempe Town Lake, likely have fewer worries about fi lling o ce space than many other employers, Kramer said. (Special to the Tribune) having that of�ice experience, where they can be mentored and trained and have those interactions,” he explained, “while lot of the older people who already have their connections and relationships may never come back to the of�ice.” To some degree, employers may �ind themselves caught between a rock and a harder place.

On the one hand, some employers may �ind it bene�icial for team spirit to have all their workers in one place.

Yet, team spirit may have to defer to other considerations, Kramer said.

“You spend a lot of money training them and getting them familiar with your systems and so you’ve got to retain them. It seems to be just extremely dif�icult to do and not just because it is an employee market,” Kramer said.

“It’s a challenge and it’s going to be a challenge for quite some time,” he said.

Kramer also said many employers that carried empty of�ice space on their books realized some bene�its of a home-based workforce, at least for a while, since they could cut as much as 20 percent of other expenses and they obtained increased productivity from workers and wound up with higher pro�its as a result.

“I think short term is going to be a positive to the bottom line,” he said, noting that of�ice expenses for supplies, food and even taking clients to lunch declined dramatically during the pandemic.

But to lure employees back, Kramer said, employers and landlords may have some unexpected costs – like major remodeling. “I think everybody’s looking for �lexibility. One of the issues with �lexibility is what a company is to do about of�ice space,” he said. “Do you assume that you’re going to have 50 percent occupancy from where you are today?

“And then there’s one school of thought that even though they’re going to let people in the of�ice, the type of space that they ���COMMERICAL ���� 19

have might have to be different.

“Instead of people being in cubicles or in small of�ices, they’re going to want a lot more open spaces, more immersive – what I call Zoom rooms.” Landlords also may face some tough bargaining positions from their of�ice tenants over “the typical legal issues in terms of lease negotiations,” Kramer said, noting employers likely will seek to cut lease expenses for parking and maintenance if they have fewer employees on site. “We spend a ton of money on parking but when there’s no reason to have a parking space for every employee, maybe you ask to take 50 percent or 40 percent of your spaces and save a lot of money,” he said. Overall, Kramer said, “companies are not going to want to give back some of those savings they saw in the pandemic.” What all this means for the Valley’s pre-pandemic of�ice building boom depends somewhat on geography and the tenant, Kramer said, though he predicted, “There’s going to be a glut over some period of time.”

While more companies move to the Valley and those that are already here continue to grow, that will hopefully reduce the inventory of available of�ice space, he said. But absent the large employers like State Farm and Nationwide that are moving hundreds and even thousands of employees into a large complex, Kramer said, “I think you’re going to see a lot of problem of�ice development.” “I think maybe real estate brokers and commercial real estate people want to tell you that everything is going to be rosy and what have you, but it just seems that short term, everything I’m seeing is – all the discussion is about – how much space do we really need?” he said. “I don’t think there are going to be a lot of new projects that are going to start in the planning stage – ones that aren’t really saying they’re kind of ready to go. … We’re absolutely going to see a slowdown in of�ice development.” He said Gilbert and Chandler may see modest of�ice development as Intel ramps up its $20 billion Ocotillo campus expansion. “If you’re just looking at kind of speculative of�ice construction for of�ice workers – I don’t think you’re going to see much of that,” Kramer said. “But now, Scottsdale’s a good market, Tempe is a good market.” “I think the Camelback Corridor is still an area where people want to be, but even there, I think the rents are going to start dropping – the vacancy rates are going to go up there.” The bottom line, Kramer said: “When their leases are up, companies are going to downsize space and so that means we’ll have a lot of space available.” And downtown Phoenix, especially as a 4-year major overhaul of the Broadway Curve is looming in the near future? “I don’t know if people still want to be downtown,” Kramer replied.

Information: fennemorelaw.com/peo-

ple/attorneys/k-n/kramer-jay-s 

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Landlords are the forgotten pandemic heroes

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ

Tribune Columnist

The COVID-19 pandemic has been full of quiet heroism, men and women sacri�icing to keep others healthy and safe. Doctors, nurses, �ire�ighters, paramedics, cops, grocery workers; all have done amazing work and all have been recognized for their efforts.

But the owners of apartment complexes? The moms and pops who own duplexes or single-family rental homes? About them we have heard not a peep of praise despite their massive sacri�ice over the past 16 months, a time period when they have been forced by various state and federal eviction moratorium orders to provide free rent to thousands of residents across Arizona. I think it’s high time we do something many people �ind unthinkable: Say something nice about the good actors often known derisively as “landlords.” Full disclosure: In my day job as a public relations consultant, one of my clients is the Arizona Multihousing Association, a trade association representing the apartment industry. So yes, I am predisposed to say kind things about property owners. That doesn’t change the fact that beginning in March 2020, �irst the state and then the feds voided more than one million leases in Arizona, suspending the private property rights not only of big companies that own apartments but retirees supplementing their Social Security with a rental property or two. You think it’s tough having company stay a few nights too long? Imagine having residents stay 16 months with no rent while you pay the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. We didn’t force grocery stores to give away free food or gas stations to pass out free unleaded. But enforce free rent for a year-plus? Yes, we did.

One of the saddest parts of this story is the massive and underreported government snafu that has accompanied the eviction moratorium. To date, Arizona at the state, county, city and town level has received about $1 billion in federal eviction relief funding. Thus far, 16 months into the pandemic, the agencies charged with distributing these funds have managed to give out about $134 million – or 13 cents of every relief dollar. We can only wish government revenuers would be that inef�icient when it comes to collecting our tax dollars. These eviction relief programs, beset by red tape and overly complicated applications, have backlogs thousands of applications long. That’s tragic, because it never should have been this dif�icult to give away free money. Common sense should have dictated that everyone who quali�ied for the eviction moratorium – in other words every renter who lost work or suffered a pandemic-induced salary cut – also quali�ied for relief dollars. End of story. That ship has sailed, however. And the Centers for Disease Control order suspending evictions is set to lapse on June 30. If it’s not extended again, tenant advocates say there will be a rush to the courthouse and a wave of evictions.

No property owners I’ve met look forward to evicting people, especially anyone who has struggled during the lost year���LEIBOWITZ ���� 22

Justice for all is the framework for our republic

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

Equal justice under law,” reads the inscription carved above the columns on the magni�icent building that houses the Supreme Court of the United States.

Business consultants who earn their living devising new concepts for “leadership in commerce,” (a dubious exercise, but a triumph of marketing) might call those four words a “mission statement.” That would be wrong.

Those four words encapsulate the essence of a republic, and we confuse them at our own peril. You may have been taught that the words “republic” and “democracy” are interchangeable. Again, that would be wrong.

Ours is a constitutional republic – a form of government based upon the edicts enumerated in our Constitution – the supreme law of our land. The 10th Amendment to the Constitution further elaborates: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

In other words, our Constitution is a document of limited and enumerated powers, based upon law. That same Constitution establishes a framework for selfgovernment, based not upon majority rule, but the supremacy of law, equally applied to all: the essence of justice. Small wonder then, that Benjamin Franklin didn’t hesitate when asked by a Philadelphia socialite, “Dr. Franklin, what form of government have you given us?” “A republic, if you can keep it.” He knew how dif�icult that would be, and he also knew the dangers inherent in a democracy, because the printer-inventor-founder de�ined it in this way: “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what they are going to have for lunch.”

Dr. Franklin’s simple and powerful definition of democracy exposes the “tyranny of the majority” — and why confusing the term “republic” with “democracy” is dangerous. Sadly, such confusion is commonplace. Even more tragically, we have seen news coverage — or more accurately, elitist lectures disguised as news — sow seeds of more confusion. In less than six months, the Biden Administration has opened our borders, empowered our enemies, dismantled our domestic energy production, dismissed concerns about ballot security, prioritized illegal aliens over citizens, and instituted a policy of runaway spending, encouraging the Federal Reserve to just keep printing money, with the expansive in�lation that inevitably accompanies that action. And that’s not all. Transforming the military into an institution of uniform political ideology instead of a �ighting force is also underway; likewise the effort to legitimize male athletes “in transition” dominating biological females in women’s athletic competition.

What else? Plenty. All done by executive action.

Where are the Republicans?

Well, they’re there, and some are putting up a �ight – though the “alphabet networks,” their cable cousins, and the major newspapers ignore their efforts. Some conservatives seek solace by looking to the political calendar, and the midterm elections scheduled for November of next year. Still others look to the judiciary, and the three conservative Supreme Court Justices installed during the Trump Administration. But the wheels of justice turn slowly, if at all. Meantime, Hillary Clinton, James Comey and John Brennan all enjoy freedom despite suspicions that each of them has been involved in illegal activities.

Can we keep our republic? It may be easier to change the Supreme Court inscription: “Special justice for some.” And that would be wrong. 

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plus that was 2020 and early 2021.

At the same time, just as there are “slumlords” who give responsible property owners a bad name, there are also “bad apple” residents who used the moratorium as a vacation from responsibility.

They failed to pursue relief and went silent on the property manager. Instead of taking their stimulus checks or enhanced unemployment bene�its and spending them on basics like rent, they decided responsibility could wait. Meanwhile, the back rent tab continues to rise.

And wait thousands of property owners have done. For 16 months. Silently, amid frustration and the threat of bankruptcy, and without an iota of praise for their efforts.

It seems like one kind column is the least we can do, no? 

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