February 2–15, 2019 | www.SanTanSun.com
Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler and our neighboring communities
Chandler councilman, 12 others vie for supervisor seat BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor
A current and a former member of Chandler City Council are among the applicants for a vacancy on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The list of hopefuls includes eight Republicans who lost elections last year and four who have never held elective office. First-term Chandler Councilman Mark Stewart and former two-term council member Jack Sellers are among the hopefuls looking to fill the seat vacated Friday, Feb. 1, by District 1 Supervisor Denny Barney. The four who have never held elective office are: Angela Creedon, associate vice president of community relations
MARK STEWART
for Arizona State University who held a similar position for APS prior to joining ASU President Michael Crow’s staff; Gilbert construction office manager Rusdon Ray; Tempe commercial airlines pilot Frank Schmuck, who lost his second consecutive bid for State Senate in Legislative District 18; and Jimmy Lundblom, a Gilbert businessman who lost a three-way Republican primary for the House in LD 12. Creedon – the only hopeful who picked up an endorsement, from Mesa Mayor John Giles – is also one of only two women who have applied for the vacancy. The other is Jill Norgaard of Ahwatukee, who lost her bid for a third term in the Legislative District 18 House See
SUPERVISOR on page 4
JACK SELLERS
Rankings give Chandler a way to promote itself BY JASON STONE Staff Writer
The categories are vast. The groups compiling them are too many to count. And the methodology is sometimes cloudy to say the least. From rankings that call Chandler one of the best places to raise a family to others that deem it as one of the top cities to take a road trip with your girlfriends, Chandler appears all over “best of” lists compiled by third-party groups such as WalletHub, SmartAsset, TripAdvisor and dozens of others. And even though not everybody understands how some of these studies are collected, city officials don’t waste any opportunities to promote them. All you have to do if you want to know who has been honoring Chandler lately is go to its website. “We generally do keep track of these national rankings as they provide an independent comparison of Chandler with other cities and towns,” Chandler spokesperson Matt Burdick said. “We will share news of these rankings and links to the studies through our social media accounts, particularly on topics that are See
HOMESNACKS on page 10
Kimberly Carrillo/Staff Photographer
Cecilia “CeCe” Martinez reads to children during a bilingual storytime at the downtown Chandler Public Library. A library associate, she has worked at the library for nearly 50 years.
Bibliophile enjoys nearly five decades at city library BY COLLEEN SPARKS Managing Editor
A Chandler librarian with almost five decades under her belt enjoys sharing her love of books and energizing children in
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Visit joelterrill.com to get started. Nallely Gutierrez - NMLS#1665024 Malorie Hessler - NMLS#1460243 Joel Terrill - NMLS#255385
two languages at the downtown library. The Chandler City Council has honored Cecilia “CeCe” Martinez for her longevity working at the city’s downtown library.
She started as a page – the first the city hired, at age 14, through what was called the Neighborhood Youth Corps in the late 1960s. See
F E AT U R E STO R I E S Alamo Brewhouse addresses social ills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Community . . . . . Page 19 Ocotillo gym helps Parkinson’s victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . Page 27 Coaches react to high school ‘super bowl’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . Page 41 Exhibit celebrates Chandler architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 58 Set your heart on these Valentine’s specials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 68
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LIBRARIAN on page 14 More Community . . . . 01-26 Business . . . . . . . .27-32 Sports . . . . . . . . . 41-44 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Neighbors. . . . . . 46-57 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . 58-62 Faith. . . . . . . . . . . 63-64 Directory . . . . . . 65-66 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . 67 Where to Eat . . . 68-70