Globe City Council appoints new District 5 representative at May 11 meeting

Members of the Globe City Council: Mayor Al Gameros, Vice Mayor Mike Stapleton, and council members Freddy Rios, Mike Pastor, Jesse Leetham, and Fernando Shipley. All members were in attendance.

Announcements & Special Presentations

City Manager Paul Jepson noted that the City will be transitioning to open up City Hall and the library as Covid restrictions ease. He also informed council that east South Street (the road out to Round Mountain) will be graded and will get a dust coating, resulting in road closures on May 13, 14 and 19.

Mayor Al Gameros announced a proclamation to recognize city clerks across the state on the occasion of the 52nd annual Professional Municipal Clerks Week, May 2-8. Mayor Gameros specifically recognized Shelly Salazar for her personality and drive.

Copper Hills Advocacy Office 

Police Chief Dale Walters spoke about the grand opening of the Copper Hills Advocacy Office, which took place on May 11. The office is intended to help get victims of crime the assistance they need, without having to go to the Valley, as they did in the past. The office has already been serving people prior to opening full time and has helped more than 100 people.

Chief Walters said many people contributed to getting the advocacy office open. He specifically mentioned Jessica Nicely, the CEO of Winged Hope, who had helped develop the Chandler advocacy center. Nicely assisted during the process of developing Globe’s advocacy center, donated furnishings and décor, and facilitated the donation of much-needed medical equipment. Chief Walters also mentioned Trevor Humphreys, president of the Arizona Child and Family Advocacy Network, for working with the police department for more than two years to help with policy and grants. Humphreys also donated medical equipment for the advocacy center’s examination room.

Finally, Chief Walters thanked Neal Jensen, CEO of CVRMC, saying, “His focus and his generosity and his support have made this project truly successful.” Chief Walters also thanked Dale Fletcher of Kino Floors for donating labor and materials, as well as, Debbie Cox, Claudia Dalmolin, Jess Bollinger, and Shelley Soroka-Spence.

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Wildfire update

Adam Bromley, of the Tonto National Forest, gave an update on the Copper Canyon Fire. He said this was a state jurisdiction fire that started off San Carlos Drive and then moved into Tonto National Forest. It was a very active fire Friday, May 7, and was continuing as he spoke on the evening of Tuesday, May 11. Bromley said this fire was unusual for this time of the year and resulted from high winds. He said no structures had been lost and there had been no injuries. Highway 60 was affected on Friday and had to be closed through the weekend, but reopened on Monday.

Bromley also gave a regional outlook for the coming fire season. He said most of southern Gila County is in an exceptional drought, like much of the region. He said during this year’s fire season, it may prove to be harder and harder to obtain the resources needed, much like last year.

Fire restrictions will begin on May 14, at stage 1, meaning no campfires and no target shooting on national forest land.

Bromley said that although the Forest Service is moving toward the idea of living with fire, it generally tries to suppress human-caused fires. He said that on the Tonto National Forest, there are areas where the Forest Service has said fires will be put out, and other areas where fires will be allowed to burn. The Copper Canyon fire occurred in an area designated for suppression, mainly due to concerns for life and property.

“The days of putting 19-year-old hotshots into some very, very compromising positions are hopefully behind us.” —Adam Bromley, Tonto National Forest

Bromley also spoke about firefighter safety. He said the national view of the Forest Service is firefighter and public safety first, as the service moves toward a life-first agency. Bromley encouraged the community to talk about being fire-wise, because the region is in drought and we will have to continue to live with these conditions.

Consent and action items:

Council took action on the following matters:

• Provided $5,233.76 in third-quarter bed tax funds to the Historical Society.
  
• Approved a facade renovation of 290 N. Broad Street, formerly Bacon’s Boots and Saddles.
  
• Approved sending Globe’s annual expenditure limitation report for 2021-22 to the Arizona auditor general.
  
• Gave permission for Globe to receive revenue from the Pinal-Gila Council for Senior Citizens (PGCSC) to repave the parking lot at the active adult center. PGCSC had received $65,000 in additional federal Covid-19 funds to help cover the center’s Covid-related costs. Part of the funds will go toward the expenses of keeping the center open.
  
• Ratified an agreement for the City to purchase 493 N. Broad Street (the Silver Queen building) from Kenneth Brown for $65,000.  

Rezoning of Rayes Ridge Property

Council also approved a request to rezone the Rayes Ridge property at 10 Lebanon Road to R1-6. This will allow single-family residential units to be built with minimum 6,000-square-foot lots. Dana Burkhardt, Zoning Administrator, said this land—consisting of 26 acres in three parcels—had been annexed into Globe last year. The City is required to adopt a zoning designation within six months, but this is getting done late. The land is located south of the Community Center, within walking distance. Neighbors were notified about the rezoning, and a citizens review meeting was held last spring. The Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the property on May 5. Today’s action is to adopt an ordinance to change the zoning designation.

Burkhardt said the applicant is looking toward a future development that could potentially consist of 85 lots, with three dwelling units per acre. Access would be from Ice House Canyon Road, with secondary access on the north to city property. During public outreach, commenters raised concerns about traffic on Ice House Canyon Road, and a neighbor to the south expressed a desire for the parcel to be developed with larger lots. No one has expressed opposition to the development, but people have been adamant about traffic concerns on Ice House Canyon Road, which is a county road.

Mariano Gonzales is selected to fill Council District 5 vacancy

Council held interviews with four applicants for the District 5 seat, vacated by Charlene Giles in early April. The applicants interviewed were Carmen Casillas, Matthew Storms, Mariano Gonzales and Eric Mariscal. The interviews consisted of each applicant introducing themselves, followed by questions from Council. All applicants were asked the same initial questions, with follow-up questions allowed. Each applicant was then given an opportunity to ask questions of Council. Members of council had the opportunity to review the applicants’ resumes and applications in advance. There was no formal nominating process, as all four applicants were considered eligible to serve.

After all four interviews, council members voted by paper ballot. The initial vote resulted in a tie between Matthew Storms and Mariano Gonzales, so a runoff was held. The winner of the runoff, Mariano Gonzales, was officially seated on the council by a motion and second. Gonzales will be sworn in on May 25 and will join the council for the full agenda meeting on that evening.

Following are highlights from the candidates’ interviews:

Carmen Casillas

Carmen Casillas served on council from 2006 to 2012 and was vice mayor from 2010 to 2012. Casillas emphasized her ongoing efforts on behalf of the community and praised those who also work on behalf of the community even though they don’t have an official role. Casillas said her vision for the future of Globe is to see more growth downtown while maintaining a hometown feeling, as well as to continue bringing in services for Globe’s youth.

“I don’t have to be up there on a seat to be doing something for my community.” —Carmen Casillas

Council received an email from Tracy Quick, who pointed out that the current council is all male, and that this is unacceptable. Casillas is the only woman who applied for the District 5 seat.

Matthew Storms

Matthew Storms moved to Globe in 2014. He runs an insurance business and has a six-year-old daughter who lives with him part time. Storms said he serves on several boards, including the hospital board and foundation board, as well as being involved in Globe Rotary, Miami Rotary, and foster care. He emphasized the benefit of having a newcomer’s perspective, while he also is involved in the community and knows many of Globe’s community leaders and business owners on a personal basis.

Storms said his vision for Globe’s future is continuing growth and amenities, with an improving quality of living. He said he feels Council could improve by having more dialogue with the community, to let people know about how much Council has accomplished.

Eric Mariscal

Eric Mariscal is a lifelong resident of Globe who has lived in District 5 all his life, apart from four years in the U.S. Army and four years attending NAU. He has worked with the Gila County government since 2007 and has been elections director for the Gila County Elections Department since 2013. He was a Council member from 2012 to 2016.

Mariscal’s vision of the future of Globe is that it could become a suburb of the greater Phoenix area, and he emphasized the City’s role in providing reliable infrastructure for citizens.

“If you continue to do something the same way—if you just keep going the way you’re going—you’re not going to get anywhere. You’re going to stay exactly right where you are.” —Eric Mariscal

Mariano Gonzales

Mariano Gonzales received the appointment to the District 5 seat. Gonzales is retired and lives in the Globe mobile home park. He has 26 years of experience in government, including 16 years at Gila County Emergency Management as director of emergency operations and, later, emergency response and recovery plan coordinator for the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. He worked with all the state and local agencies, the National Guard, and elected officials across the state. Gonzales emphasized his work in maintaining and analyzing budgets and his knowledge of the state.

“I see the council’s job to not only protect what we have, which is what I call the status quo, but to advance the community. … Status quo is important, but the future is even more important.” —Mariano Gonzales

Gonzales said that in his emergency management work, he learned that the key in working with the public is to be honest with people about what you can deliver and what you cannot deliver, and “never walk away from them, so they know the government doesn’t forsake them.”

Gonzales said he doesn’t know if he will run for the District 5 seat in 2022, but he said, “I won’t say I won’t run.” He said, “I stepped up because I felt there was a need. … There’s been at least six to eight council-level decisions that have been made in the last month since ward 5 lost their representation, and I think that’s a sad thing. The people of ward 5 had no voice in during these last few meetings.”

“You have to follow the charge you’ve been given—what’s best for the city. [Something] may not be good for the people of Broad Street, but it might be good for the people of Euclid Avenue. You have to balance that. If you have enough wisdom and experience, you try to take the road that benefits everybody.” —Mariano Gonzales

Full minutes can be found by going to the City Hall website at https://www.globeaz.gov/government and clicking on Agendas/Minutes in the bottom left-hand corner.

The Globe City Council meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The meetings are currently open to the public at 25% capacity. Members of the public are requested to wear a mask when entering and exiting the Council chambers. Seating is limited to allow for social distancing.

Members of the public can also participate in City of Globe public meetings by viewing the meeting live on YouTube. To view the Council meeting live stream, go to the City of Globe’s YouTube channel (search for City of Globe Arizona). Or click on the “Live Stream on YouTube” link at the top of www.globeaz.gov.

To speak to agenda items before or during the meeting, you can call or text (928) 200-0154 or send an email to council@globeaz.gov. If you desire to speak to the Council during an agenda item, please contact the Council in advance and include your phone number on your request.