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Uknowit
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Posted: Tue Jul 21st, 2009 11:39 pm |
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| Drinks are on the house.
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Zach Colick
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Posted: Mon Jun 29th, 2009 09:15 pm |
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Editor's note: The following story appears in the July 1 Town of Paradise Valley Independent. Post comments by hitting reply in the upper right-hand corner. Comments will be posted in an upcoming issue of the Town of Paradise Valley Independent.
Jini Simpson sworn in as vice mayor
Voluntary position to be filled at start of each FY
By Zach Colick
Independent Newspapers
Councilwoman Jini Simpson will officially take over as vice mayor starting next month after the position was recently vacated to allow town leaders to continue to look at new ways to spice up the council dyanamic.
Selecting a new vice mayor was a measure agreed upon recently by the now six-member Town Council — Councilman Brian Cooney recently resigned from the voluntary governing body — after Vice Mayor Ron Clarke announced June 25 his intention to step down from the position.
Ms. Simpson will serve as vice mayor through June 2010. She has not expressed an interest to run again in March 2010 for a seat on the Town Council, a position she has held for the past 11 years.
While the mayor and vice mayor roles do not hold special significance nor do they give the seated individuals more votes on the Town Council, the mayor often is the face of the town and the vice mayor often is his or her “right-hand.”
Mayor Vernon Parker can be seen at various town events, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and galas to represent the town in place of other town leaders.
Former Vice Mayor Ron Clarke, a longtime town councilman and former mayor, like other vice mayors, helped Mayor Parker get acclimated to his position as the mayor was a “rookie” in town politics, having never served on the Town Council prior to last year.
Town leaders said last week they will continue to select a new vice mayor at the start of each fiscal year — most likely someone with the most longevity on the Town Council — to allow for a newer perspective on the dais and create more leadership opportunities.
During the Town Council’s June 25 meeting, Councilwoman Mary Hamway selected Councilwoman Simpson as a candidate for vice mayor, while Councilman Scott LeMarr selected Councilwoman Pam Kirby.
While she believed she could have been an asset as vice mayor, Councilwoman Kirby passed on the opportunity, saying Vice Mayor Simpson deserves the opportunity, having served the town for a number of years.
She thanked her fellow colleagues for thinking of her, but felt accepting the nomination would not have been fair to Ms. Simpson.
Vice Mayor Simpson, who has served on the Town Council since 1998, said she has not sought the vice mayor position in the past, despite being instrumental in a number of projects for the town’s benefit during her tour of duty in office.
She mentioned a number of projects she was instrumental in approving over the years with her fellow council colleagues, including:
• Reconstructing Doubletree Ranch Road several years ago. Doing so helped the roadway and immediate area be able to stave off flood water from torrential downpours created by the Valley’s summer monsoons.
Vice Mayor Simpson said she had to lobby Maricopa County Flood Control District officials about the project’s benefit to Paradise Valley before ample funding could be provided to reconstruct the major town roadway.
The project provided Doubletree Ranch Road with 100-year flood protection.
• Realignment of the Tatum Boulevard and McDonald Drive intersection, which is the second most accident-prone town intersection.
Vice Mayor Simpson explained she was on the Planning Commission at the time and had to convince the Town Council to undertake the project.
“It took encouraging the Town Council to make it happen, and it became a major project for the town,” she said.
• Serving as a legislative liason, along with former Police Chief John Wintersteen, to convince state legislators in the late 1980s and early 1990s about the importance of photo radar in Paradise Valley.
Allowing ample funding to keep the project going allowed other Valley cities to adopt similar photo radar programs to slow down speeding motorists, she said.
In other news, the Town Council agreed during its June 25 work/study session that it is important to fill the vacant council seat in the coming months.
Council members identified three residents who they believe would be an asset to the town. Town officials are expected to contact the three residents to see if they are interested before most likely filling the spot in September.
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