APWA AZ Newsletter 2021 December
Public works are the services and infrastructure required to sustain quality community life. |
UPCOMING EVENTS January 15, 2022 January 19, 2022 April 19-21, 2022 August 3-5, 2022
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Reasons to be Thankful, First, I would like to thank everyone that showed up at our first and second in person APWA meetings of the year! Can you believe how long it’s been since our last opportunity to network with other members? For me it is both inspiring as well as exciting to see everyone again. I hope more of you will decide to join us as we move into 2022, and out of the restrictions of the pandemic. It’s also a good time to thank our Past President, Kristin Tytler, for taking us through the pandemic and bringing the chapter out successfully and in good shape. Kristin had many unusual challenges, and they were answered with professionalism and success. Kristin, you certainly hold my personal appreciation and respect for a job well done. Another reason to be thankful is for our active Events Committee. Throughout the year they do an amazing job of presenting opportunities for the membership to network together in conjunction with doing something to improve our community. Recently the committee hosted another roadside clean up event. It was a lot of fun, and I’m happy to report our section took on the appearance of EXTREME CLEAN when finished. Great job everyone, our sincerest thanks goes out to those folks who regularly participate in this and other community service projects. As your president I am thankful all our chapter committees are active. During our October in person meeting we handed out certificates to local PWI graduates. What an accomplishment for those individuals. Of course, this couldn’t happen without the dedicated volunteers (Dick Yano, Wendy Springborn, Bill Verkest and Suzanne Ledy) who work in this program. Thank you volunteers and congratulations graduates. For those of you who were unable to attend the luncheon in October, the presentation was about Proposition 400 Extension along with survey data compiled showing support of extending the sales tax, talking points to use to promote support and campaign strategies for 2022. I want provide additional information on this. Below is a brief history of the proposition. I hope that many people connected to our profession might see the importance and significance of extending the program, it is critical funding for some of the types of work, we all do. Thank you to both our Government Affairs Committee who organized the presentation and our Programs Committee for putting this great presentation together. It’s hard to believe we are nearing the 37th anniversary of a sales tax to generate funding for future growth of the Maricopa County region. It began with Proposition 300 in 1985. The initiative proposed a half cent sales tax be assessed to fund development of the Valley’s freeway system. The ballot initiative was overwhelmingly successful, with 72 percent voter approval, helping to construct 138 miles of our freeway network. Twenty years rolled around quickly and leaders from around Maricopa County again came together and agreed it was important to continue progress made through Proposition 300. In 2004, voters successfully passed Proposition 400, a 20-year extension of the established half-cent sales tax to continue delivering vital multimodal transportation improvements needed in the fast-growing County. Combined, the Propositions delivered Loops 101, 202, and 303, light rail, arterial street investments, and contributions to a growing multimodal network—a total investment of over $12 billion. Which brings us to Proposition 400E, P400X or “Prop 500” whatever you have heard it called is the third generation and second extension of that original half-cent transportation sales tax established back in 1985. Agency and industry leaders are currently developing a strategy to bring the proposition to a vote early instead of waiting for it to expire at the end of 2025. It is important for the region to continue momentum, building upon the progress made over the last four decades. Even though we’ve come a long way, we still have so much more to accomplish, and so many more diverse transportation needs for this growing, vibrant region. Coming soon, there will be a landing page for obtaining additional information on the Proposition. Here are some talking points to assist in carrying the message of support forward. Momentum – Building what’s next
Finally, I want to express my sadness of the loss of Maher Hazine. Many of you know how much work he put into this chapter. He will be missed. Our sympathy goes out to his family as well as his former City of Peoria family and his Clarkdale associates. Sincerely,
Adopt a Street Clean-Up APWA January Program APWA Statewide Conference
New Members
New Member Spotlight Be the next new APWA member to be featured! This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and to make new connections with potential clients and customers. All it takes is to reach out to Suzanne Ledy at 480-644-3808 or Suzanne.ledy@mesaaz.gov.
Education Professional Career Maher was a risk-taker and entrepreneur. In his early career he did work for the Army Corps of Engineers. He subsequently worked as a consulting Civil Engineer. His work in the public sector began when he joined the City of Peoria where he served in various roles including Assistant City Engineer and Deputy Public Works Director. During his time with Peoria, he was instrumental in achieving APWA National Accreditation for the Public Works Department – recognition for following the best practices of the industry. He left his position as the Deputy Public Works Director to follow his dream of owning and operating a restaurant in Pine, Arizona. However, all the time he was in the restaurant business he continued to provide consulting engineering services and public service. He applied his knowledge in service to the struggling Pine Strawberry Water Improvement District as a Board Member, Treasurer and Chairman. “Over four years he served his community and was the driving force behind the water district’s struggle to overhaul a leaky, outage-prone water system - and solve problems he had no hand in creating.” (Payson Roundup). After leaving the restaurant business, he went on to his most recent role as the Town of Clarksdale Director of Public Works – Utilities / Town Engineer. APWA His work with the Arizona Chapter included the APWA Emerging Leaders Academy, APWA Public Works Institute, International Congress 2013 and 2015 Pursuit Committees, and the International Congress Arizona 2015 Steering Committee / Congress volunteer. He also helped to arrange APWA Awards Banquets, Networking Events, Annual Holiday Events, Statewide Conferences, International Congress in other states, Strategic Planning Meetings for the Chapter, and Community Service Projects with Chapter members. His Legacy There are many examples of people who benefited from his mentorship and who are currently serving in public works leadership roles. Some have achieved recognition in their own right; both as public works professionals and through APWA. Maher was quick to help and to lead. He cared about the people he worked with. He cared about people. He was a good boss, friend, and colleague. His character might be summed up in a few words: he was sincere, he was earnest, he was loyal, and he was passionate for his causes. While we are profoundly saddened by his passing, we are inspired by Maher’s example of service to AWPA and to the public works community as a whole.
AUCC Awards Communications (looking for a co-chair also) Conference Diversity and Inclusion Events & Community Service Government Affairs Membership & Engagement Programs Professional Development Sponsorship Committee Sustainability Young Professionals Northern Branch Southern Branch Holiday Party APWA’s Jingle & Mingle was held Thursday, December 9th at State Forty Eight Brewery in downtown Phoenix. More than 35 individuals gathered to kick off the holiday season with food, drinks, raffle prizes, and a lot of fun! Happy Birthday was sung to our very own Chapter President, Donna Sullivan-Hancock.
Public Works Job Opportunities City of Avondale
APWA Statewide Conference Call for Abstracts
Annual Sponsorships Your Arizona Chapter’s annual operations depend upon donations from our member organizations. Sponsorships pay for the resources required to provide Educational Workshops, the Public Works Leadership Institute, website support, weekly news briefs, monthly newsletters, and much more.
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Public works are the services and infrastructure required to sustain quality community life. |
