Candidate forum
Council hopefuls share their views
Editor’s note: This is the second of two stories covering the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce Council Candidate Forum held Tuesday. The first part appeared in the Wednesday edition of the Yuma Sun.
Seven candidates vying for three open seats on the Yuma City Council addressed local issues in a forum held Tuesday at Arizona Western College and moderated by Yuma Sun Editor Roxanne Molenar.
Candidates answered questions previously submitted by citizens during four rounds. The candidates included William Craft, a retired Marine and banker and former council member; Gary Knight, a current council member and retired business owner; Arturo Morales, a banker and community advocate; Robert Scarborough, co-owner of several family businesses; Edward Thomas, a veteran and former council member; Carol Smith, a nurse
educator and former school board member; and Nicolle Wilkinson, a construction project manager and architect and former board member of the Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma.
ROUND 3
Asked about ways to improve transparency and make the city more accessible, Craft said he would encourage citizens to watch the council work sessions, not just the regular meetings. “It’s more open, it’s more informal,” he noted. He also invited citizens to reach out to the council members. “They’re here to answer. No one is trying to hide anything,” he said.
Knight, questioned about his support for “meet and confer agreements” with the Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Firefighters, said that these would be a violation of the city charter and that the council can’t get involved in negotiations and can only set the pay scale.
Morales, asked about the time commitment required by serving on the council, noted that community service isn’t new to him as he has been doing it for years, with support from his wife and employer, which allows him flexibility and encourages his involvement in politics.
On a question about the challenge that the city has had in recruiting volunteers to serve on boards and committees, Scarborough suggested that the city might do better in reaching out and asking for more volunteers. “I wasn’t aware this is an issue. This is something for me to think about,” he added.
Speaking on the same topic, Thomas encouraged people to participate more in their city and noted that it’s an opportunity to help decide how taxpayer dollars can be used to grow Yuma for their children.
Smith, asked about changes to the zoning code, said that she would first get input from the experts, as it’s not her area of expertise, and sit down with those that it affects directly.
Wilkinson, also addressing the question, pointed out that it’s her area of expertise as she works directly with building and zoning departments on construction projects. Several things in the zoning and building codes need to change, she noted. In particular, the issue with parking in the historic downtown area and “change of use” policy which leads to “significant costs” for business owners who might want to make simple changes, such as putting up a wall.
Talking about how he would improve transportation, Thomas noted that Yuma has a myriad of ways to get around the city, but he would like to see shaded bus stops for Yuma County Area Transit (YCAT) riders. Seeing people “standing in the heat or cold breaks my heart,” he said.
Wilkinson, asked how to get residents more involved, said that the city needs to reach out to each generation differently through public meetings, online surveys and social media.
ROUND 4
Craft said he supports the 2% hospitality tax that is up for renewal on the ballot in November, mostly because it directly impacts quality of life by funding the art center, golf course, Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex, “stuff that people come for.” He pointed out that the families of the professionals recruited to Yuma need to be happy too and that this tax partially funds Visit Yuma, which organizes festivals and activities, and the upkeep of local attractions, such as the wetlands maintained by the Yuma Crossing Heritage Area.
Knight, asking to speak on the issue, said he supports the tax too as all cities typically charge it. He echoed that the tax supports “quality of life things” in Yuma, such as parks and recreation. “If we don’t have it here, we lose out,” he added.
Knight, asked if he supports using taxpayer dollars to fund nongovernmental organizations that aid undocumented immigrant, replied: “Absolutely not.” He explained that the only organizations that the city supports are the ones that do something that the city would otherwise have to fund, like Amberly’s Place, Catholic Community Services and Crossroads Mission. If it weren’t for these nonprofit organizations, the city would have to pay more to do what they’re doing than the money the city gives them to do it. Immigration, Knight added, is “not our responsibility. It’s the feds.’”
Morales said that the biggest issues, as expressed by residents, are the beatification of Yuma and law enforcement. He pointed to the perception that the city lacks a sense of community pride. As for law enforcement, he explained that the city has five of the 15 dispatchers it needs and 130 of the 160 officers it needs and is losing more.
Scarborough noted that he supports new construction downtown without requiring new parking. He believes that parking is sufficient for now, but when the time is right, he would like the private sector to build public parking without taxpayers paying for it.
Smith said she supports moving the Desert Hills Golf Course from an enterprise fund into the general fund and/or leasing it to a private management company. Calling herself an avid golfer, she said, “To me, it makes a lot of sense to keep it as an enterprise fund.”
Knight clarified that the city had already moved the golf course into parks and recreation because it’s an attraction that draws snowbirds. “It’s never going to make any money,” he noted, reiterating that it’s an attraction like city parks and swimming pools.
Scarborough also asked to speak on this “quagmire,” noting that he too is an avid golfer. “I would like to find an entity that can lease it,” he said, adding that although it loses money, it’s an attraction that must be preserved.
Smith asked to address the issue again, noting that she would talk with companies that take over those courses to see how it could benefit the city before making a decision. She added that the city needs to keep it alive, whether or not it makes money, as it draws people.
With talk of Police Chief Susan Smith and Deputy Chief Lisa Culp retiring soon, Thomas was asked if he wants these positions to be filled from within or outside the organization. He said that they should be filled from within. “You want to promote up,” perhaps with sergeants that have “the spine and intestinal fortitude to take up the issues,” he said.
Asked about bicycling, Wilkinson noted that it’s an important part of Yuma’s recreation and physical wellbeing and the city needs to support it by funding design studies that enable it to apply for grants, which offset the expense or totally pay for bicycling amenities. The city needs to look at grant opportunities and other ways to extend the existing bicycling paths during future road improvement projects and when building new roads, she added.
CLOSING STATEMENTS
The candidates were given the opportunity to give closing statements. “I’ve got the experience. I’ve been on City Council. I’ve got the leadership as a retired Marine, a retired banker. I’ve got an MBA. I’ve done it all. I’ve already been there,” Craft said.
“My No. 1 goal is to finally get our public safety personnel, police and fire, on a competitive pay scale with other cities so we no longer have problems with recruitment and retention,” Knight said, adding that in speaking with officers, one of the biggest complaints is the cost of medical benefits. “We need to find a solution for their medical benefits, some way to lower them,” he added.
“People ask me, what is your platform? Yuma is my platform,” Morales said. “I really want to build a community, and when I say ‘I’, I mean ‘we’.” He noted that Yuma loses professionals and industries due to a lack of resources and recreation sought by their families. He also pledged to work with fellow council members to address concerns and issues.
Scarborough, noting that Yuma has been his home for 30 years, said, “I love this community. Being a small business owner gives me tremendous experience in dealing with budgets and finances. He noted that his businesses have 20-25 fulltime employees year round and run $3.5 million a year average in retail sales.
“I just look forward to Yuma being some place that my kids can grow up and keep calling home, and the best way to do that moving forward, we must live financially responsible and within our means as a community,” Scarborough added.
“With me, you can get an accountable, transparent, service-oriented person you can relate to,” Smith said. “I’m a mom, a working person and someone that just wants to see someone like me in politics, someone you can trust to take care of your children day to day and make decisions for them. I work in a job where I’m juggling competing demands constantly, and sometimes even at my dinner table. I can do that for you and be an available person to listen to whatever your needs might be.”
“If you want someone who will utilize a common-sense approach and be transparent, who will keep core values and their ethical values, while keeping his word and working well with others, vote for Edward C. Thomas. I’m focused on our city and I’m also focused on getting things done,” Thomas said.
Wilkinson recognized her fellow candidates, noting that they’re all a “bunch of Yuma lovers,” otherwise they wouldn’t want to serve. “I refer to Yuma as ‘Cheerberry, because that’s where Cheers Bar meets Mayberry,” she added. “Our community is unique, a group of psychotically, enthusiastically, philanthropically competitive individuals, and I love that about Yuma. We all want what is best. If you want a strong candidate who has fought and will continue fighting for your constitutional rights, somebody who will not go along to get along, somebody who can make tough decisions to best serve the community, I am that candidate.”
CITY ELECTIONS
The city’s primary election will be Aug. 2. Voters will nominate and/or elect candidates for mayor, three council members and a presiding municipal judge. (James Coil, the current presiding municipal judge, is running unopposed.)
Candidates may be elected to office in the primary if they receive 50% plus one vote among ballots cast. In the event that seats remain unfilled, the general election on Nov. 8 will be used as a runoff election.
Those elected to office will serve four-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2023. Council candidates are not bound to specific districts; seats are held at large.