Diedrich for Mayor 2012

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After having read more about it and recalling our council discussions about it, I would vote to approve an ordinance that allowed the approved devices that the legislature says are ok to sell being legal.  They are sparklers, smoke bombs, snaps, etc.  Nothing that catches fire, explodes, or goes airborne is legal no matter what.  I would also give the fire marshal the authority to ban fireworks in the city whenever he feels that the conditions for a fire are too great to risk.

What about fountains, firecrackers, etc.? Some municipaities in the Valley allow these; others don't. The state law gives cities lee-way in allowing or prohibiting these, although they can be sold and purchased anywhere.

If I understand you correctly, you would vote not to allow people to light fountains in their driveways (on the concrete) within Maricopa city limits. Is this correct?

Thanks!

[Macrojamin]

Carl,

On your website you state that part of your platform is to "Begin the process to make Maricopa a charter city"

Can you please explain the benefits you see in becoming a charter city?
What prompted this idea?
What are the potential downfalls of a charter city?
What governing structure do you aim to form for us as a charter city?

Thanks

[Carl Diedrich]

Carl,

On your website you state that part of your platform is to "Begin the process to make Maricopa a charter city"

Can you please explain the benefits you see in becoming a charter city?
What prompted this idea?
What are the potential downfalls of a charter city?
What governing structure do you aim to form for us as a charter city?

Thanks

Macrojamin,

The idea came from the fact that we have been changing our city code on a regular basis to keep up with the changing environment in Maricopa.  Now that we have settled into a population of just under 50,000 people, I felt it was time to look at the possibility of establishing a charter government for Maricopa.  Arizona has 19 charter cities, with only 3 incorporated cities and 2 unincorporated towns larger than Maricopa not having a charter government.  Charter governments allow a city to alter the form of government and have more control over how a they operate.

Charter cities also have more flexibility in partnership opportunities, incentives, development agreements, and other contracts that Title 9 cities must follow.  Essentially, Title 9 (of the Arizona Revised Statutes) dictates what a city can do.  If it isn't written in the statutes, it is not allowed.  Having a charter gives more freedom to establish processes not available via Title 9 of the ARS.

I would say that I am in favor of having a charter, but the more important thing is that starting the charter process gives the residents of Maricopa an opportunity to decide for themselves what type of government they want and how that government will operate.  The people would have to want this too happen.  It is true representation and that is a good thing.

Some negatives are that it hasn't been done in Arizona since 1994.  I think the main reason is that charters are generally done in larger cities. Charters are also a difficult process and there must be a group that is committed to its creation for it to work.  The city code would also change and that can be a large task.  Since we have existed since 2003, we have evolved as a city and writing a charter would take us back to the beginning.  A charter could potentially undo things that have already been put in place.  Of course, that could also be seen as a positive.

I believe we have the correct governing structure in place.  The council/manager form of government is a good way to keep balance between policy and administration.

Carl Diedrich

[Macrojamin]

Thanks Carl, I have read that Charter cities can sometimes go terribly wrong, letting corruption run unchecked. If Maricopa does become a charter city will there be checks and balances put in place to prevent corruption?

[Carl Diedrich]

Macrojamin,

The key is to have a diverse group of "freeholders" as the charter body.  Contrary to what people might believe, there is no graft or corruption at the municipal level in Maricopa.  Nobody gets kickbacks and there is no "good ole boy" club.  Just look at the diverse appointees for boards and commissions.  They are regular business people, business owners, retirees, and residents who volunteer their time.  We only have one council member on council who was on council when the city incorporated.  If there was a concerted effort to create a corrupt environment, or if there was a lucrative scheme available to local politicians, logic would say that there would be more interest in staying connected.  The fact is, it is a tough job and you get beat up pretty badly for just trying to do what is right.  I don't think we have to worry about corruption, I think we have to worry about apathy.

Like I said, I tend to favor the charter idea, but it is about giving residents the choice to engage in the charter process.  They may say "not now" and I would support that choice as well.

Carl Diedrich

[Carl Diedrich]

My answer to questions about the MPD Audit and Internal Affairs investigations:


As liaison to the Merit Board, I serve as a conduit for the Merit Board to ask questions of the City Council, but do not participate in the functions of the Merit Board.  Every Merit Board hearing I attend is public (I am not allowed in the closed hearings).

Since I started attending Merit Board hearings this is what has happened at the city:

*Kevin Evans engaged a Cultural Review of the MPD as pressure from Council mounted over perceptions of the department.
*Kevin Evans made a decision to not ask for contract renewal.
*The City Council began the process of hiring a new City Manager.
*The City Council hired Brenda Fischer, completing negotiations that involved discussions about departments that needed review (the specifics of which are confidential as they were discussed in e-session).
*Brenda Fischer evaluated the Cultural Review and engaged Citygate to do a Management Audit of the department.
*Patrick Melvin and Kirk Fitch retired from the MPD.
*Steve Stahl was made interim Police Chief and subsequently hired to be the new Chief of the MPD.

The city council is a policy making body.  We have the authority to direct the city manager, but must be very careful in how that authority is applied.  In order to attract quality management personnel, such as Brenda Fischer, the council must work hard to stay out of the city manager's way and let them act as the chief administrator of the city.  If the city council starts usurping the authority of the city manager, there will be a complete lack of cohesion at the management level.  What happens is that staff will feel that they can go to the city council if they don't think the city manager is going to do what they want.  Once politics becomes a reason for making administrative decisions, the integrity of our council/manager form of government would be compromised.

The progression of events listed above has resulted in the appropriate issues being raised by the correct people.  Politics have not played a role in the outcome and that means that the results have not been skewed one way or the other.

I gave Citygate a very detailed and honest evaluation of the department and personnel and it was not very flattering.  What I won't do is discuss the details of those discussions with anybody because they deal with current and former employees of the city and it would be against every ethical standard for me to make public statements to that effect.

The implications and resulting outcomes of all of this have a significant impact on the city and should never be entered into lightly or with too much zeal.  Finding the flaws and the truth should be the goal and doing it thoroughly, not quickly, is what is important.

The reason we are at the point we are at is, in part, because of the city council and the outcomes listed above.  It may not have happened at the speed some people wanted it too, but it was done the right way.  Special interests and politics were set aside and the process took the correct course so the veracity of the results would be difficult to find fault in.  In the end, that is what is important.