This blog has been created as a means to keep the Citizens of Buckeye informed. As a result of ever changing times, it is imperative that one stays informed on issue's which concern each and every tax payer within the town of Buckeye.
It is the intent of this blog to be a place which informs the citizens of Buckeye on important issue's only without bashing anyone.
We have been contacted by business owners who do business in town along Monroe about the Council approving yet another brilliant idea that will ultimately have a negative financial impact on these businesses. The Council approved with six Aye's and one Nay (Councilman Garza) to turn the downtown in to a East/West bound single lane road. In addition the road will be re-striped and paved.
The business owners of downtown are furious because the town did not have the common decency to even include them on the decision process. As usual it was full steam ahead without any concern for the businesses and how it make affect their everyday business.
Sources tell us that if the town does not reverse their decision, this could very well end up as a legal battle. I am sure if this would be the case the town would not fair very well since, they never contacted businesses to notify them of such nor allowed them to participate in any forums.
It is predicted the proposed changes to Monroe would be just like Western Ave. in Avondale which is now a ghost town or something like Fremont St. in Tombstone which has no businesses like Monroe.
We fully support the downtown businesses and will assist them in any way we can to insure their businesses will thrive not die!.
As a follow up to the previous from August 25, 2009 regarding the planned QT Truck Stop for Miller Rd. Below you will see a picture of the proposed plan to build out a 2nd motel (Best Western), Mexican Restaurant and the QT Truck Stop.Below is an up date:
All 6 council men and women have been contacted by e-mail and phone with the following reasonable request: "Hope that this e-mail finds you well and in good spirits as the summer is coming to and end pretty soon.The reason form y communication is to ask what your position is regarding the proposed "Quick Trip Truck Stop" that is being planned and submitted for approvals of the Town. Please see attached a copy of a draft of a traffic study by the developer. My questions for you are the following:
1. How will this project affect the communities on Miller Road?
2. How does this project fall in harmony with the work the We Are Buckeye People just completed? How does it fall in harmony with the 5 year strategic plan for the Town?
As a town representative we would like to know your opinion on this matter and would appreciate your response."
As of Saturday, September 5, 2009, Only one has responded the question, one other said he needed more time and all the rest have not been heard form.
The following is the current summary on the response form our Town representatives:
Brian McAchran, District 1- Responded!! Thank YOU!!!
To answer your questions, at this time, I have no position on the proposed “Quick Trip”. The project is being dealt with by town staff, which I have complete faith in. If, or when, the project is approved by town staff, the project will then be presented to the development board for its approval. During the presentation to the development board, there will be a public hearing for input of concerns, and the developer will be in attendance to answer questions/concerns about the project. If, or when, the project is approved by the development board, the project will be presented to the Buckeye Town Council. During this presentation, there will be another public hearing for input of concerns, and again, the developer will be in attendance to answer questions. At this time, with all the information in place, the council will approve, or disapprove of the project.
At this time, the project is in its infancy and it would not be prudent for me to form a position on the project prior to the final form being known.
With that said, my only position with this project, along with any other project on North Miller Road, is traffic issues. These are issues that Buckeye has been working on for some time and there are several solutions being realized.
Robert Garza, District 2 - No response (AWOL)
Elaine May, District 3 - Against! (Firm!) - "This is the time to call and complain against this project!"
David Hardesty, District 4 - No response (AWOL)
Robert Doster, District 5 - No Response (AWOL)
Dave Rioux, District 6 - No response (AWOL)
We thank Vice Mayor May! Thank you Brian McAchran! We Thank them for their availability and willingness to interact and discuss the concerns brought before them.
Thank you for serving the residents of the Town of Buckeye!
We will continue to wait and wait and wait for their responses but as you can see, we don't have a very responsive group of leaders. Our Towns "public servants" are out some where...hope they are doing OK!
Elections have consequences.
Do something!Get Involved!
Go to the Town's web site and fill out the community complaint form and let your voice be heard or call your council representative and let them know what you want!
Tell them in a very simple and clear way:
"We do not want another truck stop!!!!" Jorge Buckeye Citizen jfcfabb@gmail.com
A great shout out of gratitude goes to all the volunteers and participants who joined together to review the information that the We Are Buckeye group has been working on. Several of us here at Citizens For A Better Buckeye were educated by the type of questions, concerns and needs exist in the different districts. There much to be done and in the very near future we will dedicate a blog just to highlight the notes we took at the various district meetings we participated for your review.
The purpose of this blog is to echo the concerns of the residents of the various communities that are connected to the Miller Road artery. An anonymous resident sent us a letter of concern regarding the plans to build a second truck stop right next to the Love’s truck stop and gas station. (Click here) (Coming Soon).
As we look deeper into this situation the concern we now have increases daily.
We met with Buckeye Mayor, Jackie Meck on August 19, 2009 and he was not reserved about his disapproval for the idea of a second truck stop on Miller Road and the possibility of a second motel.
“If they do not plan for a three to four story motel then we will not approve it.”
“I inherited that pathetic mess and I am not going to make it worse.”
“We are going to ask them for many requirements and traffic studies that are very expensive before we approve it.”
We also met with Mr. Steve Cleveland, Town Manager, we asked him the same question but he stuck to the text book response;
“the Town is aware of the plans and they are under review.”
and would not comment on his position the project.
In a follow up e-mail we thanked the mayor by expressing our gratitude for "watching our backs on this" (the town manager was included), the mayor responded by mentioning the following:
"Thank you for the letter.
Staff is considering the traffic problem and how to solve it."
We immediately called the Director of Community Development (several times) which resulted in a voice-mail message. After my persistence, my number was deferred to the owner of the property. I have been in communications with Mr. Pat Mahoney. He has provided us with a draft copy of the traffic study for this project. Once I saw it. I was shocked and had to take 48 hours to collect my thoughts and calm my deep my frustration. If you want to view the Traffic Report be prepared to be upset
-----> (Click here ) (Coming Soon)
Mr. Pat Mahoney add the following statement:
"We feel very strongly that QT's use will have a very beneficial effect to the immediate residential and commercial area; not only due to the manner by which they will cause every other commercial user to "raise the bar" in terms of their level of service to their customers; but also because of the significant amount of street improvements that will serve to help mitigate the traffic problems already existing in this area today."
Please take a look at the proposed plans in the document provided by Mr. Mahoney. Do you believe that two way lanes with center dividers will make Miller Road safer than it already is with double the amount of trucks? This development is so much larger than just another truck stop. There are plans for another motel, a Mexican restaurant, some retail and the huge truck stop. APS employees have confirmed that there is a request to begin the electrical grid to start building the Motel. It is amazing but how do you get moving on a project with out the approval of the town? This project has activity in motion already and its picking up speed. We take issue with this development and planned businesses located on Miller Road.
Below are the issues we contend with the developer and the Town of Buckeye:
Issue # 1
Why on MIller Road? Why not Jack Rabbit Trail? Why not Sun Valley Parkway? Why not by the SR8 junction with the I-10? Why Miller Road where we already have a TRUCK STOP???? Does not make sense!!!
Issue #2
Traffic safety will not be guaranteed by the amount of traffic of truck this stop will generate. We do not need more truck traffic in this intersection.
Issue # 3
By allowing the proposed construction project to be approved and built, how much tax revenue will it bring in to make up the $200,000,000 deficit the town is in? By banking on this tax revenue, will other revenues be impacted in a negative way? Most probably yes!
Issue # 4
How does this development fall in line with the 5 year strategic plan the We Are Buckeye group is driving down our throats? Can the Town follow its own plan?
Issues # 5
How will this development affect the residential properties in the near by communities? Currently residential properties in along the Miller Road corridor are valued between $50,000 to 150,000. These homes have lost value between 60 to 70% of their original sales price. How will this truck stop help regain some property value for residents? Also consider a decrease in property value also affects the potential for tax property revenues. Property taxes also affect school revenue.
Issue #6
Truck stop crime will be more prevalent in our Town. Here is an example of what can become of our town:
Violent Crimes:
Here is sample of what we can see added to our rich culture!
What a great image we will have for everyone to see as they get off the freeway and drive down to the old town!!!
What can we do?
Plenty!!
Call, e-mail and write letters to the following people and let them know what you think about the impending development that will affect us all in a negative way!
First we want to thank all who participated in the first three of many upcoming surveys to be hosted by CFABB. Over the last three weeks we had 183 residents take part in three surveys. We are very excited by the response and anticipate the participation to continue to grow over time. We would also like to thank the 16 individuals who have volunteered to assist us with the upcoming elections and community meetings which will be announced very soon. As a result of the many requests to share the results of these surveys, we have decided to make them available to the public via this blog and on our new website which will soon be launched. To view the survey results for the first week please CLICK HERE.
We will make results for the other two surveys available over the next few days. We will continue to host all results of future surveys on our new website once it is available.
Over the past three weeks multiple volunteers of CFABB have attended the "We are Buckeye" town meetings for districts 1, 2 and 4 to observe and understanding what they are all about. Though local media has reported attendance was good we saw something completely different. The first meeting for "District 2" was reported to have over forty residents in attendance. I guess this could be considered true if you count town management, appointed officials and media as part of the audience. This case has also been noted at all the meetings so far. The actual attendance in all three meetings consisted of the following.
District 2: 18 Residents District 1: 8 Residents District 4: 59 Festival Ranch Resident / Tartesso
The volunteers for this group are dedicated and we believe they really want to do something good for Buckeye. We feel the problem is they are misguided and mismanaged. As a result they are not collecting true input from the residents. We support their ideas and intent, we just feel they are not going about it in the right fashion. A five year strategic plan should be something that creates a road map for growth, community diversity, commercial development and many other ares to make our town whole as well as self supporting.
This being the case, why the rush?
It is the intent of CFABB to be a recognized as an organization consisting of residents from all over Buckeye which would be comprised of businesses, H.O.A's, schools, residents and so on. We would like to help develop better communications to the town through developing subcommittees who communicate directly the various agencies in town i.e. Mayor, Council members, town management, social services, fire and police. Through this direct communication issues, concerns and needs could be dealt with quicker as well as present other unknown concerns that in turn could be better dealt with through future planning.
We are hopeful that many will see we have presented valid concerns. We are hopeful that we will be able to work side by side with other organizations like We are Buckeye and the town. We will continue to work with all residents both new and old. Lastly...we will never lose site of our primary mission "Citizens for a better Buckeye"
As always if you would like to get involved or have any questions, comments or concerns please direct them to us via email at CFABB.main@gmail.com.
If you would like to recieve prior and present survey response data, please send an email requesting these results. Send your email to CFABB.main@gmail.com.
If you would like to recieve prior and present survey response data, please send an email requesting these results. Send your email to CFABB.main@gmail.com.
This blog is a follow-up to a previous blog posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 and response to the following article in the AZ Republic web site: Click Here
***For purposes of full disclosure, Mr. David Johnson, Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator, has invited me on more than one occasions to attend the "We Are Buckeye" meetings and due to my demanding work schedule and family obligations, I have not been able to attend.***
Citizens For A Better Buckeye have been following the activities of the Town of Buckeye pet project "We Are Buckeye".
Although as we have looked into this group, we have seen that there are genuine and honest residents that believe in what they do and how it will ultimately help the Town. God bless all the residents that took part on this effort and we hope that they would not be offended by this blog since it was not intended to criticize them. However some citizens we talk to are concerned the Town's leadership is unwilling to consider a different point of view from our group.
Ultimately, Citizens For A Better Buckeye and "We Are Buckeye" are two groups that are passionate about the Town and have the deepest concern for the future for all. Let us recall some important details before we continue with the new information.
The main purpose/objective for this group is to find out form residents what they would want the Town of Buckeye to be in the future. The intention behind the group is to include residents in the decision of a 5 Year Strategic Plan. Below are some facts that we know to be true:
The group is to be comprised predominantly of residents and Town staff just as support as needed.
The group does not have sign-in sheets documenting events, those people who are participating and attending the meetings (as we were informed by the Town).
The group does not have minutes to document the ideas and the contributions residents have provided to the committee (as we were informed by the Town).
There is no accountability and communication between the staff and the Town manager regarding the developments of the committee (as we were informed by the Town).
The purpose of the group is to collect information from the residents to develop a 5 year strategic plan which means lots and lots of tax dollars
If you have not had a chance to view the presentation above, the following points are the main and pressing items that we found to be concerning and we strongly disagree with what this whole project has unfolded:
The "Focus Topics" are out of touch with the residents opinion.
200 interviews are not enough and do not fully reflect the opinion of the 40,000 to 50,000 residents who have a stake in the Town.
There are more methods that can be used to assist residents to provide feed back and not limited to just in "person interviews".
The types of people listed as stakeholders are limiting and should be open to all residents and businesses who have an investment in the Town, not just a select group of people.
There is very little evidence which demonstrates the residents who were given the chance to participate were the very people who arrived to the concluding "Focus Topics". If the Town can not prove it through documentation... it did not happen.
Although we firmly disagree with these items, CFABB hopes that "We Are Buckeye" and Town government as well as management would be open to stop. Stop and take a second look and discuss possible adjustments to the process with the purpose of working together and reaching more residents. CFABB and "We Are Buckeye" working as one for the same common goal... produce a comprehensive 5 Year Strategic Plan that embraces the relative opinions of most residents and something we as a Town can defend.
Having stated this, I have asked Mr. Johnson to consider the items listed above that we disagree with. So far, we have not had a response that resembles an opportunity to discuss them in detail. We remain hopeful that the door will open and there will be an opportunity.
The following documents were used to gather information for the following media presentation and we have made them available to you so you may also make your own conclusions. We would also appreciate your continued support as well by asking you to take part in the second of many forthcoming Surveys which CFABB is hosting so we may learn more about the residents concerns / comment on this topic and others. To take this survey please click here.
In conclusion, the original intention to reach as many people has been limited to 200 interviews that will decide the fate of millions in tax dollars. This is another unfortunate sign that the Town is out of touch and reluctant to be in-touch.
A shout out of gratitude goes out to Mr. David Johnson, Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator Town of Buckeye for his patience and professionalism. We are very lucky to have this good man working for the Town!
We need more people like David Johnson in Buckeye!
We want to also acknowledge the Town Clerk Office and staff for their flexibility and awesome customer service!! Thank you!!
It has been brought to our attention that someone in our town has been spreading a rumor that our group would like to clear up and set the record straight once and for all.
The rumor that Michael Todd is spearheadingCFABB is absolutely false. As much as we respect Michael he is not or never has had any affiliation with our group. We find Michael to be very tuned into the town and has great hopes as well as great vision.
Unfortunately as a result of his hectic schedule and family life he does not have any extra time to spare. If and when he can take part in any form CFABB would be honored at that time to have Michael join us.
Any further questions on this matter should be directed to our group by email at cfabb.main@gmail.com.
As a group and citizens of the town we want to welcome Stephen Cleveland to our town and congratulate him on his new position. This town has needed an experienced individual like Mr. Cleveland since the departure of the last Town Manager.
Many that we have spoken to about Mr. Cleveland have stated nothing but praise for his knowledge, skills and vision. Some individuals we spoke with in Goodyear stated that if Mr. Cleveland had stayed in Goodyear their town would not be in the shape it is today. Though we feel bad for Goodyear, based on this type of information we we are even more excited for the Town of Buckeye.
We hope as part of his first couple of months while he assesses the town's current operations and it's affairs, he also take the time to meet with CFABB's board so we can share with him the vision, goals, concerns and suggestions that we have been able to collect from the many who support the town. As always we will make ourselves available to share this information anytime which is convenient to his busy schedule.
Once again we welcome you Mr. Cleveland and we look forward to assisting you in anyway to achieve the ultimate mission..."A better Buckeye for ALL".
Our goal is to represent the entire town. This includes it's citizens, employee's, neighbors, friends and businesses. Because of this we have developed a library of surveys that will be offered to the town over the next several months. The first Survey is now available and we would appreciate if you would take a few moments to take this survey. We find everyones answers, feedback and comments are a valuable asset to our group. This information will help us stay focused on the real issues as presented by the citizens of Buckeye.
As we see the Town of Buckeye grow and expand we can see so many new buildings that are becoming part of the landscape of Buckeye. Many of us have noticed that when ever a big project gets funded there is one construction company that gets the job every time (at least it appears that way).
Can you guess what company it is?
Yes you guessed it!
It is CORE Construction Company!
Whether it is the Buckeye Elementary School District or the Town of Buckeye…CORE construction is the favored company for construction projects!
Is this good or bad for the Town?
The fact that CORE is continuously being granted the job for these construction jobs is a huge concern for all of us. It is concerning because of the following facts:
1. The Town is not biding the work out to multiple companies that compete against each other to provide the best price and the best quality.
2. If the same single company is consistently being chosen for these jobs then we do not have competition and we are not guaranteed that we (the resident and tax payers) are getting more or the best for our tax paying dollars.
Citizens For A Better Buckeye have discovered that the Town of Buckeye has a systemic issue that violates that Arizona Revised Statutes. We have discovered and uncovered that the Town is not requesting for bids for many things especially construction. The technical name for these bids are Request for Qualifications and we targeted the new Town Hall that is being built down town. The Town must have bids for this job that is worth millions of dollars right?
Click the dollar signs check out what you are paying for 17 million plus tax dollars! $$$$$$$
This last June 10th, 2009 we submitted Public Records Request to the Town Clerk. Please understand that requesting these documents form the town is not as easy as it sounds. The resistance is fierce and heavy and after many e-mail exchanges we finally received the information. Here is what we found:
According to the Chris Williams the Procurement Manger, the bids for the Request for Qualifications are not available.
The reason?
Well here are the responses we got after we requested them:
"We do not have them here they are locked up in storage probably buried and we cant get to them. With the heat and all its hard to get them."
"We have disposed them. We are not required to keep them after some time."
"We are not required to request them."
We have not received any word form the Town Clerk regarding the RFQ's. These statements violate the following:
Arizona Revised Statutes regarding the Public Information Requests (A.R.S. 39-121.01.D)
Since many are unhappy about our decision and Councilman McAchran is claiming we are liars trying to discredit our group, we wanted to share a few documents with the town. After review these documents which are public record, we are sure you will agree that it is he who twist the truth and for that he will be delt with in time. For those who are intelligent and can not be easily fooled...here are the facts.
1. McAchran claims he has never had ownership in the La Placita business however; we found the records state differently.
2. If McAchran had no involvement then why does it state in the liquor application that he is a manager and the assignee for the license?(he owns the liquor license)
3. Through further investigation we believe McAchran and family created this trust to secure his investment in La Placita as a result that we had found him to be untruthful.
4. McAchran claims La Placita was never granted $25,000 to repair the La Placita parking lot. Well of course it never took place once he knew we were onto him.
5. McAchran denies any real estate ventures with BPD personnel. If you think about this a Councilman and an active police officer of the town. (Conflict of interest)
We are aware of several other things that he is or has been involved in but, we choose to sit on them for now.
The decision not to proceed was a difficult choice to swallow however, 2010 is just around the corner and several Council seats will become available. We are looking forward to a clean sweep across the board.
Over the next 2 to 3 weeks we will be informing the town about much bigger issues that will have a major negative impact financially on each and everyone of us due to total mismanagement of the towns affairs. We are working very hard to find ways to minimize this in any way possible.
Everyone needs to attend as many Council meeting as possible to learn first hand on what is taking place. Please visit our blog on a regular basis to be updated.
Do you have questions or concerns?
Please let us know, send me an e-mail or leave your comment!
We would love to read the thoughts and ideas you have!
Citizens For A Better Buckeye thanks everyone for their patience and valuable support!
July 1, 2009, Citizens For A Better Buckeye has made the unpopular decision to stop the recall for Town of Buckeye Councilman, Brian McAchran. Many people have been questioning the motive behind the decision including Mr. McAchran. It was after many hours of discussion and thought that we decided to drop this recall for the serious and important reasons that will be coming to you through this blog in the very next few days. Citizens For A Better Buckeye is made up of various residents from almost all the districts who desire to have an awesome town to live in a for their families and neighbors.
The Citizens for A Better Buckeye is not made up of a group of residents that get together to gripe about one single man and strategize on how to vindicate Mr. Rick Fernandez for his loss for the District 1 council seat. That is silly! All of us who are voluntary members of Citizens For A Better Buckeye all know that Rick lost the race and the voters have made their choice. Rick understands this and the recall was started not to for the purpose to gain the seat for Rick but, to remove a man who has used the residents of this town for personal vindication and personal gain. If I am wrong can anyone e-mail me and explain in detail what this man McAchran has unselfishly accomplished for this town? Please write me an e-mail to jfcfabb@gmail.com. This man is inconsequential for me and I refuse to give him any more attention than he has already received. After this blog, in my opinion he is absolutely irrelevant!
So why stop the recall? Below are 5 reasons that I believe to be important and I insisted on to motivate our group to this decision:
1. In this current economic climate and the impending Town Budget with looming tax levies and increase in water fees and much more, there is far more important issues to advocate for than a man who has 1/6th of a vote on the Town Council.
2. We have been notified that possibly McAchran is already under investigation by the Attorney Generals office and we can also add the Maricopa County Attorney to the list. Recalling him is futile and far less of an action compared to what these departments can bring to him. If he is found to have any criminal wrong doing by either department, then it will not cost the tax payer any money to remove him though a recall election.
3. The information gathered by going door to door and meeting with people is invaluable and provided amazing insight on what residents think and want. The recall is something they felt was justified as they added their signature to the petition. But yet still had other issues that needed resolution.
4. In the last four to five weeks we have gathered volumes of information and we have uncovered egregious facts that will make many of you upset and some even cry. As the facts are confirmed we will make everything known.
5. In the past weeks the former Assistant Town Manager, Scott Rounds has been removed, the Town Manager, Jenine Guy has been demoted, councilmen and the mayor abstain form voting when they foresee that there might be a conflict of interest if they vote. This did not happen solely because of Citizens For A Better Buckeye and we can not take full credit for this. Did we have something to do with these changes? Absolutely!
After considering the five reasons mentioned, the recall seemed to be a small piece of the puzzle and not the big picture we the Citizens For A Better Buckeye are trying to solve.
As we grow in size and begin to spread our roots into the town, it has become ever so clear that the need for swift and relevant action and a clear communications is far more valuable than to seek out small and short sighted victories. Citizens For A Better Buckeye has made an unpopular decision with the altruistic motive to achieve what many see as unbelievable...a better Buckeye! It is true! At the moment, many do not believe that Buckeye can be an awesome place to live. We, Citizens For A Better Buckeye believes it is possible!
Do you?
Please let us know, send me an e-mail!
I'd love to read the thoughts and ideas you have!
Citizens For A Better Buckeye thanks everyone for their patience and valuable support!
“CITIZEN’S FOR A BETTER BUCKEYE” (CFABB) CONFIRMS THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF SIGNATURES NEEDED FOR THE RECALL OF COUNCILMAN MCACHRAN HAVE BEEN COLLECTED"
“Citizen’s for a better Buckeye choose to put Recall on hold temporarily.”
CFABB announced today that they have successfully collected more than the required (248) Recall petition signatures from the citizens of district one. However; as a result of the ongoing investigations being conducted by the Attorney Generals office and Maricopa County Attorneys office with regard to Councilman McAchran’s activities, CFABB has elected to suspend its recall activities for a period of six months. CFABB has noted that as a result of the Recall efforts, we found the Mayor and Council had suddenly become unified as well as learned the meaning of full compliance by abstaining from voting on agenda items which could be considered a conflict of interest.
As of today staff members of CFABB are working on several other areas of concern which need immediate attention due to the severity as well as the potential financial impact which could be imposed on the Citizens of Buckeye. As we further investigate these areas of concern we will keep all the Citizens of Buckeye informed through additional press releases and updates on our Blog http://buckeye-united.blogspot.com.
CFABB feels much progress has taken place over the last couple of months with the hiring of Chief Daniels, Interim Town Manager Stephen Cleveland and the sudden surge of home sales throughout Buckeye. Hopefully we have seen the worst and can now focus on moving forward in a positive manner.
As always we will continue to monitor all the activities and meetings of the Mayor and Council very closely. If we find that they revert back to their old ways and do not comply within the guidelines and laws for which they are bound to, we will once again take them to task on the behalf of the Citizens of Buckeye in all Districts.
In close, CFABB recognizes the overwhelming support for this recall from our neighbors. This could not be accomplished with out them. CFABB wants everyone to know how important it is for each citizen of this town to be involved as often as possible. We constantly are approached by citizens wanting to join CFABB and asking how they can help. Our answer is always the same, get involved, attend Council meetings, register / vote and most importantly get your neighbors involved also. The most important thing to remember is that we have appointed town officials as well as elected officials and since we are the tax payers it should be recognized that they work for us. Therefore when they are out of line we need to let them know when we are dissatisfied.
Finally a breath of fresh air and good news for the Citizens and employee's of the Town of Buckeye.
It was learned today Scott Rounds has accepted an early retirement package from the town and his official responsibilities as Assistant Town Manager is expected in the very near future. Sources state his last day of duty will officially be the first week of July or sooner. Generally one would think that retiring from a position as such would come with a huge party and many sad employee's thinking of missing their boss.
In the case of Scott Rounds I do not think this was the case. A small gathering took place Tuesday night after the Council meeting at La Placita the infamous Good O Boy hangout. Mr. Rounds I wished I could say you will be missed by many but, I don't think this will be the case.
On June 12th and 13th the Mayor and Council will be on a special retreat which is said to be hosted by the Town's new Interim Town Manager compliments of the League of Cities. Wait...did I say knew Interim Town Manager? You bet I did! CFABB staff intend on attending this retreat.
Now the only question left is what is the Town going to do with Ms. J Guy? Rumors have been flying all over town as to what Ms. Guy's new responsibilities will be. Common sense would tell you she should be heading back to the Library but, in Buckeye one can never tell. CFABB would suggest that Ms. Guy slip away into the sunset as a retiree and leave her post on a good note. This would probably be good solid advice since serious investigations are ongoing which could possibly place Ms. Guy in a very uncomfortable position if found she had any involvement.
In conclusion until the next update we at CFABB celebrate these changes and look forward to many more of the same positive changes over the next several months. Stay posted folks as we are not going away and will continue to grow into an even stronger voice for the people and a watchdog against wrong.
On June 2ndCFABB members attend the Town's Regular Council Meeting and observed a major violation with regard to open meeting law. The record will show that Mayor, Vice Mayor and all Council people were in attendance with the exception to Councilman Garza. The record will also show that critical town officials, staff and Town Attorney Scott Ruby was also present.
The violation of the Open Meeting Law occurred when Council and Mayor voted on and approved Agenda item 7D as reads below.
CORE Construction - Change Order #5 - Mill out existing paving and replace with three inches of asphalt paving.
Council to consider and if advisable, approve Change Order #5, under the contract No. PW-2006-DB-0001, with Core Construction, to mill out existing paving and replace with 3 inches of asphalt paving on 6th street, 7th street and Roosevelt street, to be funded from Account No. 070-50-598 (HURF), in the amount not to exceed $71,503.
During discussion on this matter an issue surfaced as a result of several questions from Councilman Doster. Through his questions and discussion it was learned that the reference referred to as the (HURF) account was incorrect and the correct account to be used was known as the GADA account. Once discovers limited discussion took place and the Town attorney did not advise the council correctly on what should have taken place as a result of this inaccuracy with regard to which account was actually being used.
According to the Open meeting law, Council should have tabled this agenda item to a later meeting so the appropriate correction reflecting the proper account for funding this project was corrected.
The reason for this law is simple. Each and every agenda item must be represented exactly as it is meant and precise with all facts to be correct. Since this is a public meeting you have the right to speak publicly on any agenda topic you wish. Therefore let say you had an issue with money coming from the GADA account to fund this project and would have rather seen the money come from the HURF account or any other account. You as a public Citizen would not have been able to offer your complaint or concerns on this agenda item because the public forum where this type of discussion would have taken place had already taken place well before the discussion of this agenda item. Therefore you would not be able to voice your concerns.
Thus is the reason what ever is provided in the agenda must be complete and accurate. If this is not the case it should have NEVER be voted on. We are very surprised that not the Mayor, Council or even the Town's HIGH paid Attorney was aware of this. It has also been discovered the work on these streets as per the agenda item started immediately within 24 hours of the approval. This in itself lends to another question whether or not it was approved quickly because work had already been scheduled to start.
We have been investigating the relationship with Core Construction for sometime and to date we have learned of Councilman Hardesty's affiliation, Core's affiliation with the towns committee's and the fact that rarely does any company ever get a chance to bid on projects within the Town. Sure is odd everywhere one looks in town on major construction projects you will always see Core Construction. Makes one pose the question... why?
It seems there is more to the story than what was represented by Mr. McAchran in recent articles in the AZ Republic and WestValley View newspaper. His representation of the facts may only be partly true. The investigating Goodyear police department found it necessary to forward the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's office for a review of the charges.
As reported earlier in a prior blog it was learned that Buckeye Police were called to the McAchran's home on April 23rd and again the next evening on the 24th. Though the initial police blotters did not reflect these incidents. We eventually through a public records request obtained a police call log report that confirmed that said incidents did occur.
Through this report we have found one was related to an incident involving drugs for which Councilman McAchran explained to the newspapers. This incident involved the Councilman's son being caught with pot and paraphernalia which was dealt with by the parents and police. This in our opinion is a private issue and we will not pursue or interject with comments since we are also parents.
The second incident on April 24th is a different story however. This was an incident of a Domestic nature and due to how the local police handled this case by transferring the investigation to Goodyear we found further investigation on our part was needed.
Though Councilman McAchran stated in both newspaper articles his son only received a small cut to his lower lip CFABB has found that his son made a comment on a social networking website that quote "I feel like my brain is oozing out of my eye socket" end quote.
This statement and the fact that his son was sent to California very abruptly sheds concerns whether or not an excessive amount of force was used against a child under the age of 18. It is the position of many throughout this country that no matter what the circumstances are...you are never to use excessive force or unnecessarily beat children. The only exception to this rule may only be considered in a life or death situation.
The fact that Maricopa County Attorney's office is reviewing the charges on this case demonstrates something of this nature may have taken place. We hope the County Attorney's office has reviewed the same information we have reviewed as well as interviewed McAchran's son.
As always CFABB would hope this sort of event has not taken place and hope all involved will learn from these incidents. However if the facts show criminal child abuse through excessive force then we as a community expect justice to be served no matter if McAchran is an elected official or not.
On April 24thCFABB members received a telephone call from a very reliable source informing us of an incident that took place involving Councilman McAchran and his son at their residence. After careful review, research and substantial consideration we feel the citizens of District 1 should be made aware of this incident.
Due to the nature of this incident we have decided it is not morally right to disclose all of the information pertaining to this incident because we feel family issues and minor children should be protected.
The only reason we are even interested in this story is because of how it has been handled by our Town Officials, Management and Police by hiding it from the general public. The following information is what has been discovered to date.
4. No Public Court records could be obtained on arraignments or Court proceedings with regard to either incident.
5. Through CFABB investigations we have found these cases have been moved to the Town of Goodyear Police Department.
6. Contact with Goodyear Police Department confirms the above to be true but, no information on these cases can be disclosed as a result that they are under investigation.
Conclusions:
As a result of the current Recall efforts supported by CFABB involving Councilman McAchran, we suspect Town Officials and Management felt it was in the Councilman’s best interest this did not become public knowledge. In essence a cover up to protect him during a Recall!
If this is an honest attempt for justice we feel moving this case to Goodyear Police for a complete investigation was the appropriate thing to do since Councilman McAchran’s has ongoing and continuous involvement with the Policeman’s Association as well as certain Buckeye police officers.
Additional concerns and reasons CFABB which supports the Recall efforts against Councilman McAchran can be read about in additional articles through the following links.
When it comes to the law it should not matter who you are whether being an Elected Official or a common Citizen therefore; hopefully justice will be served if the facts pertaining to this case supports it.
However if this just gets swept under the carpet and forgotten, then the Town as a whole has a much bigger problem than one would think.
As always CFABB appreciates your support and look forward to your comments either on this blog or by email rfbuckeye@gmail.com. “Citizens for a Better Buckeye” are working on recall efforts, finding candidates who have high values and standards as well as being involved at all levels within our communities. Get involved by e-mailing friends and speaking to neighbors to become aware of the issues. Google, Twitter and Blog us: CFABB.
You might remember last month were Mayor Meck stated in an Arizona Republic article the the recall efforts launched by CFABB was hampering the towns ability to receive stimulus funds for various projects throughout Buckeye. Interesting enough CFABB found the town failed to meet the early March deadline to apply for such stimulus programs and therefore was forced to apply for WIFA loans/grants. Never the less CFABB was falsely accused for their actions!
In a recent article released in the Arizona Republic on May 13th, "No stimulus money for Buckeye water-treatment plant", it became very clear that our claims were true. Within this article Damon DeQuenne, Buckeye's water-resource director stated the following.
The agency, known as WIFA, ended up picking other projects for consideration, including one in Goodyear.
"Keep in mind . . . all of these (projects) were going to be loans no matter what, whether they had stimulus assistance or not," said Damon DeQuenne, Buckeye's water-resource director.
"What does it mean for the town of Buckeye? The project is still submitted and it will continue through the normal WIFA process. They're reviewing it now," he said. "We'll make a determination at that point whether it's worth proceeding or not. There are still financial implications that would have been in place either way."
The project got tied up in politics in March, when Mayor Jackie Meck voiced concern that recall efforts in town could raise red flags for WIFA. A representative for the finance authority refuted the claim.
So Mayor Meck...how about it. Do you have it in you to come forward and apologize for your false claims that CFABB actions would cost the town its chances at receiving stimulus money?
Since CFABB started back in early March of this year, there has been an ongoing effort by town officials and management to discredit its member or the group in whole. Those who have been in contact with CFABB know this group is comprised of citizens and professionals from all walks of life. CFABB primary mission is to hold elected officials and the towns upper management accountable for all their actions.
CFABB in essence is the watch dog of Buckeye which will constantly monitor all activities within the town and stand up to the leaders of this town if they stray away from ethical ideals, accountability and their fiscal responsibilities.
Recently CFABB announced its intent to become a Political Action Committee(PAC)to further expand its activities in both local and state government. Every citizen of Buckeye is welcome to join CFABB to assist us with holding our local government accountable, inform our communities through education and to make sure Buckeye's future is positive and prosperous. If you would like to volunteer please contact us at RFBuckeye@gmail.com and someone will get back in touch with you as soon as possible. If you can not volunteerthen just spread the word to your neighbors, freinds and family informing them of our efforts.
Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority' We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing..
Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something blue. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is .'We need your support and your prayers.' Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something blue every Friday.
“Citizens for a better Buckeye” (CFABB) echo Valarie Marquis’s request for the Mayor and Council to do the right thing. If they don’t they could find themselves in a very bad predicament. The public at large has been expressing their concerns on this matter for some time now. However, it seems to be falling on def ears. What’s going on? Does J. Guy and S. Rounds have something on each of you?
This week members from CFABB requested a meeting with the Mayor, Vice Mayor and Councilman Doster. At first it seemed a meeting was eminent or at least until the request for a meeting agenda was requested. Once the following agenda was announced the response form them through the Mayor’s Administrative assistant was; “They will not meet with you on this agenda. They are aware of your concerns.”
AGENDA: A discussion on the removal of J. Guy and S. Rounds from their positions of upper Town Management and replacing them with interims through the League of Cities while, an extensive search was done to find qualified replacements as Councilman Rioux had pointed out earlier a few month ago. We wanted to point out our reasons as per the research following why this should be enacted. We have no intent of grandstanding or making threats. We just want Council and Mayor to do what’s in the best interest of the town.
We have spoken to many individuals and conducted many hours of research. As a result we have found the following concerns to establish the true reasons for demanding their replacement;
1. These two do not have or meet the required level of education, certification nor experience to have such a responsibility which positions or this nature require in either a Good Economy or a Bad Economy. 2. Through our interviews with many, a common quote has been used, “J, Guy is just darn evil.” When asked what was meant by this, the response was that she surrounds herself with people consisting of family, friends or by people who fear her or fear losing their jobs. The 39 employee’s laid-off last year were very vocal to the unprofessional and unethical activities which posed a threat to J. Guy and S. Rounds. A smoke screen of budgetary concerns was used to misinform the public at large to hide the TRUTH why these employee’s were really laid-off. 3. We have learned J. Guy, S. Rounds and others not to be named at this time, used made unethical decisions on matters pertaining to tax revenue for the town, permitting and building code compliance. This affects the Town financially as well as places the public in danger not to mention the liabilities facing the Town in the event of an accident. 4. Grossly over paid solely based on their education, qualifications, experience based on a National Survey Study of Town Managers positions based on qualifications and Town size. This document was presented to the Mayor and Council at the first Council meeting in March 08 with a request for response which they have failed to respond.
We also want to point out that though the Town of Buckeye truly needs input from its citizenship, we question the true legitimacy of the most recent group called “We are Buckeye.” As earlier reported on the CFABB blog by Mr. Jorge Flores, he noted “It has been seven months since this committee has been convened and have “done much” but yet I just found out about them this week and my Town is still the same. Have you noticed any improvements so far?”
The truth of the matter is that this group “We are Buckeye” is one of J. Guy’s pet projects and it’s believed the sole purpose of this group is to make it look like the current Town officials and management are involved and concerned about what the citizens of Buckeye thinking. It is also suspected they feel this will discredit the CAFBB organization. This attempt to discredit is yet another Smoke and Mirrors game for which we will not take part in.
So in close…Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council members we the citizens of Buckeye respectfully request that this issue concerning the present Town Management be addressed immediately if you truly care about our town.
Mr. Mayor your refusal to address this problem makes you look very bad since all throughout your campaign; you stated one of your top priorities was to hire a qualified town management team to guide Buckeye into the future. Mayor Meck you have lied to me and to all the citizens of our fair town and I am afraid you could be facing serious consequences if you ignore this. This potentially could also be said for Vice Mayor May as well.
How confident are you in the officials we have elected? “Citizens for a Better Buckeye” are working on recall efforts. Get involved by e-mailing friends and speaking to neighbors to become aware of the issues. Google and Blog us: CFABB.
