January 15, 2020 • Vol. 18, No. 6
POSTAL PATRON CAVE CREEK
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ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
Anthem | Black Canyon City | Carefree | Cave Creek | Desert Hills | New River| North Phoenix | Tramonto | Peoria
Fire chiefs working together to ensure a smooth transition BY TRACY DEMETROPOLIS
Incoming DMFM Chief Brian Tobin (left) and soon-to-be-retired Chief Mark Nichols, spoke to an audience at a Representative Town Hall Photo by Tracy Demetropolis Meeting in Anthem on January 10.
ANTHEM – For nearly nine years, Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical (DMFM) Chief Mark Nichols has served the communities of New River, Anthem and Desert Hills. But as a Greek philosopher once said, “change is the only constant in life.” And Nichols said it’s time to move on and enjoy his retirement. “Thank you for the friendship and support you’ve given me,” Nichols said January 10. “It’s a partnership (between the department and the community), and it has been a pleasure.” Nichols said an early goodbye to the community at
the Representative Town Hall meeting in Anthem last Friday and welcomed incoming Chief Brian Tobin, who officially joined DMFM on January 6. Tobin has 37 years of firefighting experience under his belt. Nichols, who has been a firefighter for 48 years, said his last day on the job will be February 13. “It should be an easy transition,” Nichols said. “When I heard he (Tobin) was going to retire from the City of Phoenix (COP), I asked him if he was interested in throwing his hat in the ring. I’ve known him a lot of years, and you guys are fortunate to have him take the helm.”
Tobin has been with the COP Fire Department since 2004, where he served as the Assistant Battalion Chief and then Fire Battalion Chief until he retired in June of last year. But Tobin knows the DMFM coverage area well. Not only does he live in North Phoenix, but he served as DMFM Interim Fire Chief from November 2010 to April 2011. “I loved the short amount of time I worked with Daisy Mountain, and I was grateful for the opportunity to come back,” Tobin said. “I’m very honored to follow in Mark’s footsteps.”
CHIEFS
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For seventh straight decade, Arizona should gain House seat from Census BY WISSAM MELHEM CRONKITE NEWS
WASHINGTON – The only things certain in life are death, taxes – and, for the last six decades, that Arizona would gain seats in Congress. That streak is almost certain to continue in 2020, when the census is expected to show the state has added enough new residents over the last 10 years to add another seat in the House, its 10th. “What we’ve seen is Arizona basically gaining a potential seat for much of this decade,” said Kim Brace, president of Election Data Services. “It’s been on the radar for a while.”
Besides giving the state that much more clout in Congress and one more vote for president in the Electoral College, the addition of a House seat is also sure to draw attention from the national political parties as they battle to win the seat. “New congressional districts almost always generate a group of all-stars to compete for the right to win that seat, and so there are mini political Super Bowls,” said Arizona political analyst Jason Rose. A recent Census Bureau survey showed that Arizona was one of the fastest-growing states in the nation in 2018. The bureau said the state had added almost 780,000 people
from 2010, the last full census count, through the 2018 population estimates. The growth has been so big that experts like Brace say the population should be large enough in 2020 to capture a new congressional seat with 235,000 people to spare. “It just adds to Arizona’s clout both from a political perspective but then also in terms of funding and policy considerations” that will affect the state, said Bill Scheel, founding partner of the Phoenix political consulting firm Javelina.
RODEO:
CONSERVATION:
Cave Creek Rodeo Days seeks Queen contestants
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HOUSE
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Painter Meg Harper will be one of the artists exhibiting at the 27th Annual Winter Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival January 17 to 19 in downtown Carefree. Read about Harper and her colorful critter paintings in next week's issue. Photo courtesy of Meg Harper
EXHIBITS:
OTHER :
Volunteers plant hope for monarch butterflies
Smithsonian’s free Water/Ways exhibit ends January 26
• Bluhm Column • Service Directory
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• Classified Ads
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