October 10, 2021 | www.santansun.com
Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Chandler aims to grow municipal airport business and that’s never been the plan for Chandler.” Wright said the airport will remain focused on business and executive travel only. To help it with that mission, the city is currently
BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer
City officials want to make one thing very clear: Don’t expect to see American or United planes landing at Chandler Airport. “When we think of airports, we think of Sky Harbor, we think of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway. We don’t think of small regional or general-aviation airports,” City Manager Joshua Wright said. “They’re not designed to be a passenger airport
The city’s master plan for the Chandler Airport shows the location of existing facilities.
reviewing applications to manage the airport – the third busiest of its kind in the Valley. Deer Valley and Mesa’s Falcon Field rank ahead of it. Wright said the need for the position became apparent after City Council reviewed its plan for the airport and the surrounding airpark last summer. “It comes from the Council’s … renewed commitment to growing the airport and the airpark area,” Wright See
(City of Chandler)
AIRPORT on page 6
Court ruling’s impact on municipal-business deals feared BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer
It’s not unusual for cities to offer businesses sweetheart deals – or incentives – to get them to move or set up their companies inside their borders. In exchange, the cities get jobs, economic activity and an increase of tax dollars. But the rules for doing that in Arizona changed earlier this year. “I can tell you throughout the United
States, this is the most restrictive laws on use of economic development incentives,” said Kelly Schwab, Chandler’s city attorney. “Arizona is no longer on an even playing field with the rest of the country.” The gift clause is part of the Arizona Constitution. It states, in part: “Neither the state, nor any county, city, town, municipality, or other subdivision of the state shall ever give or loan its credit in the aid of, or make any donation or grant, by
subsidy or otherwise, to any individual, association, or corporation.” For decades cities have been able to offer incentives as long as they passed a two-part test. The first was there had to be a public benefit. That’s usually easy to meet. The second test, however, is that due consideration of the benefits must be made. Earlier this year the Arizona Supreme Court changed the landscape by striking down a deal between Peoria and a
private university. That city had offered incentives of $2.6 million to Huntington University to encourage it to put a digital media arts campus in Peoria. The court found there was a public benefit, but said there was not adequate consideration. The Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, brought the suit and praised the ruling as a “victory against corporate welfare.” See
GIFT on page 4
Chandler Support Court Lucky volunteer aims to help, not punish BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer
Chandler Police Lt. Brian Dunn was talking about the city’s new Support Court at September’s Coffee with a Cop event. Another officer leaned in with a quick reaction: “Game changer.” There are a lot off hopes this new court will be just that. Scheduled to start next month, it could tackle a number of problems – including homelessness, crime, drug abuse, and lowering the number of cases that current courts are managing. So, what exactly is a Support Court? “It’s both a carrot, to get folks who are fairly service-resistant … to get into services,” said Riann Balch, the city’s community resources manager. “On a normal day they’re not going to engage in these services, but in lieu of jail, maybe [they] are a little bit more motivated.” The stick is possible jail time, a criminal record and all the difficulties that brings for the rest of one’s life. The carrot is a chance to address issues and rebuild their life. The hope is that most people picked up for petty crimes will choose the latter. Balch said the key to making the
Support Court work is the city’s Navigator program. They do outreach with the mostly homeless population and try to steer them to resources that will help them turn their lives around. Ashley Halterman said they know how to approach them, because more than half of them have been in those shoes – including her. “We’ve all done jail time, we’ve all had our, fun, I guess you would say,” Halterman said. “If somebody were to come to me and say they hadn’t been there … I’m less likely to engage in services. I don’t care about all the letters behind your name. … I want to know that you have a bachelor’s in street science.” Halterman said that experience makes the Navigators the perfect people to help. The city has had a mental health court for years, but to qualify for that, a defendant must have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, Balch said. However, Arizona law does not allow defendants who have a drug abuse issue to get diagnosed because it’s impossible to know which came first. Halterman said she would estimate See
SUPPORT on page 12
Perry High senior Moira MacCatherin is one of the lucky students when it comes to community service. That's because volunteer opportunities have shrunk, leaving teens in the lurch. Read about her and the problem on page 8. (Pablo Robles)
F E AT U R E STO R I E S Chandler teen gets Times Square salute . . . . . . . . .NEWS . . . . . . . . . .Page 3 Intel water plan enables $20 billion expansion . . .BUSINESS . . . . Page 27 ACP renames stadium for principal . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SPORTS. . . . . . . . Page 31 Western exhibit coming to Chandler Museum . . .ARTS . . . . . . . . . Page 38
Health & Wellness ...................... Center Section
More Community . . . 1-22 Business . . . . . 27-30 Sports . . . . . . . 31-33 Neighbors . . . .35-37 Arts . . . . . . . . . 38-42 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Directory . . . 44-45 Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
