Gilbert Sun News 09-20-2020 by Times Media Group

Town delays e-scooter law

Hendrix savors court victory

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An edition of the East Valley Tribune

INSIDE

This Week

NEWS.................................3 Council considers community relations panel.

COMMUNITY......... 14 Gilbert guitarist pens howto book.

FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Town crafting 3-pronged business aid program BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

ilbert small businesses trying to survive during the coronavirus pandemic may soon be getting the town’s help by way of grants, loans and expert advice. A subcommittee tasked with recommending how to disperse the town’s $29.2 million share from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act is working on a three-phase program. It would set aside $18 million to provide short-, mid- and long-term help to businesses. Council in August approved up to $2 million in the pandemic relief money to help nonprofits.

“There’s still some fine-tuning,” said Councilwoman Aimee Yentes, who chairs the Council subcommittee developing recommendations for spending the CARES dollars. “I think we are heading in the right direction,” she said. “This particular approach, I think, is strategic and I think (staff) has done a good job putting together a tiered approach that kind of takes care of the immediate needs from a crisis standpoint for our small businesses but also kind of looks at the next phases and what is inevitably going to be necessary for the business community to recover and kind of pivot in a new economy.” Vice Mayor Jung Koprowski and Council-

Mayoral candidates discuss issues, their qualifications

man Scott September also serve on the committee. Phase 1 proposed immediate and shortterm relief by providing $11 million in grants to businesses impacted by COVID-19 directly or the executive orders that shut them down, according to Economic Development Director Dan Henderson. Businesses and nonprofit organizations that were in operation before March 11 could apply for up to $35,000 in grants. Applicants would have to have three or fewer physical locations in Gilbert, show documented need based on a decline in gross revenue and have not received any

see COUNCIL page 9

Pickleball mania

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

REAL ESTATE INSIDE Can Gilbert’s market get any hotter? COMMUNITY....................................... 14 BUSINESS............................................. 18 OPINION..................................... 23 SPORTS.......................................24 DATRI.........................................26 PUZZLE....................................... 27 CLASSIFIED..........................................28

he two candidates for Gilbert mayor tried to make the case why they are the best person to lead the town during a live online forum last week. Matt Nielsen and Brigette Peterson participated in a virtual debate that queried them on a range of questions, including apartment building in town, homelessness, workforce development and education. The event was hosted by Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Gilbert Sun News and can be viewed at facebook.com/GilbertChamber. Promising to keep an open mind on issues, Nielsen said he also would be a mayor who is accessible and responsive to the public. “What you will get out of me as your mayor here in Gilbert is forthrightness,” Nielsen said. “I’m not going to tell you some-

see FORUM page 4

Pickleball fans love the new courts at the Gilbert Regional Park, so much so that town officials say there’s a line waiting to play before they open, although a visit early last Saturday showed players had no problem getting on to play.. (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff Photographer)

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

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Council discusses community relations panel BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

fter getting criticized for not taking a stand against racism, Gilbert Town Council discussed converting a defunct commission that once was tasked with addressing diversity concerns into one that enables twoway conversation between staff and residents about a variety of local issues. The proposed Community Relations Commission was presented at last week’s Council meeting. “I think this is an avenue for our community to come and talk about issues that may be happening here or around the world,” Vice Mayor Jung Koprowski said. She said the commission could also “support community events, neighborhood services and also weigh in on any public engagement on various projects from multiple departments.” Councilman Bill Spence, who pushed to put the item on the agenda, noted said there’s been talk in the community about reviving the Human Relations Commission, which was disbanded several years ago. Spence felt the new commission could provide a forum for people seeking clarification on a broader range of issues such as the town’s new ambulance service, domestic violence and

even garbage service. He said many times the town is already taking actions that the public is demanding be taken but is unaware of it and the commission would be a way to get the information out. Spence added that the commission would offer the town an opportunity to solve problems before people bring them up at council meetings. Councilwoman Kathy Tilque said she was not involved with the Human Relations Commission, which was formed in 2001 in response to the Devil Dogs, a white supremacist youth gang. “I felt it lacked direction it needed to make it successful,” she said. She recommended staff research groups that have success in bringing diverse groups together for meaningful dialogue and she suggested the commission be a solution-based panel. “We want everybody in our community to feel safe, feel listened to and how important they are to us,” Tilque said. “It’s not going to solve all the issues that are out there in one fell swoop.” Mayor Scott Anderson said the Council’s consensus was for staff to move forward with forming the commission and looking at its scope of work. The Human Relations Commission was eventually dissolved in January 2017 because it didn’t have a specific direction and there wasn’t a community

demand for it, according to Councilman Jared Taylor, who felt the it should be resurrected. He said Council must provide clear direction for it and that the commission either could be short term with a specific mission and then disbanded or it could become more permanent like the Planning Commission. Council members’ discussion took place after they were lambasted by a handful of residents who have been participating in weekly protests a quarter of a mile away at Gilbert and Warner roads. Since the summer, people who support police have been facing off with Black Live Matters supporters on opposite sides of Warner every Thursday. The protests were peaceful until Aug. 20, when the two sides violently clashed leading to three arrests. Aysiana Clark said when she asked the Council weeks ago to issue a statement against white supremacy, she was told the town could not because it was deemed “too political.” “Keep in mind I am only asking you to say you are anti-racist,” Clark said. “I never asked for you to sign a contract or to do an internal investigation. You literally could have just said you’re anti-racist.

see COMMISSION page 10

FORUM

NEWS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

from page 1

thing to your face and then do something different behind your back or in a Town Council meeting… What I will do is I will let you know what my position is.” Peterson touted her town government experience, having served more than 14 years on the Planning Commission and over five years on Town Council until she resigned in late March to run for mayor. “We need a mayor who can hit the ground running on Day 1,” she said. “I’m the only candidate running that has served the citizens of Gilbert. Gilbert is a leader in safety, affordability and job growth and my experience and history being part of that is unmatched.” The candidates clashed somewhat on the issue of leadership and experience. Peterson noted that she has the voting record and experience in government that her opponent does not have and Nielsen touted his leadership experience in business while indirectly noting his opponent has none. On a number of the questions, some from residents, the two candidates were similar in their responses. On the issue of whether too many apartment complexes are being built in Gilbert, both candidates said land use is guided by the town’s General Plan, a blueprint for development that is updated every decade and approved by voters. Nielsen noted the only time Council can weigh in on the issue is if a land owner comes to town for approval of a rezoning, adding he is a strong proponent of property rights. Peterson said while the General Plan sets aside 13.8 percent of the land for multi-family housing and 86.2 percent for single-family homes, it’s much less than neighboring Chandler. That city, which is similar in land mass and population to Gilbert, has over 19 percent of its land reserved for multi-family housing, she added. The candidates were asked if the town was doing enough to address homelessness, especially as evictions and foreclosures become a possibility from residents who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and eviction bans lapse. The question also noted that Mesa officials have said several times in recent

Matt Nielsen

Brigette Peterson

months that Gilbert dumps its homeless population in their city. Peterson said Council is strict fiscally and as a result the town doesn’t have services such as a homeless shelter, which may be why Mesa feels like homeless people are sent there. She also said she would be willing to discuss whether Gilbert needs to consider a shelter. But she also noted that the annual national homeless count this year found only nine homeless individuals in Gilbert. She also pointed to the Heritage Resource Center that provides access to medical, dental, counseling and social services, most free to families in need. Nielsen said he has had recent conversations with people in town, including local church leaders, on how to help people who need it, especially those who need “a hand up.” The two also were asked how they would support workforce development to help fill the jobs of major employers in town, such as Northrop Grumman and Deloitte. Peterson pointed to programs such as the Chamber’s Tours for Teachers, which includes bringing educators to local businesses in Gilbert so they can gain an understanding of how to help students prepare to enter the workforce. Nielsen said the key in developing a quality workforce is education and expressed his gratitude that the town has top public, charter and private schools. Nielsen, who works for a company that helps create charter schools and supports school choice, said he would work

on growing educational options for children. The two candidates also supported the town in building strong relationships with area schools and said the value of career and technical education cannot be underestimated. A four-year degree is valuable but that doesn’t mean everything else isn’t valuable, Nielsen said. Peterson said she doesn’t have a college degree but has life and job experiences and that people can be a success if they make the most of their opportunities. The two candidates did not fully explain how they would ensure long-term sustainability for Gilbert as all municipalities go through a life cycle of growth and eventual decline. Nielsen said the town can grow, modernize and take advantage of technology and still maintain its small-town feel. Peterson said Gilbert is a data-driven municipality and that officials planned with an eye beyond the next decade. She said Gilbert can move forward in a fiscally responsible manner with development while maintaining the small-town feel. The two also felt it was time to resurrect a group like the Human Relations Commission, which was formed to address diversity issues in Gilbert but was dissolved in 2017 because it lacked a clear focus. The town has seen weekly protests by pro-police groups and Black Lives Matter supporters since the summer at the corner of Warner and Gilbert roads with a

violent clash between the two in August. Nielsen, citing his bachelor’s degree in communications and a masters in negotiation and dispute resolution, said the town needs a vehicle that would allow for meaningful exchanges between the groups to take place “so everyone feels valued” and there’s mutual respect. He added that he has formed two advisory committees comprising a diverse group of people to figure out how to have effective communication in town. Peterson noted that Council just two days earlier discussed forming a Community Relations Commission and that Council members and the police chief have been meeting with representatives of both groups. She said community conversations needed to take place now. Peterson, who touts her leadership skills, was asked to name an initiative she originated while on Council and how that affected the community. She said she couldn’t think of one readily but noted that she was part of several such as the most recent serving on the Subcommittee on Land Development Code when she was on Council. She and former Councilmen Eddie Cook and Jordan Ray were appointed to the group to update those codes, which make it easier to do business in Gilbert and for staff to use. Nielsen was asked if his stance on no new taxes was practical, given the town’s pocketbook may be hit by the economic fallout of the coronarvirus and Gilbert that faces paying for infrastructure in a town that’s still growing. Nielsen said infrastructure such as roads and water systems were second to public safety in terms of important services a local government provides and that he would work with staff to make adjustments to have an efficient and effective budget that would not need new taxes. He said anyone coming to Council asking for a new tax would have to justify it and that he would not be the one to advocate for a levy although he would have an open mind when hearing someone else’s rationale for proposing one. The two candidates also had a chance

see FORUM page 6

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

FORUM from page 4

to ask each other a question. Nielsen asked Peterson to name the positions she held in the private sector in the last 15 years that have prepared her for the leadership role of mayor. Peterson responded she spent the past decade working for the town and the last private industry job she held was with Banner Health where she interacted with the CEO. She added she

also worked for defense contractor Raytheon. According to her Linkedin account, Peterson was a part-time administrative assistant for Banner Health from 200109 and a senior technical proposal typist from 1985-95. “Sit back, listen and learn are the most important functions I can do as mayor,” she said.

Peterson initially said she had not prepared a question for Nielson but then said she heard he would discuss privatizing garbage pickup. Nielsen replied that he had not suggested privatizing trash pickup but he knows two council members explored that possibility in 2012. He added he didn’t have a position on that until he learned more about it.

Both candidates also were asked if they had the time to become what amounts to a fulltime job as mayor. Peterson also said she can be a fulltime mayor, adding previous mayors like John Lewis and Jenn Daniels were not able to hold full-time jobs because of the office’s demands. Nielson said his job affords him the time needed to serve the office.

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

seeking re-election while Bugg said she left the race for personal reasons but will consider running in two years. Because she withdrew late, her name will still appear on the ballot. Left in the nonpartisan race are incumbents Greg Wojtovich and Kristina Reese facing challengers Michelle Anderson and Tiffany Shultz. Gilbert Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Reese, Shultz and Wojtovich.

Anderson is a science teacher and has worked as an educator for over 15 years. She unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2014. Anderson and her family have lived in the school district for seven years and her children have been attending HUSD schools for 12 years. Her top two priorities are looking at possibly changing how current school staff are evaluated and focusing on

funding and staff for special education. Shultz is the owner of a company that offers marketing, public relations services and produces large-scale festivals. She’s lived in the school district for 13 years. Her campaign platform includes fiscal responsibility and advocating for equal funding for the district and adequate

Higley board candidate drops out of race

he race for the three open seats on the Higley Unified School District Governing Board is down to four candidates after a second withdrew. Scott Glover and Michelle Bugg are no longer running in the Nov. 3 General Election. Glover would not say why he was not

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funding from the state. Wojtovich has served on the board since 2015 and lived in the district for nine years. He retired this year as a career advisor at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and is father to four college-educated children.

His highest priority is to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff during the pandemic, followed by helping students bridge from education to the job market. Reese has served since 2013 and is currently the board’s vice president. She

has lived in the district for over 10 years and is the owner of A Child’s Pace at The Ranches, a childcare business. Her priorities include strong leadership and student-focused decisions. The Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board election was canceled because

there were no challengers to the three incumbents – Reed Carr, Lori Wood and Sheila Rogers Uggetti. Instead the three will be appointed sometime in December or January, according to the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office.

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

they would get the vaccine, with about 20 percent refusing. Separately, the financial advice website WalletHub finds only nine states where the rate of people getting vaccinated for existing diseases already is lower than here. And among children and teens, the vaccination rate is even lower than that, with Arizona fifth from the bottom. And with the record showing Arizonans tend to be more distrustful of inoculations in general, that suggests the refusal rate here for a COVID-19 vaccine would be higher than most of the rest of the country. All this comes as new data shows that

the coronavirus may once again be on the upswing in Arizona. New numbers show the state’s R-naught figure at 1.05. That number represents the effective reproduction rate of the virus, meaning how many secondary infections are likely to occur from a single infection in a given area. Values over 1.0 means more cases are likely; numbers below 1.0 show a declining spread. That 1.05 is the highest since June 18, right before Gov. Doug Ducey conceded he had made a mistake in allowing certain businesses to reopen and ordered many of them shut. Since then, however, the state

now is allowing more businesses to operate, albeit under certain restrictions, even as that R-number slides back up. On Sept. 14, gubernatorial press aide Patrick Ptak sought to downplay the increase. “The model is sensitive to days with high reports of cases or low lab numbers, which may not provide the full picture when comparing to all data,’’ he said. Ducey touted the importance of the R-numbers in late July, bragging when they hit 0.81.

Arizona ranks low on vaccine scale, including COVID

wo new reports suggest that Arizonans will be among the least likely to get immunized against COVID-19 once a vaccine becomes available. A new poll being released Tuesday by OH Predictive Insights finds just 38 percent of Arizonans said they would get the shots if it were offered to them. An identical number said they would refuse, even if offered for free. That compares with national surveys showing about half of Americans saying

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

The rate has been on an upswing ever since then. And there are now 32 states with lower R-numbers. Ptak pointed to other “encouraging signs’’ like a decreasing percentage of tests for the virus that come back positive and a low hospitalization rate of people with COVID-like symptoms. Still, he conceded that the data show the virus is still circulating. All that then goes to the question of whether Arizonans facing the risk of infection will roll up their sleeves for a COVID vaccine. The WalletHub findings in particular underline what has become a political issue in Arizona. It looked at what is known as the “combined 7 vaccine series,’’ which includes protection for a host of diseases including diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, pneumonia, chickenpox and a certain strain of flu. It found at 66.5 percent of those age 19 to 35 months were vaccinated, putting Arizona fifth from the bottom.

Part of that likely relates to state laws on what vaccines are required before a child can attend schools. All states have medical exemptions. And most have religious exemptions. But Arizona is among only 15 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that allows parents to opt out strictly for personal, moral or other beliefs. Last year, Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, pushed several measures that public health advocates said could have resulted in fewer children being inoculated, including one that would have eliminated a requirement that parents sign a state-prepared exemption form acknowledging the risk to their youngsters for refusing to inoculate, including serious injury and death. Barto called the form government coercion. Another would have mandated that parents be given extensive information about the risks of vaccines. And a third would have required parents be told they have the option of having their children tested first, ahead of any vaccinations, to see if

they already have immunity. All the bills faltered after Ducey said he would veto them. “The governor is pro-vaccination,’’ Ptak said Monday. “He encourages all parents to vaccinate their kids.’’ He had no comment about the current low vaccination rates. As to a COVID vaccine, Ptak said the governor wants to be “ready and prepared’’ when one becomes available. But Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, said concerns remain, especially now that Ducey has declared a public health emergency. One provision of that law allows the governor to mandate vaccinations to those who “may reasonably be expected to be exposed’’ to certain highly contagious and highly fatal diseases. Townsend said she doesn’t expect Ducey to exercise that power, but her bigger concern is on the commercial level. She pointed out that businesses already refuse service to patrons who are not wearing masks. Townsend fears that would extend to those who have not been

inoculated. And if it seems like that would be impossible for business owners to enforce, she pointed to research being done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which would not only deliver vaccines but plant fluorescent “quantum dots’’ beneath the skin which emit near-infrared light that can be detected by a specially equipped smartphone to show who has been inoculated.

GSN NEWS STAFF

home-school their teens. “We can’t separate the number of students from staff because we would risk violating the confidentiality of the staff at the East Campus, where the number of employees is much smaller. That’s why when we set up the page, we combined the staff and student numbers. We can’t say which districts the students come from because we would risk violating the confidentiality of students from our smaller districts, such as Fountain Hills and Cave Creek,” Todd said. EVIT opened for full five-day in-class opening when its school year began Aug. 17. Todd said that to her knowledge, none of the cases ended in hospitalization. She said both the county and EVIT health aides do follow-up interviews with the individuals. Todd said the county EVIT reports all cases to Maricopa County Public Health, which follows up with feeder schools on potential exposures.

“Our EVIT health aides also interview infected students and staff for contact tracing purposes,” Todd said. Students or staff who are diagnosed with COVID-19 but have no symptoms are required to stay at home for 10 days from the date of their first positive COVID-19 test. Those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 and have at least one symptom must stay at home for 10 days since their first symptoms developed and after having no fever for at least 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medication. Before those students can return to school, their parents must contact the campus health aide to get their OK, Todd said. The cases did not require temporary suspension of any EVIT classes, according to Todd. She said EVIT has contracted with a janitorial services provider for cleaning and disinfecting services. “When there is a COVID-19 exposure on campus, the janitorial service disinfects

all exposed areas, cleans the affected area with appropriate chemicals, disinfects the area again and removes disinfectant residue,” she said. “They use EPA-recommended chemicals in a Protexus Electrostatic sprayer. That’s in addition to the regular cleaning and disinfecting of the campus that’s going on throughout the day.” Medical experts say that it is not surprising that once schools open for inclass learning that some COVID-19 infections will occur. “It’s not a question of if, but when outbreaks will occur,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and the former health commissioner of Baltimore, in an interview last week with the New York Times. It also quoted Dr. Benjamin Linas, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Boston University, who said, “We have to be realistic. If we are opening schools, there will be some COVID.”

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EVIT reported 5 COVID cases in first 3 weeks of school

ive cases of COVID-19 were reported by the East Valley Institute of Technology in the first three weeks of the school year, but since then none have cropped up at either of its Mesa locations. EVIT spokeswoman CeCe Todd told the Gilbert Sun News that while the cases were reported to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health as well as on its website, the school is not divulging to the general public whether they involved students or faculty because of privacy rules. The district for the same reason also is not publicly disclosing the schools or communities that the infected individuals come from. EVIT serves high school juniors and seniors from 11 East Valley school districts – including Chandler and Higley Unified and Gilbert Public Schools – as well as students from charter and private schools and households that

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Aimee Yentes

COUNCIL

from page 1

other COVID-related funding from the town, according to Henderson. Under Phase 2, the town would set aside $5 million for recovery loans for businesses that had to tap into their savings, use lines of credit or credit cards to stay afloat during the mandatory shutdown, Henderson said. Eligible businesses, including sole owners, partnerships, limited-liability companies, corporations or other business enterprising operations in Gilbert could receive up to $50,000. To qualify, applicants would have to have no more than three separate locations in town, be in business before March 11, have a credit score of 640 or higher, have no tax delinquencies and must have been impacted by COVID-19 and or the resulting government restrictions. Henderson said the town will partner with a lending institution to disperse the loans and did not provide more details, such as the interest rate. “Once a lending partner has been identified, an interest rate will be established,” said spokeswoman Kiley Phillips in an email. “ Lenders will not be contributing to the loan components but will be an active partner in the administration of the loans.” For Phase 3, the subcommittee proposed allocating $2 million to provide mentorship and programs to help busi-

Kathy Tilque

nesses improve. Offerings could include help with marketing, access to funding, training and social media support. Henderson said the town can’t do this program entirely on its own and would need to have partners. Once the terms, conditions and scope of work have been worked out with the partners, the plan is to bring the program to Council for adoption and eventual launching. Council for the most part gave a thumbs up on the proposed program. “I really like the direction that you are going,” Mayor Scott Anderson said. “It really looks good. My only question is how soon can we get the money out to the businesses. If there’s red tape that needs to be cut, we need to cut it. They’re in dire straits right now and we need to get that money out to them as soon as possible.” Phillips said there was no set date for the staff to return to the Council for approval. Councilwoman Kathy Tilque, who was the longtime CEO of Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, also liked what was presented. “I think it’s really important that our business community understands that we are working toward this and that we’re going to have some relief for them soon,” she said. “I know there are daily questions about that.”

NEWS

COMMISSION from page 3

“But you did not and here I am again three weeks later and I have yet to hear a statement about the white supremacists on Gilbert soil because whether or not you like it, that is the manifestation of racism today. And because I understand you guys need a lot of handholding with this, I am emailing you all a list of books to educate yourself because I’m done doing it for free.” Miranda Rae Sausen said her neighbors, who are people of color, don’t feel safe in a town that claims to be one of the nation’s safest communities. “White supremacists are able to threaten my life and others online because we believe that no matter a person’s religion or ethnicity, they should never have to worry about being shot in their own hometown,” she said. “The silence this town continues to have on all the threats that is happening on Facebook and other social media platforms is so outrageously disturbing and has no place in Gilbert or anywhere else in the world.” She also criticized the police for sending its SWAT team to the protests, which have been largely peaceful. “It is a waste of allocated funding and resources that could have been put forth towards more pressing issues like mental-health professionals that

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

can help all the people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she continued. “For this reason, I want a plan of action for this racism and for this to be a priority for the Town Council to ensure the safety of the members of our community.” Kalixta Villasaez said the pro-police group has been spewing hate, waving the Confederate flag and giving Nazi salutes. “Racism, more specifically white supremacy has plagued Gilbert for a long time,” she said. “Racists have made Gilbert their safe place.” She said the town’s “Listening Space,” events where officials listened to the public for feedback on racism and police reform were “ineffective.” “You continue to enable and turn a blind eye and it needs to be stopped,” she said. Jennifer Harrison, sporting an AZ Patriots tank top, said the BLM supporters apparently believe only they have the First Amendment right of free speech and call others who don’t hold their same beliefs “white supremacists and Nazis.” “What we have here is the cancel culture,” Harrison said. “What we have is emotional children who clearly do not understand that the First Amendment

is a right afforded to everybody, not just left-wing anarchists who hate the police and make everything a racist. “These are children who were never taught in life that there will be things they’re going to see and hear that may upset them or hurt their feelings.” Harrison said the counter-protestors need to deal with their emotions. “This is the same group out there verbally attacking this city’s police department, protesting America, hating themselves for being white,” she said. “That’s their First Amendment right to do so but they can’t go and cry to the City Council when they are met with oppositions from groups that actually like, love and support the police and love their country. “So, perhaps this is why there is an age requirement to be elected into politics. We have young, emotional, uneducated children who cannot handle an opposing view or be challenged in their position in any way. Just because we don’t’ support their BLM Marxist bull crap doesn’t make us white supremacists.” Marysa Leyva said she resented Harrison’s characterization. “I am an adult and a healthcare worker,” Leyva told Council. “We are offended by your stance of

anti-racism as being a political idea,” she said. “We don’t believe that is the case. We are members of this community. We are your neighbors but because of the complicity of this Council, this has become a safe haven for white supremacist hate groups and violence.” She said there were minors who were assaulted on Aug. 20 by the opposing group. “We’ve been stalked, followed, screamed at and had our lives threatened,” Leyva said. “We’re no longer safe in our own neighborhoods, in our homes. We want a comprehensive plan of action for how this Council intends to address these atrocities. But at this moment in time the absolute least you all can do is make a statement condemning racism and white nationalist hate groups right now.” Koprowski said the Council was prohibited from responding because the issue was not on the agenda. When Leyva insisted on a statement, Mayor Scottt Anderson explained it was against state law for the Council to address her comments. Leyva then asked if the Council would make a statement after the meeting was over. “We’ll take it under advisement,” Anderson responded.

Council extends Gilbert’s e-scooter pilot program BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

ilbert needs more time with its pilot program on electric scooters before forming an ordinance to regulate their use in town. Town Council in March 2019 adopted the Micromobility Pilot Program to get some sort of control on what was then a proliferation of scooters in the Valley, which caused accidents and generated complaints from the public. Town Manager Patrick Banger told Council last week explained that scooter companies initially “kind of dropped them all on the cities without warning and everybody scrambled to put together pilot programs to best under-

Gilbert Town Manager Patrick Banger told Town Council last week that scooter companies for the most part are focusing their attention on dense urban areas and pulling out of communities like Gilbert and others in the East Valley. Town of Gilbert)

stand how they can be integrated into our communities.” But soon after the town began putting together a pilot program, he explained, “then summer hit and they stared to shut down and lot of the companies started making some changes nationally. “We’ve just only in the last couple of months started to see a small trickle of scooters come back into our community from Bird,” he continued. “So, the net result is we didn’t have much opportunity to collect data on it to understand how to craft these ordinances and our hope being that if they stick with it over the next several months, we will be able to do that.”

see SCOOTER page 12

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NEWS

Huge mask-making project launched in East Valley BY JIM WALSH GSN Staff Writer

olunteers are mobilizing to sew 600,000 medical-grade face masks for use in hospitals throughout the Phoenix area as the masks become a part of everyday life throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arizona Masks for Medical Workers project is patterned after a similar project in Salt Lake City sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its community service arm, JustServe.org and LDS Charities. But Jennifer Wheeler, a church spokeswoman, said the mask undertaking is an ecumenical project that also involves Catholic and Protestant churches, with everyone united in the goal of protecting medical workers. In the East Valley, the Central Christian Church is participating through its Mesa and Gilbert campuses. To learn

more about the project, go to AZMasksforMedicalWorkers.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is recruiting 6,000 volunteers to pick up 6,000 kits of pre-cut materials for making the masks. Each kit contains enough materials to make 100 masks, including pre-cut pieces of polypropylene and either elastic or fabric ties. The goal is to produce the masks during a four-week period. Each mask is expected take about five to 10 minutes to sew, depending upon the volunteer’s experience and each kit taking 10-15 hours. A video is included on the JustServe.org website, along with instructions on where to pick up and drop off the kits. JustServe will donate masks to healthcare providers throughout the state, including the Banner Health Foundation, Valleywise Health, Dignity Health Foundation, Honor Health Foundation and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

SCOOTER

from page 10

The program required participants to pay a one-time application fee of $2,500, pay the town 10 cents a ride and follow rules such as removing inoperable or unsafe scooter from rightsof-way within 24 hours of notice, not placing scooters within 10 feet of loading zones, curb ramps, fire hydrants and driveways and following the 15 mph speed limit or 10 mph in densely populated areas of town. Since the town’s launch of its program, only Bird is doing business in town with about 50 to 100 scooters, said Nikki McCarty, town manager assistant. Lime terminated its license program in June because it made a nationwide decision to pull out of the suburbs and deploy scooters only in big cities, McCarty said. During Bird’s participation from June to December 2019, it provided 135 rides. It redeployed it scooters in July. The ridership numbers totaled 183 in July and 350 in August, earning the town $18.30 and $35, respectively, according to a staff report.

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They’ve “paid their invoices on time and have been communicating with the town very well,” McCarty said. “We’ve been happy with the relationship that we’ve build with Bird.” Gilbert also has been successful so far in not having to levy penalties on either Bird or Lime when it was here, according to McCarty, who added the fines and penalties were made to be high in order for companies to self-regulate and not have the police involved. The town, however, since July has received four complaints from the public through its 311 app that Bird scooters were blocking sidewalks, according to McCarty. “They’ve been very responsive in those complaints,” she said. She said the company plans to stay in town for the foreseeable future but has no plans to ramp up the number of scooters. “Their plans are to stay at a smallscale operation,” she said. “They are trying to provide alternatives to people right now who aren’t feeling comfortable taking mass transit but they also feel there isn’t a huge demand for these devices right now. If they decide to grow their fleet they will be in touch with the town.” McCarty said staff’s recommendation was to keep with the pilot program and allow Bird to continue doing business under the existing rules. “We will continue to monitor the program trends and update you of any significant changes that occur,” she told the Council. Councilman Jared Taylor said the program has no end date and wanted an ordinance in place. “Eventually we should have some ordinances so that any operator could come in and operate,” he said. Councilwoman Kathy Tilque recommended another six months for the pilot program to give staff the time needed to bring back a proposed ordinance. Mayor Scott Anderson agreed with her suggestion.

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

NEWS

Hendrix can take Council seat Nov. 3, judge rules

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

ilbert won’t appeal a judge’s decision that paves the way for Councilman-elect Laurin Hendrix to claim his seat on the dais two months ahead of schedule. Two weeks after he beat Councilman Bill Spence outright in the August Primary, Hendrix sued to be seated immediately instead of waiting until January to assume office. On Sept. 10, Superior Court Judge Daniel Kiley ruled that Hendrix could be seated Nov. 3. “I am pleased that the court ruling demonstrated that the rule of law was on my side,” said Hendrix. “At the same time, it is unfortunate that there is a negative side of Gilbert government — the good-old-boy mentality needs to go.” Hendrix’s lawsuit against the town, Town Clerk Lisa Maxwell and Spence argued that since there was no need to hold a run-off in November for the twoyear seat, the elected Primary Election winner should not have to wait until January to take the seat occupied by an appointee. Hendrix’s attorney, Timothy La Sota, cited state laws to support his argument – including one that says a person elected to fill the remainder of an unexpired term of a vacant office can take the oath of office and begin serving within 90 days after the canvass of an election. The town’s outside attorney argued otherwise and said that particular state statute did not intend for a successor to an appointed candidate take office earlier than the other candidates who are declared elected in the primary or general election. The town has a run-off election in November for mayor. Kiley, who addressed each of the state statues cited by attorneys for all parties, stated while he agreed with the defendants that the seating of a candidate should take place after “the entire election process” concludes, he found the election for the two-year seat is completed and Hendrix is entitled to take his seat on Nov. 3. Although town code stipulates that

Laurin Hendrix council members take office in January following their election, a state law “which does not entitle Mr. Spence to remain in office after the conclusion of the process by which his successor was elected,” take precedence, according to the nine-page ruling. The judge also agreed with Hendrix’s assertion that the winner of an election need not wait until the following January to take the seat of the appointed officeholder. “To hold that Hendrix must wait more than five months after his Aug. 4 victory over Mr. Spence to assume the seat now held by Mr. Spence would be contrary to public policy as reflected in statue and case law that disfavors the continued tenure in office of an appointee after the completion of the process by which a successor is chosen by the voters,” Kiley wrote. In late August, Hendrix’s attorney also filed an emergency request that the court immediately bar the Council from taking any official action until Hendrix’s seating was resolved. The judge denied that request. Spence said he prevailed because the judge rejected Hendrix’s accusations that he was a “usurper” and that his votes were invalid. “I was very pleased the judge made it a point to specifically identify there was no usurping with regards to me being on Council and that I was legally there and my votes were legally valid,” Spence said.

“In discussion with my attorney we prevailed on both those counts,” Spence said. “I don’t intend to file an appeal from the portion of the lawsuit that deals directly with me. “I am disappointed that taxpayer money and town resources were wasted in order to defend the legal actions taken by myself and the town.” Spence was appointed in March to fill the seat vacated by Eddie Cook, who was appointed Maricopa County assessor. Spence was to serve for nine months until someone was elected to that position. Gilbert spokeswoman Jennifer Harrison declined to say why the town will not appeal the ruling on Hendrix’s suit. She said there was no figure yet for the attorney costs to defend against the suit. “We do not have this information available at this time,” she said. “The law firms bill monthly in arrears, and we have not yet received the August invoices from either firm. We will not receive

the invoices for September until sometime in October.” Hendrix in an email said some of his initial undertakings upon taking office included the town’s newly formed ambulance service, which could begin operations as early as May. “I am only one member of the Town Council but I will vote against all efforts to move forward the socialized ambulance service that has been proposed,” Hendrix said. “Ironically, all of the council members that support this expansion of government received substantial campaign support from labor unions that stand to benefit from the expansion of unionized labor. “In some cases, the labor unions spent more on these candidates then the candidates spent on themselves,” Hendrix said. “I would expect to see strong labor union support in future elections for the same candidates as long as these candidates remain loyal to their union supporters.”

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Gilbert guitarist releases music book BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GSN Staff Writer

att Lloyd was never one for guitar instruction books. He’d rather teach himself or fiddle around until he got it. The Gilbert man considered writing a book but found it hard to balance his daily work with his gig in the alternative rock band The New Chums. Once the pandemic hit and teaching guitar became more of a full-time effort, he found time to finish “Guitar for Beginners: A Different Way of Learning Guitar.” “I always just said, ‘Bring a blank notebook’ and I’d hand write my lessons for each student,” said Lloyd. “Last year, I was thinking it would be so much easier to have a template, a book, so I can share the way I teach with other people if they want to learn. Lloyd has been teaching guitar for about 15 years on and off. He moved to Gilbert from Nashville in 2016 and his business picked up.

Matt Lloyd of Gilbert plays guitar for the alternative rock band The New Chums. (Kristen Bourdeau/Special to GSN)

“I have 10 to 30 students now. It turned out to be a full-time thing here now during the day,” Lloyd said. He wrote “Guitar for Beginners: A Different Way of Learning Guitar” with illustrator/graphic artist Josh Campbell. “The quarantine was a weird blessing for us. Obviously, it’s not for everybody. I started using Zoom for a lot of my lessons and for Josh and me. We couldn’t meet up anyway. We just hopped on our computers and spent three to four hours at a time communicating.” In about 60 pages, “Guitar for Beginners” goes over everything a fledgling guitarist needs to know, including diagrams of the instrument, how to read guitar tabs, major scales and public domain songs like “Twinkle Twinkle,” “Happy Birthday” and “You Are My Sunshine.” “The book is the way I’ve been

teaching for the last several years and I’ve put all of those thoughts into a book,” he said. “I’ve tried to fill in the gaps anyway and make each page to where if someone’s sitting down on their own and they don’t’ have a teacher to help them, they’ll still learn. “It takes you right from the beginning and explains the parts of the guitar. It’s very simple, and very basic and hopefully builds you up.” The first pressing of the book, which sells for $14.99, sold out quickly. He’s grateful for the community he’s built in the Valley. “I taught about 200 to 250 students in three or four years,” Lloyd said. “All those students have families. It’s been cool to interact with so many families in the community. I don’t do much promotion for my teaching. I have a big enough network where I get one or two recommendations a week through text or email.” To purchase the book, visit lutnclothing.bigcartel.com/product/matt-lloydguitar-book

Pangean Orchestra uses down time to plan BY SRIANTHI PERERA GSN Contributor

he East Valley’s Pangean Orchestra, which gathers musicians and instruments from various cultures, has achieved nonprofit status and is now looking for four board members and five volunteers. “By being recognized, we open Pangean up to a vast wealth of people power,” said orchestra founder Colin O’Donohoe of Chandler. “We believe our organization is a force for good that others would want to be a part of,” he said. “Volunteers can be a part of a powerful organization spread-

Shreyas Iyer on tabla, Andrew Ecker on percussion and Mayan trumpet and Elissa Nova on doumbek at the Tempe concert. (Courtesy of Pangean Orchestra)

ing a message of peace and understanding among diverse people.” Nonprofit status enables the group to accept tax-deductible donations. Moreover, O’Donohoe added, many companies encourage and reward employees to volunteer in their community if the organization is a federally recognized nonprofit. The Pangean Orchestra, earlier known as The Immigrant Orchestra, was founded in 2010 by O’Donohoe with the aim of uniting people with the language of music. Musicians drawn from various coun-

see PANGEAN page 16

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

PANGEAN from page 14

tries play their traditional instruments, harmonizing seemingly incompatible instruments such as the stringed qanun, from Iraq; the percussion tabla, from India and the goblet drum, djembe, from West Africa. They play music in new ways. Members of the group, now numbering 100, have performed in the East Valley, New York and Turkey. All members don’t play in each concert as the number of musicians at a concert depends on the stage and what the venue can afford to pay. Pangean has held concerts at the Tempe History Museum since 2011, averaging about 160 attendees – a full house for the place. A concert is tentatively planned for next July. “They fill up our stage and it is always a fun challenge to set up sound for such varied instruments – from didgeridoos to tablas to cellos to sitars,” said Dan Miller, the museum’s exhibit curator. “They always theme the show around creating a small bit of world peace by

Colin O’Donohoe, founder of Pangean Orchestra, plays at one of his concerts. (Courtesy of Pangean Orchestra)

bringing together musicians from all over the world.” Due to COVID-19, no concerts are slated for 2020; the group is using the down time to plan and raise money for next year. The Pangean’s mission and motive is relevant today as never before. Together,

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the musicians are dedicated to promoting understanding among a diverse population. O’Donohoe’s description of a potential volunteer underscores its mission “If someone is looking for a meaningful way to change the hurtful rhetoric of hatred against minority groups and wants

to offer an alternative to the ignorance and hate, it is my hope they would find what Pangean is doing as a great group to work with,” he said. “We show everyone how working together can sound amazing and give such a strong positive feeling.” A typical volunteer, besides being motivated and engaged, should believe that by working for Pangean, they are doing good for the community. “Often, someone begins as a volunteer and wants to become more helpful by being a board member and taking ownership over solving problems faced by Pangean,” O’Donohoe said. Volunteers also should have different perspectives. “I hope that the people volunteering are as diverse as the musicians. We can only be a global orchestra when we have global personnel offering many approaches to our endeavors,” he said. Volunteers should also ideally work outside of music and have business and

see PANGEAN page 17

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REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

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The best thing about 2020 keeps getting better BY MINDY JONES NEVAREZ GSN Guest Writer

saw the best post on Facebook the other day – about not believing that it’s September already and how it seems like March was only 16 months ago. Can you relate? I’m sure you can. Whether you’ve been balancing working from home and home schooling, an unexpected change of employment or the itching desire to get out and do something – anything! – and hoping that when you open your front door, it’s not still over 110 degrees outside. It’s been a long 2020. If someone hasn’t told you lately, you are doing a great job. With continued uncertainty politically,

socially, domestically and globally, there is one piece of our local economy that remains strong and it’s something so important that we may not even truly understand how different things could have been. At the beginning of the year, the real estate market was on the fast train with low inventory, healthy buyer activity and a homebuilder community ready to start building some new options in the area. When COVID hit, many thought the real estate market careen into the nearest ditch and we’d all have to add our home value to the list of concerns we had coming our way. Unfortunately, many of those doom and gloom predictions hit the airways, causing fear in consumers and that fear par-

alyzed many from making any moves in March and April. What didn’t change, however, was the need for housing. Some might our needs with the need for home offices, home schools and maybe some more outdoor recreation options like a pool. Buyers flooded the market as the temperatures started to heat up and sellers started to see the impact to sales prices very quickly. We saw a significant drop in interest rates taking demand to historically high levels as inventory struggled to keep up. The low inventory got lower and builders’

sales agents started to feel like order takers just trying to get people in as quickly as possible. We ended the summer with less inventory than we started and now have just 8,313 listings available in all of the MLS out of about 1.5 million actual homes, townhouses and condos in the market and a population of nearly 5 million people. We’ve got just over a month’s supply Valley- wide, just under a month in plac-

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REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Million dollar babies These three Gilbert homes are among four seven-figure houses that sold in the last month: (1 and 2) The front and back of a 4,460-square foot home on East Aris Drive, that sold for $1.4 million and includes a â&#x20AC;&#x153;clubhouse-styleâ&#x20AC;? backyard with over-sized diving pool. (3 and 4) The front and backyard views of a 5,460-square foot home on East Lowell Avenue that sold for $1.1 million and includes a basement with media room and bar; (5 and 6) A 4,900-square-foot home on East Warbler Road that topped all sold prices in the past month at $1.5 million and includes a man cave garage, attached casita, dog run and many other amenities. (Special to GSN)

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REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

re3

Remote working changes home buying trends BY NICK CALVI GSN Guest Writer

hile the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t slowed the Phoenix real estate market, it has shifted the focus of homebuyers to location. In May, Zillow Group found that 75 percent of Americans working from home due to COVID-19 would prefer to telecommute at least half of the time once the pandemic subsides and 66 percent said they would consider moving if their job allowed them to continue telecommuting. Now, the extension of working remotely has made that a reality for employees looking for a new home.

2020 from page re1

es like Gilbert and have surpassed double-digit appreciation annually in many ZIP codes. As temperatures start to come down, we’re seeing anything but cooling in the Gilbert real estate market. We’re not seeing any sign of weakening demand, although we might if there is a change to interest rates or buyers start to have some fatigue over the challenges of putting in multiple offers. Supply continues to fall – although not quite as dramatically as it has been. We expect to see more listings come to market over the next 30-60 days thanks in part to those soaring prices. Average days on market is plummeting to less than two weeks in many areas, making the home selling process quick. Need a house with a pool in Gilbert under $500K? There are 15 of those. How about a home with four bedrooms under $400K? There are 20 of those. A home with an RV gate under $300K in Gilbert? Sorry, not a single one right now…but keep checking or better yet, let us know if you have one to sell. It’s not just the lower end of the market that is moving quickly, either. The luxury market is back in full force too – which means we’ll definitely see a sharp uptick in the average dollars per square foot.

A shift to permanently working from home provides an opportunity to explore other areas of the Valley that might not have been feasible while commuting. From considering a larger house to accommodate a home office or to create more space while staying at home, to an entirely new area that is closer to a better school, the options are now endless for those who don’t have to consider a drive to the office. In addition, people from across the U.S. are taking advantage of remote work by booking weeks long stays in new areas to change their scenery. There’s no denying that the cost of living in California is one of it’s major drawbacks, so I believe we’ll see not only more Californians than usual moving to Arizona. We’re already reaching new highs at $200.64 for new listings in Gilbert with a 4.5 percent increase just since last quarter. It could be the rebound of the stock market or the influx of buyers from states like California. With an average home sale price of over $1 million where our coastal peers are coming from, for every one house they sell there they can buy two here. That means any growth in inventory here still won’t match demand. And all the folks that have had to take unemployment and will have challenges qualifying to buy? They’ll still need housing – which means rental prices will go up, which means demand for rentals will go up, which means folks will be able to pay top dollar to build a rental portfolio and still expect a cash flow. The bottom line: there has never been a more opportune time to get your home sold and have as much buying power as you do today. This unicorn market creates the proverbial win-win where you can sell high and buy low with interest rates, preserving your monthly payment at any price point.

see 2020 page 5

But more people are testing the waters with long-term rentals to make a more educated decision before packing up and moving. One of the added benefits to house shopping while working remotely is the flexibility to look in more affordable neighborhoods. Typically, the more reasonably priced homes are toward the outskirts of the Valley versus centralized cities like Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. While distance may have been unappealing while commuting, without that factor, millennial buyers who, according to Apartment List, haven’t bought a home because they couldn’t afford to find a great home in their budget. Low interest rates are also encouraging homebuyers to make a purchase

now rather than waiting until after the pandemic subsides. Will many companies continue to have their employees telecommute? A high percentage of companies found no loss of productivity with work from home so removing the cost of a physical office just makes sense and employees can continue to reap the benefits of the flexibility. Only time will tell, but it’s likely that the migration to the suburbs and more affordable areas will continue well beyond the pandemic.

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12 other active East Valley developments. Maracay Vice President of Land Acquisitions and Development Jason Weber said Waterston reflects “the wants and needs of existing and future Gilbert residents.” “We’ve been in the East Valley for about as long as Maracay has been building homes in Arizona, which is close to 30 years and I’ve never seen as much excitement about a community in this region as I have with Waterston,” said Weber. “I think the interest has a lot to do with how we’ve incorporated much of Gilbert’s history into the layout of the entire community, from the agricultural themes and modern farmhouse architecture to the splash pad that incorporates Gilbert’s famous grain silos into its design.” Maracay noted Gilbert recently was ranked the No. 1 city in the nation for millennials who are buying homes, and the No. 3 city for buying an affordable family home, according to recent studies by SmartAsset, a personal finance website. Despite the recent pandemic, new home

-Nick Calvi is the founder and CEO of Tweener Homes, the first technology based real estate brokerage of fully furnished homes that can be rented on a monthly basis. TweenerHomes. com.

Maracay sells 100th home in Waterston

aracay has sold its 100th home at Waterston, a large master-planned community in Gilbert located on one of the last remaining infill sites in the East Valley. The community borders Veterans Oasis Park and draws on the park’s natural environment, creating an atmosphere that’s centered around outdoor living, adventure and of course water. Recently Maracay paid $40 million for 138 acres around the northwest corner of Val Vista Drive and Ocotillo Road to pave the way for another 465 homes. The current phase of Waterston has its own lake and 7-acre ark with a grand ramada, splash pad and bocce ball court. Various parks and lawns are also placed throughout each neighborhood. The 11 floor plans at Waterston provide indoor-outdoor living, modern architecture and a variety of options, including an RV garage and generational suites. The oversized lots boast large backyards. The new community joined Maracay’s

see MARACAY page 5

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REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Questions from renters amid the pandemic BY JIM ELFLINE GSN Guest Writer

mericans are still struggling with the financial and health impact of the pandemic. Record unemployment has caused hundreds of thousands of renters here in our area and nationwide to miss some or all of their August rent payments. To avoid the drastic step of eviction, tenants should proactively communicate with property managers or landlords to find a middle ground. For tenants having trouble paying the rent, there are financial resources available from federal, community, nonprofit, and religious organizations. Tenants should become familiar with groups in their community that are helping renters cover their bills. To show good faith, tenants can request to sign a rental agreement with their property manager and make partial payments until they can catch up.

Here are some other questions our local professional property managers are frequently asked. How should I expect my property manager to swiftly address service requests during the COVID-19 pandemic? Tenants should ask property managers what kind of safety precautions their contractors and repair technicians take to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Do they wear masks, gloves, and protective shoe covers? After a service technician leaves, tenants should follow CDC guidelines to clean and disinfect the area where the technician was performing maintenance. If someone in the unit has tested positive for COVID-19, it’s important for tenants to be honest with property managers. Maintenance projects should be postponed until the person has recovered. Due to privacy reasons, the property manager should not ask tenants whether they’ve been tested for the coronavirus. And legally, property managers are not

allowed to share a tenant’s medical condition with other tenants. Appliance shortage – How can I expect my property manager to handle this issue when an appliance breaks down? Refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines are in short supply due to supply chain issues caused by the coronavirus. There are also backorder issues locating parts to repair common household appliances. Some issues may be out of the property manager’s control, but tenants should expect to be kept in the loop on repair or replacement timelines. If a tenant knows a handyman who can fix the problem, speak up. The property manager will be thankful for a solution. Can I ask my landlord to extend my lease for a few months because I’m uncomfortable moving at this time? If a tenant does not want to sign a new year-long lease but they’re not ready to move out right now, they can request a month-to-month rental agreement. Prop-

@AmyJonesGroup Each office is independently owned and operated

erty managers understand this is a difficult time, and many are working with tenants to find solutions that fit everyone’s needs. I feel unsafe because my neighbor is violating quarantine rules, throwing big parties with no social distancing. Is it the property manager’s responsibility to shut down risky gatherings? States and local communities will have specific guidelines for in-person gatherings during different stages of reopening. Property managers should keep tenants updated on current guidelines with helpful email communications. Tenants can ask their property manager to anonymously share their concerns with a fellow tenant who is not following safe social distancing guidelines. As a last resort, concerned neighbors do have the right to call police if they feel unsafe. The tenant should share a copy of the police report with their property manag-

...a Tradition of Trust

see RENT page 5

REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

RENT from page re4

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er, in case future action is needed to remove a disruptive tenant. A relative recently died of coronavirus, leaving their apartment vacant. What should I know before trying to remove their personal belongings? This difficult time can become more complicated by state laws authorizing who can gain access to a deceased person’s personal property. Anyone with a relative who lives alone in a rental unit should find out who is the emergency contact on the lease and which relatives may gain access to the unit in case of emergency or death. Professional property managers should be familiar with state and local laws, as

well as language in the rental agreement regarding a deceased tenant’s property, and they should communicate that information with relatives. Due to travel concerns during the pandemic, family members also may need additional time to remove a loved one’s belongings and should keep property managers updated on their plans to avoid any confusion. I want to move away from a congested metro area where the risk of COVID-19 is higher. Can I break my lease? Try to work out a compromise with the property manager before leaving town. While some tenants may want to escape the city, other renters are moving into

large cities to be closer to their jobs and avoid public transportation where the risk of coronavirus is also higher. Property managers may work with concerned tenants and let them out of a lease early, especially if they can quickly sign another tenant to fill the unit. My landlord wants to show my apartment to a future tenant, but I feel unsafe letting anyone in my unit right now. What can I do? Under the lease, a property manager may have the authority to bring prospective tenants through the unit. Tenants should communicate their concerns with the property manager. Tenants can offer to record a cellphone video

walk-through of the unit, to share with potential renters. Some property managers already offer tenants a $25 gift card as a thank you for making such videos. If an in-person showing is unavoidable, ask what guidelines the property manager will follow. That can include allowing no more than one potential renter into the unit at one time, everyone wears a mask, only the property manager may open doors or touch appliances, and everything is wiped down after the showing.

If you face a potential change in employment, took the forbearance option and have received a letter from your lender with options for getting back on track, are thinking about living closer to family or need more space for the family you are living too close to, don’t be left behind

wondering what 2020 could have meant for you.

sales in Gilbert are up as much as 10.5 percent in some areas, when comparing June 2019–May 2020 over the same period the year before, according to West and SouthEast Realtors of the Valley. The recent spike could be due to a series of factors, including the fact that so

many people are working and spending more time in their homes, Maracay said.. The current phase of Waterston is located at Val Vista Drive and Chandler Heights Road. Information: 480-405-7452, or Waterston.com.

2020 from page re3

-Mindy Jones Nevarez, a Gilbert Realtor and owner of the Amy Jones Group at Keller Williams Integrity First, can be reached at 480250-3857, Mindy@AmyJonesGroup.com or AmyJonesGroup.com

Gilbert Real Estate Snapshot

MARACAY from page re3

-Jim Elfline is the owner of Keyrenter Premiere Property Management, a nationwide residential property management company with local franchise offices from coast to coast.

Provided by the Amy Jones Group Your Local Real Estate Team (480) 250-3857 | www.amyjonesgroup.com • Average Days on Market: 32 days Down from 38 Days Last Month

• Active Listings: 198 Down from 233Listings Last Month

• Monthly Sales: 571 Up from 534 Sales Last Month

• Listings Under Contract: 630 Up from 626 Listings Under Contract Last Month

• Average Sales Price: $441,982 Down from $443,570 Last Month

• Monthly Supply of Inventory: 0.8 Down from 0.9 Monthly Supply Last Month

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REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Know the law on home remodeling projects BY BEN GOTTLIEB GSN Guest Writer

n today’s COVID-19 world, more people are at home and as a result, more people are creating home projects. According to a local TV report, “Since Arizona’s stay-at-home order went into effect in March, many people have had time to think of changes they would like to make inside their homes. As a result, contractors have seen a boost in calls over the last month.” https://www.fox10phoenix.com/ news/for-contractors-covid-19-pandemic-means-more-home-renovationjobshttps://www.fox10phoenix.com/ news/for-contractors-covid-19-pandemic-means-more-home-renovationjobs According to a MarketWatch article published on June 27, “Bank of America polled 1,054 Americans about their attitudes and shopping habits during coronavirus and found that more than 70 percent have decided to tackle home improvement projects, with more planned for 2021.” With home improvement projects on the rise in Arizona, it is important that homeowners do not unknowingly violate Arizona law in completing their projects. Arizona has strong laws in place that protect the public from unlicensed con-

tractors performing work. Arizona imposes significant requirements for licensure – an aspiring contractor must post a bond, obtain experience or train at an accredited institution, and pass a written test. He or she may also have to submit fingerprints for a background check. If a person dismisses these licensure requirements and proceeds with performing unlicensed work, the person may suffer severe legal consequences. And these consequences may extend beyond civil penalties into the criminal realm – and disqualify the person from ever obtaining a license. Like most areas of the law, however, exceptions exist. Arizona law permits a property owner to build or improve their property without themselves needing to be licensed, assuming the property is not intended to be placed for sale or for rent. Prima facie evidence of intent for sale or for rent is doing either within a year of the project’s completion. Notwithstanding this exception, in some cases it is best to hire a licensed contractor. Arizona law also permits contractors without a license to perform certain jobs provided they cost less than $1,000, including labor, materials and other items. This is generally referred to as Arizona’s “handyman” exemption for a limited

range of services. This exemption does not apply in all cases. For instance, the work must be of a casual or minor nature to qualify for the exemption. It should also be noted that, to avoid a potential legal issue, if and when a homeowner sells his or her home, appropriate disclosures should be made to any prospective buyer regarding the work done on the property. Arizona law requires a homeowner to disclose to a potential buyer any information or defects regarding the homeowner’s real property that is known to the seller, is “material” and is “latent.” “Material” means something a reasonable buyer would attach importance to; “latent” is something not readily visible to the naked eye from a reasonable inspection. Minor repairs that fall under the “handyman” exemption are probably not something that an ordinary seller needs to disclose to a prospective buyer, unless the specific circumstances warrant disclosure – i.e., perhaps it is a minor issue but the issue keeps recurring and the seller had to fix it multiple times. On the other hand, if the seller fails to disclose that he or she engaged an unlicensed contractor to perform a more substantial project – such as building a casita in the backyard, the seller could have liability exposure for the non-disclosure.

This is especially the case if the unlicensed contractor performed substandard work or if proper building permits were not obtained. Non-disclosure is a serious issue and can provide a buyer with a variety of remedies. In extreme cases, where fraud occurred, a court may award rescission of the purchase contract – an equitable remedy which contemplates the undoing of the transaction. In cases where negligent misrepresentation is claimed, the buyer can recover damages that are necessary to compensate the buyer for the monetary loss to him or her of which the misrepresentation is a legal cause, including (a) the difference between the value of what he or she has received in the transaction and its purchase price or other value given for it; and (b) monetary loss suffered otherwise as a consequence of the buyer’s reliance upon the misrepresentation. In addition to compensatory damages, in civil fraud cases, the jury or court can also award punitive damages, which are additional damages designed to punish the defendant wrongdoer.

public on the importance of indoor air quality, we strive towards a healthier standard, enveloping quality with care in efficient, healthy home building.” Since 2014 when Fulton Homes first joined the EPA’s program, approximately 3,700 homes have been built across the Valley with the Indoor airPLUS label, and 100 percent of new construction is built to the Indoor airPLUS standards creating benefits for homebuyers such as education, moisture control, radon control, pest management, and higher efficiency for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

The pandemic is especially putting a bigger spotlight on homebuilders nationwide to demonstrate how healthy their new homes actually are. As the first homebuilder to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the prestigious “Indoor airPLUS Leader of the Year” award in 2018, Fulton Homes has focused the last few years on building healthier homes. According to the EPA, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors and indoor air is typically two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.

“Comfort, health and safety are becoming important mainstays to our buyers, especially now,” said Doug Fulton, CEO of Fulton Homes. “We are proud of the work we’ve done for our homebuyers that provide them the peace of mind gained through our award-winning participation in the EPA’s Indoor airPLUS program. We want individuals who are looking for those features in a new home to know that Fulton Homes is, and has been, Arizona’s leader

-Chandler attorney Benjamin Gottlieb is co-founder in the Phoenix law firm MacQueen & Gottlieb, the state’s #1 ranked real estate law firm for two years running. Information: MandGLawGroup.com or 602-533-2840.

Fulton Homes wins EPA clean-air award

GSN NEWS STAFF

or the sixth consecutive year, Fulton Homes has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a 2020 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award for its efforts in trying to minimize exposure to airborne pollutants and increase overall indoor air quality in homes. “Fulton Homes is honored to be recognized as a 2020 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner for a sixth straight time,” said Dennis Webb, vice president of Fulton Homes. “In addition to educating the

see FULTON page 7

REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

FULTON from page re6

in this area.” Fulton Homes builds all its homes to Indoor airPLUS standards - providing homebuyers with healthier and more comfortable options. The Tempe-based homebuilder joined the Indoor airPLUS program in 2014, starting with just over 60 labeled homes that year. Fulton Homes works closely with the rater and trade contractors to refine construction details. The company is also committed to educating homebuyers on the value of improved indoor air quality. Indoor airPLUS is a companion label to ENERGY STAR for Homes certification. “Together, these programs provide comprehensive health protections,” a spokesman said, noting the builder uses a variety of construction practices and technologies to achieve the Indoor airPLUS label and reduce indoor air pollutants and improve the indoor air quality inside the home. Homes displaying the Indoor airPLUS label include additional measures for

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“We are in the final phase at Lakeview Trails and people are in a frenzy to get their piece of Morrison Ranch,” he said. “The sought-after Gilbert location combined with the luxury floorplans are an incredible draw.” Starting in the $400s, Lakeview Trails South East features six distinctive styles of flex-space homes, each with a three-car garage. The largest, Canary Pine, features five bedrooms with walk-in closets, five full bathrooms, a loft and more in Fulton Homes earned its sixth consecutive EPA’ Indoor airPLUS Leader Award for its efforts to include options that provide its 3,157 square feet of space. cleaner and healthier air inside the house. (Special to GSN) Other floorplans range between 2,930 square feet and 1,631 square moisture control, radon-resistance, pest Trails South East neighborhood in Morfeet. For no additional cost, buyers prevention, combustion pollutant control, rison Ranch, selling 10 homes first four can customize their homes with granite HVAC filtration and low-emission materi- hours of the launch. countertops, maple cabinets, and ceiling The buying frenzy continues with 24 fans through the Fulton Features proals. Homebuilder seeing massive demand homes beginning constructions. gram. Fulton said those sales set off an unprecfor Lakeview Trails South East homes feaMorrison Ranch features more than turing flex-space layouts, open outdoor edented trend of sales for the homebuild- 400 acres of greenbelts, open space and ers with 150 homes being sold across the tree-lined streets. spaces Fulton recently opened the Lakeview Valley in the past four weeks. Information: fultonhomes.com.

HASTINGS FARMS – CREEKSIDE

Queen Creek, AZ | Starting from the $300s

NOW SELLING! Hastings Farms Creekside Series (Parcel-B) is a Master Planned Community located in Queen Creek at the corner of Ellsworth Road and Chandler Heights. Hastings Farms Creekside Series features six distinctive floor plans offering 3 and 4 bedroom layouts with 2 and 3 car garages. These floor plans range from 1,638 square feet to 2,884 square feet. Come visit our new model homes at Hastings Farms; Queen Creek, AZ.

WE BUILD THE PLACES WHERE LIFE’S BEST MOMENTS CAN HAPPEN. Within each Cresleigh neighborhood, you’ll find new homes thoughtfully designed to suit the needs of any generation and any lifestyle, with energy efficiency and reliability at their core. Every Cresleigh team member is passionate about building a new home that you can rely on and a new home that helps you to focus on what truly matters: creating memories with the people you love.

Welcome to the neighborhood. 23440 S 210th Street, Queen Creek, AZ 85142 Phone: (480) 888-1025 www.cresleigh.com

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REAL ESTATE

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Ready for a Better Mortgage Experience?

SOLD! 3795 E Chickadee Rd, Gilbert AZ 85297 Welcome to this beautifully updated home in the award winning community of Power Ranch. 2,217 square feet with three bedrooms, there is plenty of room in this move in ready home. You will love cooking or entertaining in the stylish kitchen with granite counters, glass tile backsplash, island, walk in pantry and stainless steel appliances. The master bath has an all new shower with waterfall tile and spa door. Enjoy the Arizona lifestyle with the grassy backyard and patio pavers. There is so much more to share about this home.

Local Expertise and Market Knowledge An In-Person Mortgage Experience Full Explanation of the Mortgage Process& Continued Guidance Help for Those with Past Credit Issues

Let’s Talk! Christine Wenger Sales Manager | nmls. 261653 480-232-4972

3860 E Sundance Avenue, Gilbert AZ 85297 Located in the Groves of award winning Power Ranch, this single story home features 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a beautifully updated kitchen. Wood-look tile floors, paneled doors and fresh paint give a modern feel to the open floor plan. The dual built in desks offer an organized space near the kitchen & great room. The backyard is spacious and features pavers and artificial grass for easy maintenance, plus an RV Gate. Don’t miss this lovely home in a beautiful neighborhood.

Melanie Nemetz

christine.wenger@nationslending.com

FHA ■ VA ■ Conventional ■ Jumbo ■ Purchases ■ Refinance

480.221.3034 • www.fosteringre.com Each office is independently owned and operated

SPO OTLIGHT home Don’t miss the opportunity to own this 4 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, 2,100+ Sq Ft home with a POOL in the heart of Gilbert! The open kitchen, complete with breakfast nook, has staggered cabinetry, granite countertops with custom backsplash, and oversized breakfast bar overlooking the family room. The large master bedroom features it’s own sitting room with private exit to the backyard, and oversized walk-in shower. This home is truly an entertainer’s delight with front covered courtyard, backyard patio with both covered and uncovered seating, fenced in POOL, built in BBQ and outdoor kitchen, and low maintenance landscaping with artificial turf. Be sure to schedule your visit today!

Listed at $500,000

542 E Sage Brush St, Gilbert, AZ 85296 4 Beds / 1.75 Baths / 2176 Square Feet

(480) 250-3857 www.AmyJonesGroup.com

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

PANGEAN from page 16

communication skills and a passion to see the orchestra grow in popularity and success, O’Donohoe added. The former mayor of Gilbert, John Lewis, is a fan of the group and said he was glad to hear of its continued success. “Part of a ‘clean, safe, vibrant’ community includes the blessing of individuals like Colin who have vision and persistence,” he wrote from Cambodia, where he’s currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “The Pangean Orchestra adds vibrancy to a community and brings communities together from all over the world.” Miller said a Pangean Orchestra concert is the quintessential gathering of such diverse community members in a most entertaining way. “We are a community history museum that welcomes performances by members of our diverse community. The orchestra is always welcome at Tempe History Museum,” he said. The path forward is not always smooth for the group.

COMMUNITY

over the next year we’ve seen the anger from a year ago turn into violence,” he added. “We need Pangean desperately in our country. We need powerful examples of different people working and creating together as a catalyst for a real change in our mentality towards co-existence and mutual respect for one another,” he said. Details: thepangeanorchestra.com

The Pangean Orchestra performed at Tempe History Museum in 2016. (Tempe Historical Museum)

Last year, O’Donohue ran a crowdfunding campaign to record professional videos and recordings and fell far short of the goal. Instead, he used the funds to apply for the 501c3 status to solidify as a company. O’Donohue wants to make Pangean a

household name. “I want us to be a shining example of what happens when many different people work together,” he said. “A year ago, we said that our country was in a vulnerable place with tension among our people at a high level. Sadly,

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GOT NEWS?

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BUSINESS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Business GilbertSunNews.com

@Gilber tSunNews

/Gilber tSunNews

Gilbert firm grew by treating sales force like family BY STACI HAUK GSN Contributor

n 2002, retired entrepreneurs Jim and Kathy Coover partnered with formulator John Anderson to create a company that specialized in nutrition products. That partnership gave birth to Gilbert-based Isagenix, which has achieved a global reach by holding to Anderson’s desire for a business that did not compromise product quality for lower costs. The Coovers appreciated Anderson’s sentiment, and had some ideas on how to optimize a direct-selling model that focused on the field sales force as well as consumers. And the trio’s combined efforts over the last 18 years have turned Isagenix into a company with 175 products, more than 550,000 customers worldwide, independent distributors in 26 markets; and 700 employees – including more than 500 at its 166,000-square-foot world headquarters in Gilbert that was built in 2016. The Coovers did not see themselves immersed in the industry when they

Jim and Kathy Coover founded Isagenix International, and built the company’s international headquarters in Gilbert, where they also live. (Special to GSN)

moved to Arizona shortly before partnering with Anderson. They agreed to a consulting role to help him shape his new direct-selling company. Anderson was a successful nutritional formulator and contract manufacturer who knew the Coovers had something special to offer. But they didn’t stay consultants very long. “Over the course of a month, I realized that maybe we were in a unique position

to fulfill the promise of what this profession could really be about – to have a company that was based on very efficacious products that people would buy and consume, said Jim Coover, Isagenix co-founder and chairman. “With my background in building infrastructure and sales organizations and Kathy’s in developing leadership and field organizations, we just felt that ‘yeah, maybe we should join John.’” Kathy, the company’s executive vice president, added, “We knew if we did it right and had the right values, the right people would show up. It was the best

decision of our lives.” The Coovers started Isagenix with Kathy’s focus on developing tools for independent distributor success. Jim crafted its internal infrastructure, including the compensation plan Isagenix distributors still follow today. Anderson focused on formulating and manufacturing products. They started with six employees. “Everybody wore different hats. We did whatever it took,” Kathy said. From warehouse work to processing commissions, the Coovers worked nights

another in Gilbert. “This Chandler store has been planned well over a year now and before COVID came along,” said Tyler Robison, who owns Backyard Taco along with Ruben and Marisela Alvarez and Steve Beck. “Even with COVID, we always have thought this would be a transient thing since people always seem to want

high quality, inexpensive and delicious tacos,” Robison said. Besides, in some ways the pandemic has spurred their business. “We have realized is that due to COVID, most travel plans have been curtailed, leaving many more people here for the long hot summer than usual,” Robison said. “Those same people are tired of being cooped up at home I think and going out to eat is a way to break up the monotony and enjoy life a bit.” “The last few months we have been

see COOVER page 20

COVID-19 no match for Backyard Taco’s continued growth GSN NEWS STAFF

ven COVID-19 can’t beat a good taco. At least that seems to explain how Backyard Taco has been able to continue its rapid expansion through the East Valley, with its fourth location ready to open in Chandler this week and a groundbreaking expected soon for another in Queen Creek. The new location at 2400 S. Gilbert Rd., between Germann and Queen Creek, is the first Backyard Taco in Chandler. It joins two in Mesa and

Backyard Taco has built a following in Gilbert as well as Mesa with inexpensive, tacos with fresh ingredients. (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff Photographer)

see

TACO page 20

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Extra aid for jobless Vote For Us For Arizonans dries up Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC Best Preschool, Childcare Center A Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC and Charter School On Friday, after the DES announcement that federal dollars are gone, Capitol Media Services asked gubernatorial press s of two days ago, more than aide Patrick Ptak about what his boss 430,000 Arizonans who have lost thinks about the level of state benefits. He their jobs will have to live on no said that’s not been foremost on Ducey’s mind. more than $240 a week. “The governor has had to make many And Gov. Doug Ducey has no plans to revisit the cap on benefits which has not tough decisions in order to protect public been altered since 2004 and which leaves health,’’ he said. “Our focus has been on Arizona jobless with less money to pay containing the spread of the virus and their bills than any state except Missis- saving lives.’’ “We need Congress to step up and do its sippi. The announcement came Friday as the job,’’ Ptak said. Ducey has previously been cool to the state Department of Economic Security reported it has been informed by the Fed- whole idea of raising the benefits or even eral Emergency Management Agency that discussing it. “It’s a hypothetical question because all the funds allocated for the Lost Wage Assistance program have dried up after unemployment wasn’t really an issue before the pandemic,’’ Ducey said in late six weeks. DES Director Michael Wisehart had July. Arizona’s jobless rate in December was warned a week earlier that the $44 billion 4.6 percent. That’s a full percentage point earmarked by President Trump had a limited life. And he doubted there would be higher than the national average at the same time. enough for a Week 7. An average of more than 17,000 AriThe news comes as the most recent report from the state Office of Economic zonans were collecting jobless benefits Opportunity shows the number of people each week before the pandemic. These out of work increased between June and are people who had been laid off or fired through no fault of their own, a precondiJuly by 19,500. And the biggest losses came in employ- tion to collecting the weekly checks. A Morrison Institute survey conducted ment in bars and full- and limited-service restaurants. The already beleaguered in late April and early May found that 52 industry shed another 8,900 jobs – 4.2 percent want to permanently raise jobless percent – meaning there are now 28,500 benefits in Arizona. That includes 68 perfewer people working there than a year cent of Democrats questioned and 41 percent of Republicans. ago. There are Republican lawmakers who The losses in this sector are particularly want to revisit the subject. attributable to COVID-19 to closure and Rep. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said related orders. Under those directives, restaurants are he believes there’s a case to be made for Gilbert Office 1760 E. Pecos Rd Ste. limited to 50 percent capacity. And bars an adjustment. His concern, though, is 315 Gilbert, AZ 85295 are shuttered entirely unless they live not setting up a system where collecting Phone: (480)503-9217 within not just those occupancy limits but benefits for up to 26 weeks – the current Fax: (480)503-9219 also other restrictions on normal opera- statutory limit – becomes a disincentive to Queen Creek Office Gilbert Office work. tions. Gilbert Office 22035 S. Ellsworth Rd 1760 E. Pecos Rd Ste. Adjusting the benefits would not affect The monthly jobless report also showed Queen Creek, AZ Ste. 315 Gilbert, AZ 85295 www.wgandf-law.com 1760 E. Pecos Rd continued losses ofPhone: employment at the state budget. 85142 Phone: (480)503-9217 They are paid by a tax assessed against amusement and theme parks and fitness 315 Gilbert, AZFax: 85295 (480)686-9400 Fax: (480)503-9219 and recreation centers, all restricted busi(480)686-9452 Phone: (480)503-9217 see JOBS page 21 nesses.

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BUSINESS

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TACO from page 18

blessed immensely as our business has actually surprisingly been up an average of about 25 percent over last year,” he added, relieved they were able to make a comeback from a sharp plummet in customers during the initial weeks of the pandemic. That can-do attitude toward a pandemic pretty much defines Backyard Taco’s genesis and growth. None of the owners have a pedigree in the industry. Ruben was a concrete worker and painter, Beck a commercial real estate agent and developer and Robison is an orthodontist. “But we have all worked together, used the skills we each possessed and have been blessed to make this little venture a pretty exciting success,” Robison boasted. It also helped that before they opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in December 2012 on University Drive in Mesa, he added, the four owners “had already established a cult-like following for several years in the Alvarezes’ backyard in west Mesa.” Mazatlan, Mexico, natives Ruben and Maricela had started making tacos in their backyard seven years before the first eatery was opened. Word spread to the point that sometimes there was a mile-long line of taco enthusiasts waiting to get into their backyard. Even after they went brick-andmortar, Backyard Taco owners were still learning.

COOVER from page 18

and weekends when needed, saying that drive, discipline and determination to do it right motivated them. “Our desire was to create a foundation for wellness, recognizing that a lot of people were not getting proper nutrition,” Jim explained. “And just as important,” he added, “people didn’t have a strategy for dealing with the toxic overload that all of us are confronted with because of environmental toxins in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the chemicals in almost everything that is around us.”

Central Arizona Supply owners and siblings Jeremy and Brandon Smith and Andrea Willey will be opening the 12th Valley location of their plumbing supply company on the site of the old potato barn in Gilbert. (Special

to GSN)

The Backyard Taco eatery on Stapley Drive in Mesa is one of two in that city,. There also is one in Gilbert and this week the owners will open a fourth in Chandler, with Queen Creek their next destination. (Pablo Robles/GSN Photographer)

Backyard Taco owners include, from left, Dr. Tyler Robison, Marisela Alvarez and Steve Beck. Not pictured is Marisela’s husband, Ruben. (Pablo Robles/GSN Staff Photographer)

The first line of products involved the Cleansing and Fat Burning System, which included four products – Cleanse for Life, the IsaLean Shake, Natural Accelerator and Isagenix Snacks. While those products laid the foundation, Isagenix’s goals would not be solidified without the independent distributors. At the company’s first event in 2002, about 80 of the 600 in attendance took on a leadership title of “executive” on the field sales force. Many are still with the company today.

While Isagenix had 14 markets at the start of the year, acquiring Zija International (a Utah-based direct selling company offering high-quality plant-based products) allowed it to launch in 12 additional markets. Kathy said the company’s growth is due in large part to its products. “People getting great results with our products causes them to share their results with others,” she said, adding, “We keep reinventing ourselves to take the company to the next level.” In July, Isagenix announced it was

“When we started out, honestly our biggest concern was how do we deal with all these people flooding our stores,” Robison recalled. “We were quite ill prepared for the crushing crowds and learned so much from our first two stores.” “I think our success can be summed up …with the line about offering high quality, inexpensive and delicious authentic Mexican food,” said Robison, who with his partners talk about achieving “Mexellence” in their menu of street tacos with mesquite-grilled meats and vegetables and homemade salsas. “Everything is our restaurant is made fresh daily in house and nothing is frozen,” he said. The food also is affordable: the tacos are all under $3 and the most expensive items are $9.60. The owners are excited about their new Chandler location, calling that city a natural for their expansion because “Chandler is a vibrant, thriving and growing community.” The new location, like two of the other three will have a drive-thru, which Robison also credits as a saving feature when in-house dining was not allowed for two months earlier this year. Backyard Taco is located at 1420 S. Higley Road, Gilbert and at 1633 S. Stapley Drive and 1524 E. University Drive in Mesa. The Chandler store opens tomorrow, Sept. 21. Information: backyardtaco.com. evolving its branding. While the business continues to offer weight wellness and nutritional products, it is shifting to a more holistic approach that supports physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The Whole Blend IsaLean Shake, PlantBased Whole Blend IsaLean Shake, and Whole Blend IsaLean Bar are some innovative products launched in conjunction with the brand changes. These meal replacement options fea-

see COOVER page 21

BUSINESS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

COOVER from page 20

ture 21 vitamins and minerals naturally sourced from whole food vegetables. Also, in July, Isagenix launched Kathy’s book, “Resilient: Lessons Learned, Lives Changed,” written to inspire independent distributors to create and achieve their direct selling goals. “Resilient” details how Kathy became a highly respected leader and entrepreneur and shares secrets to success of 20 top independent distributors at Isagenix. “Sometimes people see all the glory,” she explained, “but they don’t know what someone had to go through to get to that place.” As Isagenix moves forward, it is maintaining a strong family feel for independent distributors and employees alike. “Family is one of our core values and so we have tried to make sure as we’ve built the company that we really are able to cultivate that with all of our employees as well as our field,” Jim said. The Coovers acquired Isagenix in 2005 from Anderson and today, their son, Erik, is chief visionary officer.

Erik joined the company in 2010 and was an Isagenix independent distributor. His wife, Peta Kelly, still supports her team of Isagenix independent distributors while also having input on the company’s evolution. “I think every parent really wants the best for their family and I think that as your child grows up and gets older, a lot of people lose that connection,” Kathy said. “What’s so great about Isagenix and having our family involved is we’re all connected. We all have a common goal, a common mission, a thing we’re driving toward to really improve ourselves.” Employees at the Gilbert location enjoy a close-knit atmosphere complete with stock ownership, free products in break rooms and a substantial product discount, along with healthcare and a 401(k) plan. “We just think the whole community (Gilbert) is very progressive and that speaks well for our ability to continue to attract quality people as we continue

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to grow,” Jim said. The employees are also motivated by watching the weight loss achievements of product users,” the Coovers said. “Our employees feel they are making a difference in people’s lives,” Kathy said. “It gives them passion and purpose, and this keeps them charging forward.”

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employers on the first $7,000 of each worker’s income, with the average employer charged $112 a year. The actual levy depends on how often a company lays off workers who are eligible for benefits. Rates can be as low as $3.50 a year per employee and as high as $900 for employers with the worst layoff records. Any increase in benefits would be reflected in a change in premiums. There are other options being considered that could help the unemployed. One is adjusting the law which says Arizonans start losing benefits once their

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Jim said the company’s more than $7 billion in cumulative global sales shows that many people are benefiting from Isagenix products, but added, “We like to think we’re just getting started because there are billions of people on this planet who can benefit from better nutrition.”

JOBS from page 19

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OPINION

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Opinion GilbertSunNews.com |

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For more opinions visit gilbertsunnews.com /Gilber tSunNews

Please Mr. President, stand up for patients BY HEATHER SANDSTROM GSN Guest Writer

he entire world has turned its attention to the biopharmaceutical industry. With COVID-19 spreading through Arizona and beyond, we’re all hoping for a vaccine breakthrough to save lives and enable us to get back to normal. That’s why President Donald Trump’s “most favored nation” executive order undermining pharmaceutical research is so troubling. Why, at this critical juncture, would he sign and implement a price control system that would strangle companies’ programs aimed at discovering new treatments and cures for all types of disease? Why would he suddenly impose an International Pricing Index? I’m originally from Canada, and I know a thing or two about price controls because Canada has socialized medicine where the government decides everything. What many Americans don’t realize is the impact of such top-down mandates on patients’ access to advanced treatments. Because of price controls, only about half of newer cancer therapies are available today in Canada, for example. Pa-

ANSWERS TO PUZZLE AND SUDOKU on Page 27

tients here in America’s free market system, on the other hand, can use nearly all of them, a full 96 percent. This is why I’m extremely disappointed the President chose to move forward with his plan to match medication prices to those set by bureaucrats in Canada, France, Japan and other countries. Our patients will suffer the same limits on biopharmaceutical choice as patients abroad do. Do you really want foreign nations to essentially decide whether you or a loved one may obtain a life-saving treatment? I don’t. In fact, I might not be here today if I had faced restrictions on the medications my doctors could use to treat the tumor they found in my brain. The day I was diagnosed was the scariest I’ve ever endured. I thought I was looking at the end. But instead, I survived because of access to new, innovative treatments. Throughout the process, I was reliant on various prescription medications to keep my body strong and to ease my pain. This fight left me extraordinarily grateful for the years of effort and investment required to find, test, and bring to market any new medicine. I know firsthand the difference even modest improvements in safer pain medications or better chemotherapies can make. So, when I hear that an Internation-

al Pricing Index would force three out of four pharmaceutical companies to reduce or eliminate current and future R&D projects, I worry. What if development of the more than 1,100 cancer therapies currently in progress were to halt? What if research on medications targeting other devastating diseases, from Alzheimer’s to MS, were to slow? How many lives would be irremediably harmed or cut short, and how many families would be deeply affected by struggle and loss that could have been avoided? These days, we are all too familiar with having a dangerous illness hanging over our heads. But for many people with serious conditions, the threat and life im-

pacts of disease were already there, only to be exacerbated by this pandemic. Each of these patients deserves an allout, never-give-up effort to create the therapies they need. They are worthy of the same level of investment the nation is currently making to defeat COVID-19. We cannot let anything, but especially not ill-conceived price controls, stand in the way of curing their disease. But first, we need President Trump’s attention. He must revoke this executive order that establishes an International Pricing Index. We need to stand up for patients. -Heather Sandstrom is the president pf Arizona Republican Women and a Mesa resident.

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Sports & Recreation 24

SPORTS

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AIA adjusts metric, clears way for football to begin BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor

fter months of speculation, worry, optimism and most importantly, stress surrounding the Arizona high school football season, it seems all systems are a go. The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Governing Board, in conjunction with its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, adjusted a key COVID-19 benchmark the association is using to determine when safe for competition to begin. Previously, SMAC recommended cases in each county drop to 10 per 100,000 people, a near impossible number to achieve, before games could take place as scheduled on Sept. 30. After the latest revisions however,

the target number is now 75 cases per 100,000 people. Maricopa County has hovered around 50 cases per 100,000 the last two weeks, along with other counties. “There were several things in play that led to the change,” AIA Executive Director David Hines said. “We fortunately had other states that went before us, that was very helpful. They have mitigation strategies in place similar to what we have. We needed to see how that was going. “The board also wants to make sure our modifications are adhered to. That was very important with our sports medicine people to limit exposure as much as possible.” The initial benchmarks were adopted by the AIA Executive Board as a recommendation from SMAC on Sept. 3. It was at that same time the board approved the existing

fall sports timeline. On Sept. 4, Hines sent an email to school administrators and coaches explaining the benchmarks SMAC was using to determine whether it is safe for games. The 10 per 100,000 cases metric was identified as the one that would present the biggest challenge. The other benchmarks, which include the percentage of hospitalizations for COVID-19 and the percentage of positive tests, had already been met by most counties. Hines explained the document is “living,” meaning is could be updated with approval from the board. That was made clear Thursday. “We’ve been given an opportunity to compete in football,” Hines said. “But it could get shut down if people don’t follow the procedures if cases go up and peo-

ple don’t follow protocol. If that happens, schools, districts and health departments could come in and say, ‘no more.’” The metric caused an uproar in the Arizona high school football community. A parent group led by Brad and Brooke Schweigert, Max and Carine Werner and Bryan and Elena Bernardo, sent a letter to board members on Sept. 9, demanding for the guidelines to be changed. Along with the metric, the group also called for revisions to the “close contact” guideline put in place by SMAC, which requires an athlete who has been exposed to someone that tests positive for the virus to be away from team activities for 21 days. All six parents signed the letter, noting it also had support from the “Parents in sup-

FALLS PREVENTION AWARENESS WEEK September 21-25 Falling is NOT a normal part of aging. Take action to assess your risk. Go to Area Agency on Aging at aaaphx.org and click on the Falls Free Check Up link to determine your risk of falling and receive a personalized report to share with your care provider. Take your first steps to prevent a fall now! For more information on Falls Prevention Awareness Week and the health education classes offered by Area Agency on Aging, visit aaaphx.org or call 602-241-5562.

see AIA page 25

SPORTS

GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

AIA page 24

honest, that happens when we port of 2020 football in Arizona” aren’t in the middle of a pandemFacebook group, which has more ic. Knowing we have some scrimthan 1,300 members. mages next week, we wanted to “We would expect our parents help teams have the ability to get to support our kids,” Hines said. some hitting in before they had a “As a former parent, yes, you are scrimmage.” very passionate about your own Several scrimmages between child. But we have to look at the teams have already been schedentire picture and we have an enuled for Wednesday, Sept. 23, tire state that is all over the board. Thursday, Sept. 24 and Friday, “We are going to use the medSept. 25. It’ll be the first live acical people, our administrators tion for most teams since the end and our experts to do what is best of the season last December. for all of the kids.” Starting Wednesday, Sept. 30, The updated guidelines pave the lights above stadiums will the way for the AIA to allow games once again burn bright. Hines to begin Sept. 30. Ultimately, howsaid it will be a welcoming site ever, it remains up to districts. after a tense summer. Most East Valley districts have “I think any of us that have any given teams a green light to begin The Arizona Interscholastic Association and its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee approved new guidelines that relax benchmark reinterest at all in high school athcontact, but with some modifica- quirements and give the all clear for high school football games to begin Sept. 30. (Zach Alvira/GSN Staff) letics knows how important it tions. Tempe Union High School is for our kids,” Hines said. “I’m some districts have yet to allow teams on tion later in October. District still requires the use of Hines said he hopes the updated metrics excited for the kids, the coaches and the face masks for all athletes under helmets. school grounds to practice at all. Tolleson Union High School District and Phoenix help school districts find a clear path to al- schools, I just have to caution us. Restrictions lighten up farther east. “We have to keep our nose to the ground In Scottsdale, schools have still been Union High School District teams haven’t low athletes to play this fall. “We know some districts have been able to do the things that are required so we barred from contact despite being able to had an official practice since June. Both put on pads. In other parts of the Valley, districts, however, plan to begin competi- to do more than others,” Hines said. “To be can continue.”

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on’t you just love having recipes that are so simple and yet produce the most stunning results? I can guarantee that if you make this light, fluffy mousse-like dish, folks will wonder how you found time to make such an exotic dessert! Well, they have just been fooled! Yes, it’s called Strawberry Fool and I think it may be a new favorite for you and your family. We should rename this delight the four-ingredient wonder. That’s all it takes to create Strawberry Fool, and it couldn’t be easier to whip up! What gives this strawberry mixture a won-

derful texture is straining out the grainy strawberry seeds. You’re left with a perfect puree that will easily blend into the whipped cream. I’m pretty obsessed with this dessert and I plan on trying it with fresh peaches, pineapple and mango. I love the name, too. In doing research on this centuries-old dessert, many accounts claim the word “fool” is most likely derived from the French verb “fouler” which means “to press.” One thing’s for sure. I’d be a fool not to make this for my dessert-loving family members.

Ingredients: 4 cups sliced strawberries, plus 4 whole strawberries 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 cups heavy cream Mint leaves, for garnish

ree through the strainer by pressing firmly with a spoon to separate the gritty strawberry seeds from the puree. Discard seeds. Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Take a large spoonful of the whipped cream and stir or gently whisk into the strawberry puree.Then, fold the strawberry mixture into the remaining whipped cream. Spoon half of the reserved sliced strawberries into the bottom of each parfait glass or dessert bowl. Spoon the Fool halfway up the glass or bowl. Add the remainder of the sliced strawberries and top with the rest of the fool. Garnish with a whole strawberry and some mint leaves. Refrigerate for several hours to chill.

Directions: In a blender, add 2 cups of strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until smooth. Reserve two cups of sliced strawberries for mixing into the Fool. Place a sieve or strainer over a bowl and pour the puree into the strainer. Press the pu-

Watch my how-to video: jandatri.com/recipe/strawberry-fool-dessert.

27 37

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GILBERT SUN NEWS | SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Obituaries Joanne Catherine Jesse

Obituaries Neria Hockaday Kohl Ryder June 27, 1927 – August 7, 2020

Neria was born in New York City to Gerald Samuel Kohl and Neria Irving Hockaday Kohl on June 27, 1927. Neria’s parents met at Columbia University. Mother from the South and father from the North; Neria was their only child. Childhood included Friday night trips to the lights of Broadway, learning to drive in then-undeveloped Flushing Meadows when age 12 and seeing big bands in Manhattan in the 1940s. Every year they visited her beloved grandmother, “Mama” Kohl of Centralia, Illinois and cousins Margery, Bill, Gordon, and Jean whom she loved. Neria grew up in Jackson Heights, NY and went to Garden Country Day School where she graduated as Valedictorian and earned a graduation trip to Texas from her aunt Ela Hockaday, founder of The Hockaday School in Dallas. Neria attended Wellesley College and majored in mathematics. Cousin Gordon introduced her to James Ryder of the Sigma Chi fraternity at MIT and they married on July 2, 1949. For income while Jim was at law school and although married women were scarcely hired, Neria became a “computer” for physicists at MIT before the age of semiconductors, performing calculations by slide-rule. Her inherited passion for math lives on in her descendants as did her love for Wellesley influencing her daughter and granddaughter to attend. Moving from Cambridge to Jackson Heights and then to New Jersey they soon had five children. Neria often said these were the happiest years in Chatham. Mothering included taking children and friends on overnight trips to Gettysburg, Williamsburg, and Chincoteague Island, or day trips including to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York where we had to run to see all the exhibits. She divided time for each child, be it Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, or swim team.

But some times were for her such as having her teenage son drive to NYC while husband was out of town to see the ballet with Reggie Jackson. Neria loved a party and hosted many dinners. After little finger holes showed up in a party dessert, she thereafter made a second one just for the children. After her marriage ended Neria moved to Tempe in 1976 and stayed for 40 years. She was a real estate broker in her new life practicing into her 80s and thereafter took up an earlier pastime, knitting - using her mathematical ability in truly creative stitch patterns, colors and styles. Neria was a lifelong Unitarian, active in the Valley UU Congregation of Chandler, volunteering every week. She had many fast friends there of all ages and in 2007 the congregation specially recognized her service. Neria traveled until very late in life as her children had children, being there for the first grandchild’s birth, and many of the next 10, and flying far and wide to Singapore at 82, New Zealand several times including at 87, and weddings in France at 86, all the way to her final trip to Ohio at 90 after which her health kept her away but not her spirit. Neria is survived by her 5 children - Neria Douglass and husband Paul of Auburn ME, Duncan Ryder of Washington DC, Kristin Altieri and husband Phil of Mason OH, Evan Ryder and wife Rosanna Paterson of Onaero, New Zealand, and Malcolm Ryder of Tucson AZ; by 11 grandchildren - Ryan Douglass and fiancée Anna Abajyan, Nathan Douglass and wife Anne Constance, Neria Lauren Douglass and husband Alvaro Garcia, Camilla Ryder, Evan Spanogians and wife Kaitlin Jacobi, David Spanogians and wife Alex, Hali Spanogians and husband Steven Owens, Duncan James Ryder, Eamon Ryder, Colin Ryder and Madeline Ryder; and by 7 great-grandchildren Augustin, Zélie and Maximilien Douglass, Ryder Garcia, Kora, Otto and Esme Spanogians. Funeralalternatives.net has a guestbook for Neria. When the Pandemic is under control, the family will have a memorial service in Centralia, IL.

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Loving sister, aunt, wife, friend and colleague, Joanne Catherine Jesse, of 71 years, from Apache Junction, AZ, passed away August 13, 2020 in Bismarck, ND, while visiting. Joanne was born to the late Jake and Mary Fries of Mott, ND. After graduation from Mott Lincoln High School, Joanne attended nursing school in Dickinson, ND. Joanne moved to Bismarck, ND, which was her home for many years. She pursued her RN and BSNR, married Terri Jesse and started her Mary Kay career. Joanne’s career in nursing was mostly spent in Bismarck, ND, where she became Head of the Pediatrics Unit, she was also a teacher of nursing just to name a few of the positions she held. Joanne was highly respected by her colleagues. Joanne moved to Arizona where she continued in nursing at the Banner Hospice House. Joanne’s success in Mary Kay was rewarded with 14 pink cars and she led her unit to the circle of achievement eight times, and became the number one director in North Dakota. Many numerous friendships were forged over those years. While living in Arizona Joanne married her late High School sweetheart Bill M. Griffin. Several nicknames and phrases said by the many people who knew and loved her were: “Florence Nightingale”, “Angel of Mercy and Angel here on Earth. Joanne is survived by her younger sister, Carol Dixon, Jan Bishop (Rance), Doug Fries (Ruth) and Tom Fries (Luann), sisters-in-law, Sandi Fries and Annette Fries; step-daughters, Tammy Griffin and Jennifer Markvich (Richard), stepson, Ricky Griffin (Lindsay) and numerous nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews, step nieces and nephews and step grand nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly, cousins, and aunts and uncles. Joanne’s husband Bill Griffin; her younger brother, Jerry Fries and Rod Fries, stepson, Casey Griffin (Cheryl) have predeceased her. Joanne is dearly missed by her loved ones. Due to Covid-19, services will be scheduled at a later date. At that time her ashes will be laid to rest with her late husband Bill M. Griffin at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, ND. Condolences may be sent through our website at www.evansonjensenfuneralhome.com.

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