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October 18 - 31, 2008 29
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Not your childhood Understand General Plan
Halloween before heading to polls
At the risk of dating myself and harkening
by Mayor Boyd W. Dunn Housing; Conservation; Rehabilitation
back to the “good ol’ days,” one of the most
On Nov. 4, Chandler residents have and Redevelopment; Growth Area;
anticipated trick-or-treat visits as a child in
an opportunity to vote on whether to Cost of Development; Open Space
adopt the City’s General Plan Update. and Recreational (Open Space and
rural Iowa was to a particular neighbor’s
As Mayor, I ask for your consideration Recreational are two separate elements
Photo by
LightRainImages.com
house.
and vote of approval for an updated required by state statutes that have been
Sure, it was fun to dress up in whatever
plan that will assure quality growth of paired together in the Chandler General
outfi t we could scrounge out of our closets or off our beds. No
our City. Plan); Conservation and Environmental;
big costume shops or Halloween getups in all the stores like The Chandler General Plan is a Water Resources; Transportation
there are today. strategic document that will help guide and Circulation (Transportation and
Of course, we also had to deal with keeping warm or dry,
the City’s land use decisions for the Circulation are two separate elements
as late October could be rainy, snowy or just plain cold. In
next decade – decisions that include required by state statutes that have been
Arizona, it’s often warm enough that little ones are sweating
everything from infrastructure needs paired together in the Chandler General
under their witch outfi ts, or ghoul makeup tends to drip off in
to traffi c patterns, park use and City Plan); Bicycling; Public Buildings; Public
the heat.
services. This plan is the culmination of Services and Facilities; and the Safety
There were no “glow-in-the-dark” costumes needed then.
about a year of planning by consultants, Element.
City staff and a committee of very If approved, the General Plan Update
Today in the city, it helps to make sure motorists see those
dedicated residents. will address key issues facing Chandler
ghosts, goblins, Supermen and princesses crossing our busy
I am extremely proud of the work as it completes its fi nal transition from
streets.
the committee did, and the countless a rural, agricultural community to a city
We still went to our neighbor’s doors and yelled “trick
hours they invested in developing the with a more metropolitan feel. So much
or treat!” even though few of us could muster up a “trick” General Plan Update. The committee has happened in our community since
if it was needed. And we still got plenty of goodies in our held dozens of public meetings to voters approved the existing plan nearly
pillowcases or brown paper sacks to make us sick that night.
gain input during the process. Many a decade ago.
But my brothers and I always looked forward to going to
residents attended these meetings and As Chandler continues to grow, we
one elderly couple’s house about half a mile down the gravel
are to be congratulated for being a part have followed steadily the direction of
road. If the weather was uncooperative and we had to limit the
of the process, including the service of the plan to assure the highest quality
amount of time and number of houses, we would always make
former Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, of development and to protect our
sure our mother drove us to the Knapp’s.
who chaired this committee. neighborhoods. As Mayor, I feel this
Regulated by State statute, the update is crucial to assure that we
In addition to a warm hallway, there we knew we would also
development of the plan update is quite protect a quality of life we enjoy as
receive a huge, lip-smacking, sweet, salty and buttery popcorn
rigorous, but valuable. The planning residents of Chandler.
ball that Mrs. Knapp lovingly made from scratch and carefully
process forced us to think in greater I encourage all of our residents to
wrapped in individual wax paper sheets. They were so large –
depth about things like conservation, become more familiar with the plan
or maybe because our mouths at the time were smaller – that fi scal constraints, and how all of these before they head to the polls Nov. 4
we could hardly open wide enough to take that fi rst delectable matters create a great life quality for our and also ask for your vote for approval.
bite. Memories of sweet corn syrup, butter and crunchy
residents. A copy of the update is available for
popcorn still make me salivate as I think about it now.
The Chandler General Plan contains review on the City’s website at www.
Today many of us decorate our homes for Halloween more
15 planning elements that offer a
chandleraz.gov/gpupdate.aspx. Thank
than we ever did back then. Some people go all out, and
pathway for managed and sustainable you.
some residents make sure their entire block is lit up, with
growth. They include: Land Use;
mini-parties in the driveway to hand out candy. Today we
buy nonfl ammable fabric costumes in the latest superhero
or character rage. Parents walk their children from house to
Investing not the same
house, often not knowing the neighbors inside. We’re more
thing as spending
cautious about what goes into the Halloween bags. We make
sure we have sacks and sacks of commercially purchased
by Council candidate Jack Sellers Chandler include:
candies and that nothing homemade gets into our children’s
Chandler is a large city with a small Working to solve budget issues
town feel. Part of the reason we enjoy to ensure that the most important
hands. And in addition to the often scary street settings, there
living here is because of that warm elements of our budget are protected
are city- and church-sponsored events with more emphasis on
friendly atmosphere. Because of that, it especially safety and security. I have
fun and less on fright. is sometimes easy to forget that the task extensive experience in preparing and
So, however you celebrate Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve or Dia of leading our city is no longer as simple
enforcing strict budgets and understand
de los Muertos, conjure up a good story from your childhood
as it once was. The current budget for the difference between spending and
to pass along to your kids. Just don’t be surprised if you’re
the city of Chandler is $1.2 billion. Issues investing.
met with a blank stare or roaring laughter. Remind them that
before the council in recent months Making our city more sustainable: I
someday, these will be their “good ol’ days.”
include budget planning, updating our have been responsible for very effective
transportation plan, sustainability and energy conservation programs and I am
energy effi ciency, updating our general very knowledgeable about construction
Laurie Fagen, Publisher
plan and other projects that impact our issues including LEED certifi cation of
Geoff Hancock, Advertising/Production ability to attract high paying jobs in the buildings. I believe that to make these
future. efforts most effective we need to make
Economic forecasts indicate even sure they are economically sound.
greater challenges ahead for our Improving our transportation systems:
leadership. I have been encouraged I am very involved in transportation
Have a story idea or news tip? Know of an interesting photo to run for city council because my issues, chairing the Chandler
opportunity? How about positive feedback or constructive comments?
qualifi cations are closely aligned with Transportation Commission for two
We’d like to hear from you. Email us at
News@SanTanSun.com.
the tasks ahead. The challenges facing
See Commentary Page 30
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