Elizabeth A. Burke, MMC
City of Flagstaff

How many years have you served as a clerk?  32 years

Where are you originally from?  Born in Illinois, raised in Phoenix

What is the strangest/most unique task you have had to perform as part of your duties? Prepared for a game of “show low” in Show Low years ago when we had a tie election and it was settled by the two candidates playing “show low.”

What is your favorite memory as a city/town clerk?  Developing the Kids ROCK (Reach Out for Community Knowledge) in Show Low, where we taught third graders about city government. We had various city staff members speak to the class monthly where they talked about what they did and had activities related to such a job. Started with a tour of city hall and ended the year with a swimming party at the aquatic center.

Sherry Ann Aguilar, MMC
City of Surprise

How many years have you served as a clerk? 20 years as clerk and with Surprise for 26 years.

Where are you originally from?  Born and raised in Surprise, Arizona

What is the craziest question you have been asked by a resident?  “I am in the Witness Protection Program and I want to vote, but I do not want to give you my physical address, or show you my ID!”

What is the most rewarding part of your job?   The city clerk’s position in any city or town no matter what size, is a central hub that touches every single department in our organization as well as a customer service resource for our residents providing election services, records and passports.  I would have to say that providing these services is the most important and rewarding part of my job.

Brenda Aguilar, CMC
City of Douglas

How many years have you served as a clerk? 27 years with the city and the last 10 years serving as city clerk.

Where are you originally from?  Mexico

What is the strangest/most unique task you have had to perform as part of your duties?  The strangest task has been that in response to a challenge: I played kickball against elementary students and had a great time doing so!

What is the most rewarding part of your job?  One of the most difficult, but rewarding responsibilities of this job is directing and coordinating the elections for the City of Douglas in order to ensure a fair, accurate and convenient voting experience for its citizens.

Facility Manager
Chandler Senior Center

Until five years ago, City of Chandler employee Nancy Jackson spent most of her time working with young people as a Recreation Coordinator at Snedigar Sportsplex in south Chandler. Today, she manages the Chandler’s Senior Center and works with the young at heart.

“I’ve always loved to be around seniors; this is where my heart is,” Jackson says smiling. A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation, Jackson, her staff and groups of volunteers spend each weekday making people feel welcome, appreciated and loved.

For many who come here, this is not their ‘second home’, this is their first home,” Jackson explained. “This is where they come to meet up with their friends, who they also call their ‘family’. They socialize. They talk in the morning over coffee. They read the newspaper and play games. Most will have lunch, and for some, this is their only hot meal of the day.”

Located in downtown near the Chandler Public Library, the Senior Center was built in 1986 and provides a broad range of recreational and social activities for seniors – including an onsite weekday meal – that enhances the social, emotional and recreational needs of participants.

“What we like to focus on is making meaningful connections,” says Jackson. “That’s what life is about; meaningful relationships. We help stimulate those relationships by offering games and activities and excursions so they can interact with each other and with staff. It’s all about living and experiencing life and being surrounded by people you love and care about.”

Jackson says most of the activities at the Center require no fee, and field trips and excursions can cost as little as $5. Outside agencies supplement some of the Center’s activities with services such as legal consultations, blood pressure screenings, peer counseling and wheelchair and walker repair.

A number of seniors volunteer their time to work at the Center, serving meals, wiping down tables, setting up rooms or taking out the trash and recyclables. Jackson’s two sons, 18-year-old D.J. and 15-year-old Brody, have even joined the volunteer staff and helped out at events.

“When we go out in the community to promote the Senior Center, we say ‘come one time and you’ll want to come back’,” Jackson exclaimed. “Once they get here and see the hustle and bustle and energy that’s in this building, they’ll want to come back.”

We love hearing the stories about the great men and women working in Arizona’s cities and towns!

Town of Queen Creek Park Ranger Ron Jones is just one of those exceptional individuals who is committed to delivering the best service and providing awesome quality of life for the residents of his community.

Ranger Ron is one of four park rangers in the town whose primary role is to patrol and be the eyes and ears of the town. They also serve as the direct link between residents and parks, interacting with the public, answering questions, and educating youth about parks programs. He has been with the town since 2004.

Read more about Ranger Ron and the many extraordinary individuals working in the Town of Queen Creek:  http://www.queencreek.org/Home/Components/News/News/10133/13?backlist=%2f

Three Arizona municipal clerks were recently recognized by the Arizona Municipal Clerks Association Executive Board for their dedication to their positions and their communities. In addition to awarding its annual Municipal Clerk of the Year Award, the Arizona Municipal Clerks Association (AMCA) awarded two new awards: Deputy Clerk of the Year Award and President’s Award of Distinction.

This year was the first year the Arizona Municipal Clerks Association (AMCA) awarded a Deputy Clerk of the Year Award. This inaugural award was given to Darcie McCracken, Glendale Deputy City Clerk. 

Darcie has been deputy city clerk for Glendale since 2004 and AMCA member since 2005. She received her Master Municipal Clerk in 2011 and is certified as an AMCA Municipal Election Official as well as a Certified Election Officer through the Secretary of State’s office.

Darcie graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from ASU in Administration of Justice and holds an associate’s degree in general studies.  She continued her education with certification as a Certified Public Manager and is currently taking classes through the ASU Management Leadership Institute.  So you can see that Darcie is a believer of lifelong learning.

Darcie has put forward incredible time and effort as a member of AMCA to promote the organization and the role of deputy clerk.  During her tenure on the AMCA Board, she served as Past-President for two terms to provide institutional knowledge and continuity for the Board; today she continues to be heavily involved in our organization and is currently chairing the newly formed Past-President’s Ad Hoc Committee, which is spear heading AMCA’s first strategic plan.

Darcie is a respected member of the AMCA organization and it shows in the level of leadership and commitment she has made throughout the years and continues to make as she frequently facilitates various AMCA training sessions. 

The recipient of the inaugural AMCA President’s Award of Distinction is Lisa Garcia, Florence Town Clerk and Deputy Town Manager.

Lisa has been a member of AMCA since 1995.  She was appointed the Florence Town Clerk in 1996 and as Deputy Town Manager in 2007, which added further duties and responsibilities to her already full work-load.

Lisa received her Master Municipal Clerk designation in 2006 and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration.  She served on the AMCA Board from 2009 until 2015.  During this period she served two years as AMCA President and then an additional year as Past President.  She implemented the process of holding an AMCA Board Retreat with Committee Chairs, which is still the practice.

Throughout her time as a clerk, Lisa has promoted the clerk profession and instilled in those around her a sense of pride in what we do.  Lisa has frequently said that it’s up to us to make those around us understand that being clerk is much more than being a secretary and just taking minutes at the meetings; Lisa lives by example and these ideals.  She has also served on many outside organizations and agencies with the goal of elevating the clerk’s profession and ensuring that the integrity of the position was recognized as more than a clerical position.

Lisa is a perfect example of a citizen who believes in the philosophy of making your community the best it can be and then doing the work to ensure that it is the best it can be.  She continues to work diligently to ensure that she is proficient in all areas of the clerk’s profession.  Over the years Lisa has continued to promote the clerks around her and this year she vigorously compiled the nomination packets that were sent to IIMC for two deserving Arizona clerks for consideration of the prestigious Quill Award.

Lisa continues to serve AMCA by working on committees and specifically for her work on the Past-President’s Ad-Hoc Committee, which was tasked with establishing a formal strategic plan.  She continues to present at training sessions and the Institute/Academy and does so with an easy conversationalist style and she is always willing to share information and considered a “go-to” person.

It’s Lisa’s longtime commitment to clerks and the clerk profession, her willingness to assist others, her ability to have a long-term vision, and her dedication to promoting and supporting other clerks is why she is deserving of this recognition as being the first to receive the AMCA President’s Award of Distinction.

The distiction of the annual 2016 AMCA Clerk of the Year was presented to Carrie Dyrek, Town Clerk for Cave Creek. 

Carrie began her career in 1990 as the deputy clerk/treasurer in DeForest, Wisconsin.  In 1994 she accepted the position of city clerk in Yuma, AZ, becoming the first “professional” city clerk that Yuma had hired in many years.  She worked diligently to professionalize the office and elevate the position from “secretary” to city clerk mentoring her staff not only on the technical aspects of the city clerk’s office but also on the soft skills, such as communications, which are vital to becoming successful leader.

Since Carrie became a member of AMCA in 1994, she has actively participated in events and training, to include board membership, committee membership, and presenting at workshops and training events.  Based on her past experience in Wisconsin, she worked with AMCA to re institute the annual summer conference as an opportunity for individuals to gain additional IIMC education points for CMC/MMC certification.  In 2001, she was elected to the AMCA Board and served as President during the 2003-04 year.  During her time on the AMCA Board, the Board strived to improve the organization, update its processes, streamline the workflow and get other members more involved in the organization.

Cave Creek Mayor Francia commented that, “Carrie is a professional, someone who is dedicated, knowledgeable, organized, an attentive listener, and one who possesses common sense problem solving and that he feels Carrie is a standard by which those embarking upon this profession would aspire.”

Cave Creek Town Manager Jankowski stated, “that while her knowledge of a town clerk’s duties and responsibilities is exceptional, it is her interaction with residents and staff that make her an ideal candidate for Clerk of the Year.  She oversees our elections, technology, and administrative staff in professional and friendly manner.  Most importantly, she is a servant of the citizens.”

Carrie currently serves as interim town manager at this time and she handles all of this without a deputy clerk or full-time assistant.  Carrie represents the office of the clerk with integrity, professionalism and yet manages to keep her office feeling open and inviting. Sometimes in government, you lose the welcoming aspect of an office and Carrie manages to balance it with grace and style.

JEFF BELL
Parks and Recreation Director
City of Apache Junction

There wasn’t a blade of grass in the name of Apache Junction Parks and Recreation, let alone a ball court or a piece of playground equipment. The city itself was still in its infancy – just a few employees, some trailers that doubled as offices and a used dump truck.

That is what Jeff Bell walked into at age 23. Three and a-half decades later, he can look back at having developed more than 2,000 acres of park and open space in a thriving operation that employs more than 100 full and part-time staff, has hundreds of volunteers and serves a community of tens of thousands, winning accolades from peers and citizens alike over the timespan.

The first Parks and Recreation director in city history retired earlier this year after 35 years of building a department from scratch.

“Jeff started with nothing and ended up with beautiful parks, a sparkling Multigenerational Center, and a tremendous staff to boot,” said Apache Junction Mayor John Insalaco. “It is nothing short of miraculous to see what Jeff has done since arriving in 1980.”

That year, a few weeks before Ronald Reagan would be elected president, Bell took the position of “community services coordinator” since there wasn’t a Parks department yet. Ground had just been broken on ball fields and tennis courts near Apache Junction High School. Bell began his job working with the school district to develop agreements for joint use facilities. That led to many projects, including the aquatic center at what has become Superstition Shadows Park.

Of course, Bell was destined for a career in recreation. Growing up in Casa Grande, he started volunteering with that city’s parks department before he was a teen-ager. He worked there through his school years and even after he went to Arizona State University, where he earned a degree in recreation management.

“For several years in our organization, Jeff was known as ‘Senor SOAR’ (Service Over and Above the Rest),” city manager Bryant Powell noted. “Jeff was our senior staff lead on this work. He embodied the idea. This was a several year assignment where Jeff took on extra duties to provide expertise to many city teams, helping them review and implement city staff customer service and process improvement projects.”

It started with Veterans Memorial Park on the city hall complex and now encompasses a system of parks, facilities and awards that rival any city. Bell oversaw the first programs, including a senior softball league that began right after he started to the comprehensive offerings of today. It was under Bell’s vision and leadership that Prospector Park was developed and, of course, the Multigenerational Center.

“Two things stick with me about Jeff,” said Klindt Breckenridge, president of Breckenridge Group, which designed the Multigenerational Center. “In designing the facility, Jeff brought up the idea of ‘connections’ – more than physical connections; but how the center would connect with all members of the Apache Junction community, seniors; young families; millennials; longtime residents and newcomers; fitness fans and leisure pursuits  – making the Multigenerational Center a welcoming place for everyone.”

Recreation Management magazine selected the center for its Innovative Architecture and Design Award in 2006 and Athletic Business subsequently featured the project in its publication.

But the list goes on – the Little League Park, Superstition Shadows Park and Aquatics Center which includes the skate park, Silly Mountain Park, and the Focal Point, all came to be over his time. Remarkably, Bell worked with the school district and the federal Bureau of Land Management to acquire the trails and open space, some of which became developed parks.

The agreement with the Bureau of Land Management led to what is now Prospector Park and the Rodeo Grounds, the Sheep Drive Trail (city multi-use trail) which extends for more than eight miles as well as the trails up Silly Mountain. The last 35 years also have included community partners, like the Superstition Area Land Trust and the Association for the Development of a Better Environment.

Acknowledgements abound over the years, from the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association and others. In 2004, the state association named Superstition Shadows Park the “Outstanding Facility for a community with a population under 60,000,” and the Arizona Department of Commerce and the Governor’s Office gave Parks an award for “Excellence in Rural Development” for Superstition Shadows Park.

In 2008, the Phoenix New Times honored Lost Dutchman Days with their award for “Best Place to See a Homegrown Rodeo.”

Bell also built a staff that is the envy of the region. Many have been acknowledged by the city and the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association. One of his protégés, Liz Langenbach, became the second Parks director in city history after Bell’s retirement.

Bell’s efforts continued right up to early this year in initial plans for the first downtown park, off North Apache Trail. The grass hasn’t even been planted yet – much like how Bell arrived in Apache Junction more than 35 years ago.

This week is the 47^th Annual Municipal Clerks Week!

Municipal Clerks Week is a week-long event aimed at increasing the public’s awareness of municipal clerks and the vital services they provide for local government and the community.

City or town clerks have a variety of functions, including preparing agendas, taking minutes, maintaining ordinance and resolution files, keeping the city or town’s historical records, and processing permits. In addition to keeping records and maintaining the city’s documents, a clerk is responsible for administering local elections.

Municipal and Deputy Clerks’ main function is to serve as the council’s foundation. Other duties include, but are not limited to, preparing agendas, taking minutes, maintaining ordinance and resolutions files, keeping the municipality’s historical records, processing permits and serving as the clearinghouse for information about the local government. They also record the actions of the various commissions and committees appointed by the council. Many serve as financial officers or treasurers, and in small municipalities, may act as chief administrative officers. Another important responsibility is administering part or all of the local election functions.

Thank you, Arizona city and town clerks, for all that you do. You are some of the many reasons why Arizona Cities and Towns work!

“It’s been a pretty amazing year,” Todd Taylor, a principal traffic engineer in the city’s Transportation Department said.

Many would consider Todd’s statement amazing in itself, considering the trials he’s faced in the past two years. The positive remark is testament to an inner strength that has taken Todd all the way to the windy slopes of Winter Park, Colorado, and a dream of qualifying for the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing National Team.

In early 2014, Todd was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, or R.P. His condition progressed quickly and while Todd has some central vision, he has little to no peripheral vision, making him legally blind.

Todd took to the task of learning his new normal with the assistance of adaptive training and quickly learned how to do things like check emails, use his smartphone and travel to and from the office without driving.

“To lose your mobility, it’s life-changing,” Todd said. “But you have to keep going.”

So when a friend told Todd, an avid recreational skier and former Deer Valley Ski Patrol member, about an opportunity to reconnect with skiing through the Foresight Ski Guide Program in Vail, Colorado, Todd didn’t hesitate.

The program, which allows the visually-impaired to ski with the aid of a guide, was what Todd described as an “immediate form of cheap therapy.”

“It was liberating to feel that rush of wind against my face and my heart thumping in my chest,” Todd said. “There’s a lot of trust involved, knowing someone is watching out for you. My guide had to tell me, ‘Stop trying to see – just ski.’”

Todd also discovered he was fast. Skiing with Foresight triggered his desire to pursue his dream of ski racing in the Paralympics.

The first step – Todd had to become classified as a visually-impaired skier by the International Paralympic Committee. This required a trip last November to British Colombia, where Todd was examined and certified by the committee’s doctors.

Now, Todd has been invited to train as part of a Paralympic Development Program at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park and participate in racing events to qualify for the National Team.

A new challenge for Todd and his family has been funding the expense. Alpine ski racing is costly due to specialized equipment, travel, training and race fees. As a visually-impaired athlete, Todd’s expenses dramatically increase because he must also pay for his guide and the guide’s expenses while he trains and competes.

But while the experience has not been without challenges, it’s a journey Todd is grateful for.

Sponsors, friends and family have helped with equipment and donations. Todd is thankful for the support and hopes to build on it, since it may take a few years of training and racing to make the National team.

He’s also in good company as part of the National Sports Center’s Paralympic Development Program, where he trains among an elite group of athletes with visual impairments, amputations, cerebral palsy and other physical challenges.

“It’s inspiring to hear other’s stories and to watch these athletes,” Todd said. “And I’ve had the opportunity to train with athletes from South Africa, Australia, Japan and other international teams.”

It was through the development program that Todd met Nick Manely – another disabled Alpine ski racer who now doubles as Todd’s guide.

As Todd shares his story, he recounts what defined his amazing year thus far:

The entire family – wife Nikki, sons Mack, 11, Brody, 9 and daughter Kate, 5 – learned how to ski.

He found a guide.

He improved his technical skiing – humbled by a few nasty wrecks and some direct coaching.

When he returned from his first competitive race, discouraged that he didn’t finish as well as hoped, Mack was there to put his accomplishment in perspective – excitedly greeting him at the airport and telling him he was proud that his dad had finished.

They’re amazing moments Todd holds tight to, as he looks ahead and continues his dream.

If you’re interested in supporting or learning more about Todd’s ski racing journey, visit http://tiny.cc/toddtaylor.

Story by Holly Walter, public information officer, City of Scottsdale