13 beautiful ponds around Tucson will be highlighted at the Southern Arizona Koi Association’s Parade of Ponds on May 1 and 2. Only $5 to see all of them (and children under 12 are free with paid adult). The event runs 9 to 5 p.m. both days, so there’s lots of time to see koi in the ponds.

Southern Arizona Koi Association, Inc. logo

By the way, koi are colorful ornamental fish, otherwise known as Japanese carp.

6 ponds will be open on Saturday and 6 on Sunday with one pond open both days. It is a self-guided tour, so you can see one or all of the ponds. Each ticket is also an entry in our prize drawing for some nice pond books and a subscription to Koi USA Magazine. There is also a koi trivia game to play along the way, to learn something new about koi which makes a great “day trip” for the whole family.

“Tucson has had an active Koi Club for over 30 years. Two Associated Koi Clubs of America certified Koi Judges and two trained Koi Health Advisors (like Koi Doctors) are members and live here in Southern Arizona”, according to Jeanmarie Schiller-McGinnis, Pond Tour Committee chair.

More information: www.sakoi.org, tucsonpondtour@yahoo.com, 520-628-0381.

Tickets available at Magic Gardens Nursery, Mesquite Valley Growers, Harlow’s, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Green Things, Pond Plants & More, Rillito Nursery, Sheldon’s Nursery, Civano Nursery, Tohono Chul Park, Mountain View Koi (Hereford, AZ).

So if you’re passionate about these lovely koi fish (and I knew many back home in Hawaii who were and probably still are, as koi can live to 200 years), get your tickets and visit these lovely ponds.

The Southern Arizona Koi Association is also having their 31st Annual Pond Show coming up on November 13 & 14, 2010, so mark your calendars now.

Enjoy koi!

Parade of Ponds flyer

Ten of the eleven applicants for the Council Ward 2 seat are scheduled to address the Mayor/Council tonight in their attempt to be appointed to this vacancy. 2 women and 9 men are seeking the appointment by the Mayor/Council who will choose the successor to Dr. Rodney Glassman at their May 4 meeting.

If you have anything you wish the Council to know about these applicants send an email to cityclerk@tucsonaz.gov, or call your Councilmember or the Mayor.

Their cover letters and resumes are on the City Clerk’s website (click here), and here are brief summaries:

–Keith Barnes, Deputy with Pima County Sheriff’s Dept., B.S. in Business Administration & Management from U. of Phoenix, U.S. Air Force veteran, Democrat

–Judith Clinco, R.N., Founder/President of Care Giver Training Institute & Owner/President & CEO of Catalina In-Home Services, Inc., B.S. degree in Health Care Administration from St. Francis College (NY), A.A. in Applied Science (Nursing), Orange County Community College
(NY), former President of Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood Assn., Democrat

– Paul Arthur Cunningham, Juvenile Probation Officer for Pima County, U.S. Army National Guard, M.S.W. from ASU, B.A. in History from U of A, President of El Gheko Neighborhood Association, Democrat

–Kestutis J. (Kasey) Eidukonis, Career Technical Education Teacher at Tanque Verde HS, U.S. Army veteran & Reserves officer, B.S. in Russian History from U. of Illinois, No party affiliation

–Michael J. Fox, retired Journalism & Language Arts teacher at Santa Rita HS, M.A. in Social Studies (no college institution listed), Independent, (no relation to the famous actor with same name)

–Richard K. (Rick) Grinnell, Founder/Registered lobbyist for Smart United Business Strategies, Inc. and President/Registered lobbyist for Rick Grinnell Business & Marketing Consulting, B.S. in Business Management from U. of Phoenix, U.S. Navy veteran, candidate for Ward 2 Council seat in 1995 and 1999, Republican

– Dr. Richard Livingood, Process Improvement/Project Mgr. & Information Security Officer for Vantage West Credit Union, adjunct professor/instructor of Computer Information Systems, Ph.D. from Capella University (MN), M.A. in Counseling from Liberty University (VA), B.S. in Business Adm.from Bob Jones University (SC), Republican

–Ken Morgan, Owner/Partner of DLM Associates LLC, a renewable energy consulting firm, Republican

–Lori Oien, Small Business Co-owner of general contracting company J Oien Ventures, Inc. (with her husband), President of Bear Canyon Neighborhood Assn., attended U of A, Interior Design (no degree), candidate for Ward 2 Council seat in 2007, Republican

–Dr.William J. Polson, retired dentist, U.S. Army veteran, D.D.S. from Loyola University, Chicago College of Dental Surgery, B.A. from U of A, Republican

–Kenneth L. Van Zandt, retired Acting Station Captain of Tucson Fire Dept., Arizona Air National Guard, Owner of Arizona Territorial Termite & Pest Control, Democrat

Political party affiliation is listed if provided by the candidate or known to the public. It is not necessarily a factor in choosing the Council replacement for the unexpired term (to December, 2011), but there are four Democrats and one Republican on the Council, and the Mayor is also Republican.

5 minute presentations by each applicant will be given at the Tucson City Council meeting, followed by questions & answers. Judith Clinco had a scheduling conflict and has already given her presentation to the Council.

This is a diverse array of applicants: a professor, a fireman, a deputy sheriff, a probation officer, a dentist, a nurse, a lobbyist, two high school teachers, a businessman & a businesswoman. Three applicants (Judith Clinco, Paul Cunningham, & Lori Oien) are or have been Presidents of their neighborhood associations. (See Ward 2 map here which shows these neighborhood association boundaries). These applicants are indeed a reflection of the community in Tucson’s ward 2.

One should consider what is the job description of a City Councilmember and what job qualifications would make a person an effective public servant. Having reviewed resumes like this & hired people in my past, I think it will be interesting to see these applicants in person to gauge their speaking abilities and demeanor.

Come on down to the City Hall Chambers (255 W. Alameda St.) to hear these 10 applicants tell the Mayor/Council why they want to serve alongside them. The Council meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. but these presentations are item #9. (see link here to the regular agenda).

Note: Azbiz.com (Inside Tucson Business) has been running an online Reader’s poll to vote for your favorite of these applicants: http://www.azbiz.com/. Businessman Rick Grinnell has been receiving the most votes (29% so far).

Someone asked me about the college educational levels of the Mayor & five current City Council members, so here’s the results of my research:

Mayor Bob Walkup: B.S. from Iowa State, in Industrial Engineering

Ward 1 Regina Romero: B.A. from U of A in Communication

Ward 2 vacant *

Ward 3 Karin Uhlich: B.A. from Michigan State in Social work

Ward 4 Shirley Scott: M.A. from U. of Cincinnati (Germanic Languages & Literature), B.A. from Drew University (NJ) in German

Ward 5 Richard Fimbres: M.A. from Northern Arizona University (Educational Leadership), B.S. from U of A (Public Administration), two A.A. degrees from Pima Community College (Law Enforcement, Corrections)

Ward 6 Steve Kozachik: M.Ed from U of A (Higher Education Management), B.A. from U of A (Public Administration)

These may be useful degrees to fulfill their jobs on the City Council, especially new Councilmembers Fimbres’ and Kozachik’s degrees in public administration. I didn’t realize that three on the Council have their Master’s degrees as well.

For more background information about these City of Tucson politicians, log onto www.cityoftucson.org, link is “Government”, then “Mayor & Council“.

* 5/4/10 Update: Ward 2 Paul Cunningham: M.S.W. from ASU, B.A. from U of A in History