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).
