BISBEE — With no one running against them, three current councilmen will retain their seats. They are Ward 1 appointed councilmen Ken Budge and Boyd Nicholl and Ward 3 councilman Bennie Scott.

As explained by City Clerk Sharyl Honstein, the six-member council are all elected for four year terms. The mayor is elected for two years. What makes it confusing is the appointees that filled the seats of two resigning council members.

Maynard Kreps resigned last December with a year still left in his term. Budge was appointed to the remaining term of Kreps. Budge is seeking the Ward 1 seat with a term of four years, she said.

Jack Porter resigned in April and Boyd Nicholl was appointed to fill his remaining term of about two years. Nicholl is now seeking election for the short term of two years, she added.

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Only incumbent Luche Giacomino, Ward 2 councilwoman, is facing a challenge by Jeff Harris for the seat she has held for the past eight years.

She is a strong advocate for Bisbee’s youth and serves as the council liaison to the Bisbee Youth Council.

She also is an active volunteer for school sports and recreation activities.

“The city of Bisbee has evolved to a great extent since the year 2000. We now have programs for our children to enjoy during the summer and more on the back burner,” Giacomino said.

“We have completed the great hurdle of the sewer project, the Saginaw project and the usage of our excellent wastewater effluent by the golf course. We are at the start of the Arizona Street project, in the throes of the Bakersville drainage project and are holding our breath in the hopes the Main Street Sidewalk project will be completed this year. There are too many projects to mention them all.

“I think for a town of our population, we have accomplished extraordinary feats that most towns would envy.”

Giacomino believes that development will come to Bisbee via San Jose, but wants to manage it cautiously.

“If you build a thousand homes, they will not necessarily come, and you may end up with nothing,” she added. “I think that green building in this day and age should apply to all construction whether it’s residential or commercial.”

Harris, who served on the Bisbee Planning and Zoning Commission for 18 years and ran for a council seat, but lost a few years ago, believes that growth should come in the form of “in-fill development” one home at a time “by homeowners who have a stake in this community and who are likely to respect existing customs and culture.” He also sees water conservation as a must in the high desert.

Harris continued, “it is my belief that multi-unit development should only be permitted if it can be amply shown that such development will not only benefit the entire community, but also that it will not in any way disadvantage existing residents.

“I am worried that existing safeguards will not be sufficient to ensure that developers will pay their fair share and thus I also worry that — as the result of avoidable negligence — taxpayers will end up being made to subsidize large-scale development.

“I am particularly disappointed that despite years of what have amounted to empty promises, the city has still has not put in place the much needed development impact fees.”      

Scott had this to say abut development, “The development of San jose will happen in time. Myself, I feel that we are not ready for matchbook housing or cluster homes. Single-family dwellings at least 30 feet apart is okay. Naco Highway and Highway 92 have space for some retail businesses. Another grocery store would be nice.”

It is a feeling held by Budge and Nicholl.

“I am sure some building up of the city is fine; look at how well the Design Review Board has done with the Historic District without overrunning the place,” noted Nicholl. “Development in San Jose must comply with water use conservation and reduction of carbon footprint. We must also consider owners’ property rights, but need to look at wildlife corridors, traffic and pedestrian safety, residential density, sight lines and open spaces.”

Budge said, “Both development and mining are very much looming in Bisbee’s future. To handle either one, the city needs plans in place.”

He does not want to “play catch-up” and believes the city should be aggressive in requirements to reduce impacts to current residents.

“Both these issues can be a plus if this growth is done in a responsible manner that requires the developers and mining companies to not just meet, but to succeed all environmental regulations, growth impact requirements, and health and safety laws,” he explained.  

“I see the city staff working on these issues and I will continue to push for more emphasis in getting them in place and will require that the city have a plan in place before any major development is allowed to start,” he said. “As for mining, the city must have a seat at the table on an equal basis with the county, as the city of Bisbee will be impacted the most, once mining is resumed. “

Honstein emphasized that the potential for write-in candidates still existed as they have until July 25 to file. She also said that Peter Gardner’s name would be on the ballot for the Ward 1 short term seat since he had not officially told her he was dropping out of the race for Nicholl’s seat.

So far, there are a total of 4,442 registered voters in the city of Bisbee, according to the recorder’s office. There are 3,794 are active voters and 648 are inactive, according to current roles.

Honstein indicated that the number of ballots needed for the coming election must be 10 percent more than is necessary in accordance with Arizona statutes.

Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.

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Ken Budge

Bisbee City Council Ward 1 Full term, unopposed

BIOGRAPHY

• Age: 58

• How long have you lived in BIsbee/ARIZONA: Owned home in 1995, moved to Bisbee full-time in 2004

• Education/military: 1974 was hired as a firefighter by the Salt Lake County Fire Department, became an EMT and in 1976 went on to Weber State College to become a licensed paramedic in the state of Utah. Continued to work as a firefighter/paramedic and after attending night school at Utah Valley State College and graduating with a degree in fire science administration, was promoted to the rank of captain in 1994. I retired in September 2000.

• Marital status: For 30 years to Mary Alice, a retired schoolteacher.

• Community affiliations: Served as the chairman of the Bisbee Police and Fire Advisory Committee and a member of the Bisbee Design and Review Board; president and board member of Save Our Stairs.

• Previous offices held: 1990, ran for the Utah State Legislature, House of Representatives; lobbyist for the Professional Firefighters of Utah at the Legislature; appointed to the Utah State Retirement System Membership Council and served as chairman.

Q&A

What qualifies you for the council seat?

My desire is to serve all the residents of Bisbee. It is only through serving that one can truly feel he or she is giving back to their community what it has given them. I was blessed with a profession that was based on making a contribution by serving my community. My hope is to continue to serve, utilizing a team effort to facilitate reaching the best options for our wonderful city of Bisbee and all who live, work and visit here.

Bisbee residents complain frequently about the city streets, sidewalks and stairs. What would be your plan of action to get the needed repairs done?

I have suggested creating the Top 20 lists. These lists would be the priority projects for the Public Works Department. The public could see these lists so that they could see where their street, sidewalk or stair repair falls on these lists. You as a taxpayer could drive or walk to see these needed projects and compare them with your own street etc. As the budget will allow and other funding becomes available these projects will be done and the other projects will move up and more will be added. These lists will be prioritized by the council from public input and with the help of staff. They would be updated in groups of 10 or more after the list falls below 10.

The City Council voted to join in the Mayor’s Climate Agreement. Do you the think the current administration has taken that commitment seriously? How would you get the city more involved in living up to that agreement?

I support the climate agreement.

Things that have been done: New water conservation ordinance was added to the zoning code that will foster appropriate planning for new development, improve water conservation and provide support for educational and demonstration programs to assist in the reduction of water use.

The city had an assessment done on utility costs and has started to replace old, inefficient lights and taken other measures to conserve. The city’s treated effluent will be used to water the Turquoise Valley Golf Course. The golf course uses groundwater for irrigation and water features. This project will decrease groundwater use by approximately 530 acre-feet annually. The annual reduction in groundwater pumping is expected to have a positive impact on the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. The city has waved fees on building permits for solar projects; requested earmarked federal funds for a solar electric for City Hall; and put into force a no vehicle idling policy where possible. Can the city do more? Yes, it can and should do more. I would support additional conservation projects and budgeting city money for The Water Wise program, to help educate the public on how each of us can do our part.

Making Old Bisbee more handicap-friendly was once a goal. Now that seems to have been dropped. What will you do to create handicap-accessible features, like ramps, in the city?

I do not think that the idea of making Old Bisbee more handicap-friendly has been dropped. This summer the main street sidewalk project will be started. This should help in many areas of the business district. The idea is still there, but we need to refocus our efforts to obtain funding for these types of needed improvements. The Committee on Disability Issues has been a great help and I am sure will continue to help us prioritize these needs.

The lack of adequate law enforcement in the city has been perceived by residents as a problem. Do you believe Bisbee has a crime problem? Do you believe the police department is doing enough? What steps would you take to provide better police protection for residents and action against those who commit crimes?

I do not believe we have a lack of law enforcement. On a national level we have about the average officer to public ratio. We are much better off having our own police force that is responsive to us. I would like to see more community policing and as calls allow, I believe we are moving in that direction. Our crime here is of a less serious nature than other cities around us. I, for the most part, feel it is still too much petty crime and would like to see some public pressure brought to bear on the County Attorney’s Office to prosecute more of the cases that our officers could bring to them. When I was on the Police and Fire Advisory Committee, I often heard complaints about the police force being too aggressive and not giving people a break. It is a fine line one walks when enforcing the laws, and civil rights must be honored along with keeping the public safe. Border issues seem to take up too much of our officers’ time and daily duties. I will push for more time and effort directed toward our city’s needs and let the feds handle the border.

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Audrey “Luche” Giacomino

Bisbee City Council Ward 2 Incumbent

BIOGRAPHY

• Age: 70

• How long have you lived in BIsbee/Arizona: Lifelong resident.

• Education/military: Some college, also classes in corporate accounting, data processing, computer programming, personnel management.

• Employment history: Cochise County Clerk’s Office, courtroom clerk, purchasing department and contract writer with Phelps Dodge, several positions with Southwest Gas Corp. Now retired.

• Marital status: 53 years with Charles.

• Community affiliations:Rebuilding Bisbee, Cochise County Adult Handicapped Association supporter, Bisbee High School Alumni Association, board of directors of the Bisbee Boys & Girls Club, school board member, fundraiser for the Bisbee High School Girls Volleyball Club, fundraiser for the Bisbee Skate Park and Bisbee Municipal Pool. Volunteer for school-sponsored youth athletic events.

• Previous offices held: City Council member since 2000; Parks and Recreation board, cemetery committee, Bisbee Skate Park committee, Youth Council and elected member of the Bisbee Unified School District Governing Board

Q&A

What qualifies you for the council seat?

I have a vested interest in the city of Bisbee. My husband is a lifelong resident of Bisbee, as I am. Both of our children were born here, as were our grandchildren. We, as a family, have been in Bisbee for five generations.

I have seen Bisbee in its boom times and seen the transition of Bisbee to what it is today. I have lived in all three wards of Bisbee and have an overall feel for the whole town, not just one section.

I believe I have enough common sense to evaluate the council agenda package and make a solid decision for the betterment of Bisbee. I have no hidden agendas and no axes to grind.

Bisbee residents complain frequently about the city streets, sidewalks and stairs. What would be your plan of action to get the needed repairs done?

We need to make use of grants and funnel more money into our capital improvements account, plan a course of action and proceed with the much needed street repairs first.

No grand plans for scenery and plazas, just street paving, whether chip seal or blacktop.

We need to utilize the intergovernmental agreement with the county.

I have lived in Warren for 52 years and to my knowledge no paving has been done on the east side of Warren in that period.

The Main Street Project needs to be goosed into becoming a reality. The grant is in and has been for years. We need to make this a priority.

Repair on the stairs is important as they are a roadway for some people in order to get to their homes. We need to implement a program for their upkeep.

The City Council voted to join in the Mayor’s Climate Agreement. Do you the think the current administration has taken that commitment seriously? How would you get the city more involved in living up to that agreement?

We are in the process of upgrading our electric, water and gas usage on all city properties. However, we need to implement a plan of “where, what, and when” because of the extensive properties the city holds. Due to the extensive properties, we will need an extensive amount of money. We have a recycling program in the city that is successful and growing due to the participation of a large number of our citizens.

Making Old Bisbee more handicap-friendly was once a goal. Now that seems to have been dropped. What will you do to create handicap-accessible features, like ramps, in the city?

I agree that we need more handicapped ramps, not just in Old Bisbee, but in the whole Bisbee area.

Main Street is in sore need of these ramps. However, with the narrow street, it is a challenge to get the correct grade for the middle of the street cuts. With the Main Street project getting ready to start, hopefully the engineers can figure out a way to get them in. The Warren and San Jose districts are also in sore need of handicap-accessible features.

The lack of adequate law enforcement in the city has been perceived by residents as a problem. Do you believe Bisbee has a crime problem? Do you believe the police department is doing enough? What steps would you take to provide better police protection for residents and action against those who commit crimes?

I do believe the city has a crime problem. The police need to patrol our streets and alleys to deter graffiti, larceny, breaking and entering, burglary, vandalism and the destruction of public and personal property.

They need to enforce the 10 p.m. curfew and get our teenagers off the streets late at night. When an incident occurs, a police report should be generated that contains an extensive explanation of the incident along with an extensive explanation of the steps that were and are being taken to correct the situation so that prosecution can occur if needed.

The police need to be on our streets doing traffic control, making arrests and protect and serve the public living within our city limits.

I think our police officers need procedural training to make it possible to prosecute the lawbreakers they apprehend.

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Jeff Harris

Bisbee City Council Ward 2 candidate

BIOGRAPHY

• Age: 55

• How long have you lived in BIsbee/ARIZONA: 26 years

• Education/military: Honors graduate from the University of Oklahoma: bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering, master’s degree in environmental engineering; nuclear medicine science officer in the U.S. Army.

• Employment history: Computer network administrator; author of Spanish version of internationally distributed software program; project manager for installation and implementation of Computerized Navigational System on Fort Irwin; accountant for a major U.S. petroleum company.

• Community affiliations: None.

• Previous offices held: Bisbee Planning and Zoning Commission member, 1990-2008; precinct committeeman

Q&A

What qualifies you for the council seat?

In addition to being a homeowner in Warren for the last 26 years, I bring to the table a number of potentially useful skills which would assist me in the council’s critical tasks of providing effective oversight and setting responsible public policy.

I am trained as an engineer, which could prove invaluable in evaluating public works projects. I served on the Bisbee Planning and Zoning Commission for the last 18 years, perhaps longer than anyone else in Bisbee’s history. I have even worked as an accountant and would thus be familiar with the budgetary process.

In addition, as a petition circulator, a petition signer and a defender in court of the fundamental right to petition, I have actively participated in the legislative process.

Bisbee residents complain frequently about the city streets, sidewalks and stairs. What would be your plan of action to get the needed repairs done?

Not unlike in years past, this fiscal year the city of Bisbee was to receive roughly $600,000 in HURF monies specifically earmarked to be used on highways and streets. Inexcusably, only a very small portion of these funds has in fact been going into the paving of streets. I propose the city stop frittering away these dedicated HURF monies in overhead costs and instead use them to pave our streets so very desperately in need of repair.

To this end, I propose Bisbee look for guidance to some of our neighboring cities and towns that have used such funds much more wisely than have we. The city of Bisbee should contract out the bulk of the actual paving in order to benefit from economies of scale, whether we accomplished this through contracts with private firms or through intergovernmental agreements with the county.

The City Council voted to join in the Mayor’s Climate Agreement. Do you the think the current administration has taken that commitment seriously? How would you get the city more involved in living up to that agreement?

I have seen little evidence that the city has followed up its commitment with action. An efficient means of getting the city involved in living up to this agreement would be to have a city engineer on staff — as required by city code — who would then be able to propose less wasteful and more environmentally friendly means of running the city and providing services.

Making Old Bisbee more handicap-friendly was once a goal. Now that seems to have been dropped. What will you do to create handicap-accessible features, like ramps, in the city?

To the extent that HURF monies will legally allow, I would use a portion of these earmarked funds to help eliminate any unreasonable barrier to access that our transportation infrastructure may now contain. After all, it only makes good sense to ensure that our town is accessible to all including those with physical disabilities — not only to our own residents, but to tourists with dollars to spend.

The lack of adequate law enforcement in the city has been perceived by residents as a problem. Do you believe Bisbee has a crime problem? Do you believe the police department is doing enough? What steps would you take to provide better police protection for residents and action against those who commit crimes?

Perhaps because I have lived in a peaceful Warren neighborhood all these years, I have not viewed the threat of crime as a significant problem in Bisbee. However, I do indeed recognize there are areas of town in which crime is increasingly becoming a concern. In this regard, I will ask the Bisbee Police Department to spend much less time outside the city limits dealing with illegal aliens and their vehicles, and instead focus almost exclusively on providing the community of Bisbee with the necessary police protection and related services.

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Boyd Nicholl

Bisbee City Council  Ward 1 Incumbent

2-year term

BIOGRAPHY

• Age: 63

• How long have you lived in BIsbee/Arizona: 30 years

• Education/military: Graduated high school, four years of college.

• Employment history: Photographer with Arizona Daily Star; Tucson Museum School; photo curator at the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum; guide for Lavender Jeep Tours.

• Marital status/Family: Married for 33 years to Laurie Kintzele and has a grown daughter who is now an environmental engineer.

• Community affiliations: Past president of the Bisbee Chamber of Commerce; chairman of the Bisbee Design Review Board and has served on that committee for six years; former Kiwanian; chairman of the Rebuilding Together Bisbee/Naco project; curator of the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum; Charter Review Committee; helps with the Fourth of July Celebration and Brewery Gulch Daze.

• Previous offices held: Recently appointed to the Ward 1 council seat.

Q&A

What qualifies you for the council seat?

I feel my long community service work and my abiding affection for Bisbee and its people qualifies me quite adequately.

Bisbee residents complain frequently about the city streets, sidewalks and stairs. What would be your plan of action to get the needed repairs done?

Budget priorities must reflect the desires of the people of Bisbee and repair of the streets is a long-standing desire. I like the idea of creating a priority list of streets with the worst on top, so that as money becomes available, those would be fixed first.

Unfortunately, street repair is extremely costly in today’s economy as witnessed by the over $2 million price tag for redoing Arizona Street, which, by the way, will begin soon. I would seek grants.

The City Council voted to join in the Mayor’s Climate Agreement. Do you the think the current administration has taken that commitment seriously? How would you get the city more involved in living up to that agreement?

The climate agreement is a recent agreement and not much time has passed, but I am sure we can do more to decrease our carbon footprint. I will be focusing on energy and water conservation as policies. Attention to meeting the goals of the Mayor’s Climate Agreement must be carried out in all aspects of city business in an effort to conserve vital resources. Attention to reducing carbon footprints and increasing energy efficiency and water conservation by all departments should be considered with all issues before the council.

Making Old Bisbee more handicap-friendly was once a goal. Now that seems to have been dropped. What will you do to create handicap-accessible features, like ramps, in the city?

Actually, handicapped accessibility has not been dropped. Construction of ramps and walkways will begin on Main Street this September. Also, the Bisbee Committee on Disability Issues is active and presenting ideas to the council. These are issues I will push to see that we bring them to fruition.

The lack of adequate law enforcement in the city has been perceived by residents as a problem. Do you believe Bisbee has a crime problem? Do you believe the police department is doing enough? What steps would you take to provide better police protection for residents and action against those who commit crimes?

Our crime problem is no worse than other communities in the country. The type of crime we have creates disorder and public discomfort. Our police need to maintain law and order. Much of the crime is drug-related burglaries, domestic violence, graffiti and assaults. All contribute to public discomfort.

I would ask the police chief to enact community policing to return our officers to the streets so they may have a real dialogue with the Bisbee citizens. I would also encourage that we use all police tactics to improve the sense of safety to our community.

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Bennie Earl Scott

Bisbee City Council Incumbent Ward 3

BIOGRAPHY

• Age: 70

• How long have you lived in BIsbee/Arizona: 69 years

• Education/military: Graduated high school, two years of college, certified as a police officer with the Bisbee Police Department.

• Employment history: 17 years with Phelps Dodge Mining Co. and 27 with Bisbee Police Department.

• Marital status/Family: Married for 39 years to Florence. Has seven grown children.

• Community affiliations: None.

• Previous offices held: Ward 3 city councilman for the past 4 1/2 years.

Q&A

What qualifies you for the council seat?

I have lived in Bisbee all my life. For 27 years I worked as an officer for the Bisbee Police Department. At that time, I became aware of the operation of city government.

Bisbee residents complain frequently about the city streets, sidewalks and stairs. What would be your plan of action to get the needed repairs done?

In reference to the streets, I don’t believe in the band-aid approach. I do like utilizing state funds when available and Arizona Street will be done soon though such funds. Main Street will soon have new sidewalks also. Money left over from last year will go to other street repairs.

When money is allocated for street or sidewalk repairs, the cost also has to include labor as well as materials.

The City Council voted to join in the Mayor’s Climate Agreement. Do you the think the current administration has taken that commitment seriously? How would you get the city more involved in living up to that agreement?

At present, the city of Bisbee is starting to take steps in saving energy by the changing of light bulbs, by recycling and we’re looking at solar panels for city hall. At the present, the city of Bisbee is ahead of other cities, but this question was geared for a different answer. My reply is I would not sacrifice a life to save a gallon of gas.

Making Old Bisbee more handicap-friendly was once a goal. Now that seems to have been dropped. What will you do to create handicap-accessible features, like ramps, in the city?

I don’t believe the goal of making Old Bisbee handicapped-friendly has been dropped. The Main Street project will include ramps in the new sidewalk. But, as always, Old Bisbee is the concern. Warren and San Jose are always last.

The lack of adequate law enforcement in the city has been perceived by residents as a problem. Do you believe Bisbee has a crime problem? Do you believe the police department is doing enough? What steps would you take to provide better police protection for residents and action against those who commit crimes?

I do not believe we have a crime problem. Populationwise, we are no different than other cities. I believe our police department is doing the best they can.

One must remember, and I am sure all who complain remember the city layoffs when the mines closed. All departments over the past few years have regained their full personnel capacity, except the police department.

Six more officers are needed which would put an officer in every ward 24 hours a day.

Each police unit needs to be state-of-the-art and should be equipped with an onboard computer. This hastens record checks on people, vehicles and stolen property.

As far as action against those who commit crimes, the public has to get involved, especially on misdemeanors.

If you see it, report it, identify and testify. Plus, we need a county attorney willing to prosecute.