Maynes: Hugh's local view better than Conchas' global awareness

Ian Hugh has a challenger for City Council in the Cactus District here in Glendale, Jose “Lupe” Conchas. What are the duties of a city council person?

The council is supposed to do things like adopt traffic regulations, govern city finances, and trash collection. Also, it is to take responsibility for parks and recreation services, police and fire departments, local housing services, local transportation, and public works - i.e. streets, signage, sewers, etc.

Now Mr. Conchas is running for the Glendale City Council claims his skills are “community organizing,” “leadership management,” “innovative problem solving,” and “community partnership development.”

I’m a simple Glendale guy. I’ve had family here in Glendale since about 1918. What do these “skills” even mean?

Then Mr. Conchas goes on saying he supports "global awareness," and “he is committed to addressing basic human needs on a ‘global scale,’ with a focus on poverty, disease, and justice.”

It was brought to my attention that Mr. Conchas signed up for the Glendale University program, which is a free program sponsored by Arizona State University that offers a behind-the-scenes look at how city government works. He never showed up, and he did not graduate.

Being on the Glendale City Council is not a glamorous job.

When there’s a pot hole, or the sewage drain is backing up, or there’s too much litter on a particular street, or your house was missed on your once a week trash pickup, or your house is on fire, the last thing you want is someone that preaches “global awareness.”