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District 5

Letters: Hastings brings many concerns to Council race

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As a resident who loves Surprise, it is good to see the city moving in the right direction. Political volatility is high and trust in public officials is low.

The upcoming City Council election is especially critical. This election has the potential to change the direction of Surprise. One of the candidates, Jack Hastings, presents several reasons that are concerning to me.

Jack has a lack of understanding regarding the role of City Council. He has focused on education reform as part of his platform. However, education is not under the purview of city government. It is controlled by the school board, and at the state and federal levels.

He also stated he will bring high-paying jobs to Surprise. He has been critical of the current mayor and City Council for not doing this. It is the Economic Development team’s responsibility to attract companies to Surprise. The mayor and City Council set policy that helps the Economic Development team attract more jobs. As an educator, he has no experience in economic development anyway. 

Jack has also been quick to take credit for the work of others, in lieu of actual leadership. For example, he has touted the repair of streetlights in the Kingswood Parke community as an accomplishment. However, the actual budget adjustments, and repair of the lights was spearheaded by Councilman David Sanders and city staff. The credit does not simply go to the first person to post on social media, like Jack did.

He was removed from the Arts and Cultural Advisory Commission by the mayor and three councilmembers for not meeting his responsibilities as a commissioner.

Jack has been critical of the age-restricted community under construction along Greenway Road. Jack stated that younger people need to be voted onto City Council to avoid future projects like this. This criticism reveals a lack of understanding of the power of city government and zoning regulations. This land has been zoned this way since 2001 and is privately owned. The city has little say in its development 

Jack’s campaign signs all tout that he is “Endorsed by Police.” This is misleading as the Surprise Police Department does not get involved in city campaigns. The endorsement came from a state police lobbying entity, and not the Surprise Police Department. While the wording on the campaign signs is not a direct falsehood, it certainly implies that the Surprise Police Department endorsed Jack, which it has not.

Allegedly, Jack has told voters that he belongs to whatever political party the voter is affiliated with (for example, he has described himself as a Democrat, a Republican, and an Independent, depending on the audience). 

Jack rents his home. While this may not present an issue for many voters, having a vote on issues that could impact property taxes could raise concerns when Jack does not personally have a stake.

Taken together, these issues with Jack’s candidacy concern me. A divisive candidate like Jack represents an adversarial, volatile governmental representative at a time when more collaboration and steadiness is needed.

As such, I heartily endorse David Sanders, the incumbent for Surprise City Council District 5.