Rank your top three issues for Surprise voters:

MAYOR

Skip Hall, mayor

• Public safety

• Jobs

• Smart growth

DISTRICT 2

Alyson Cline, challenger

• Safety within the city for our residents 

• Controlled development 

• Promoting a positive business environment

Wendell Fountain, challenger

• Economic viability and survivability from a squeezed budgetary perspective

• Prioritize the needs and wants of all our citizens without increasing taxes

• Investigate and streamline Surprise government agencies

DISTRICT 3

Patrick Duffy, councilman

Recreation, Public Safety and Infrastructure are the top three issues. 

• Recreation is a wonderful asset to any city and we have a great recreation department and sports programs, but we have outgrown our current facilities. We need to make recreation a focus and provide our youth with more fields for all sports, a second aquatic center and more park space for families to spend time together. 

• Public Safety is another very important piece of why Surprise is the great city it is and with the rapid growth the city is seeing we need to keep pace. Specifically to District 3 we need to plan for Fire Staion 309 and the police substation. With the addtion of Toll brothers and growth of Zanjero Trails and the newer communities soon to come in the westernportion of District 3 it is imperitive to not fall behind and keep response times and crime at a very low rate!

• Infrastructure is another key issue especially pertaining to roads. We are currently in the process of completing the Waddell road improvents from Reems road to the loop 303 and then moving over to Greenway road for improvements from Sarival Road to Loop 303 but our needs do not stop there. By being engaged with our developers and Public works department we can be proactive in providing better roads and more access to areas west of the Loop 303. A great example of this type of teamwork is Peoria road from Cotton Lane to Perryville Road as we worked with Toll Brothers to have Peoria Road paved all the way through before they began work on Cactus Road to help our students get to Shadow Ridge High School and residents to get home in a timely manner despite all the Cactus Road contruction.

Greg Norberg, challenger

As I’ve gone door to door and had conversations with so many of you, we seem to agree on many different issues. The top three have been the lack of shopping and entertainment; fire and police; and quality of living. When I listen to you and hear what you say, I agree that these are our most important issues and we need someone who is willing to put forth the effort to help bring about the results we desperately need. 

When it comes to the lack of shopping and entertainment Surprise loses a great deal of revenue to our neighboring cities because we lack these venues. One thing our city does not have that other successful cities do is an Economic Development Advisory Commission. I would like to create a similar model that will help bring in needed shopping and entertainment and give you an opportunity to serve in our city. 

Additionally, we must always focus on keeping Surprise safe and secure. The city just hired additional fire and police, however, now we are where we should have been three and even four years ago. Our councilman’s platform in his last campaign was focused on brining in a “much needed fire station in District 3” yet when he was elected he never mentioned it again.

This need continues to get more important each day as we build additional houses and increase in population, especially west of the 303. We need a councilperson that is going to focus not just on the current budget but when it comes to safety and security we need to prepare for the needs we know we will have in the next two years and moving forward. If we don’t save now for what we know we need in the future, the city will ask for another bond and that can and should be prevented. 

When it comes to quality of living that encompasses many different areas, including that which I’ve already mentioned. However, it also includes you. We should be helping families to spend more time together by attracting the much needed head of household jobs. We have an incredible population of skilled labor in Surprise and that is shown by the number of people that are driving to their jobs outside of our city each day. Access to skilled labor is one of the most important drawing factors in a company choosing its location. Surprise needs to promote you, the people, because you are our strongest asset. And like I’ve said before, you’ve invested in your city; it’s about time your city invests in you.

With all that being said, I do believe one of the most important first steps is to re-brand the city of Surprise. We continue to be labeled a “bedroom community,” yet that is not who we are. We have a marketing and communication department that should spearhead this endeavor and include you, the stakeholders in the city, so your voice and input can be heard.

DISTRICT 4

Ken Remley, councilman

DISTRICT 5

David Sanders, councilman

• Public Safety. Without safety, everything else is a moot point: City Council is responsible for the quality of life in a community and ensuring our residents live in a safe and secure city is critically important to providing that quality. We proudly tout Surprise as one of the safest cities in Arizona, and we plan to keep it that way. The Surprise Fire-Medical Department and the Surprise Police Department have my full support.

• Family and family entertainment: I am watching my children grow up and build great friendships with their fellow Surprise youth, and the need for entertainment is important for that friendship building. We have to provide our families with more opportunities to spend time together outside of their homes and within our zip codes. This is a necessity, not a luxury. It also provides more options for those visiting Surprise, especially during our top tourism months. Bringing additional family-friendly entertainment to Surprise is a top priority for me.

• Economic Development: Attracting employers who can bring head-of-household jobs is another top priority. Over the last couple of years, hundreds of jobs have been created in Surprise from large employers like Trimaco, SeaCa Packaging, and National Indoor RV Center, to name a few. Also, over 40 small businesses have opened their doors and created many more jobs for our residents. We need to keep this economic development going, to help boost our local economy and provide more opportunities to our residents. There are so many different components to making this happen because there are so many outside influences. Expanding upon our relationships, increasing our exposure, providing an educated workforce are just a few components. We need to keep the current momentum going.

Jack Hastings, challenger

• Public safety: I am honored to be endorsed by police. Public safety and the safety of our residents and families needs to be our top priority in Surprise.

• Jobs: Our residents want places to work and things to do in Surprise. Residents and families should not be forced to leave Surprise for entertainment and jobs.

• Education: I teach social studies at the high school I attended as a student. I am committed to fostering public-private partnerships between schools and local businesses to benefit our residents.

QUALIFIED WRITE-INS

Cheryl Packham, mayor

• Public Safety and Health — We need to ensure our community has a properly equipped and trained public safety department. Our city must remain one of the safest cities in the country, and to do that we need to ensure that our first responders and community health organizations have what they need to make that happen. We must include mental health in our public health and safety plan and ensure that we do more to provide resources to those who are experiencing a mental illness.

• Economic Development — There is a great divide between those who want growth and expansion and those who want a quiet bedroom community. We must work diligently to ensure that we do not lose our small-town feel while ensuring there are enough jobs and infrastructure to maintain the amenities we all enjoy. 

• Transparency — The city government must have checks and balances. Proper policy implementation will ensure that the people of Surprise understand the goals of the city and the metrics used to measure successes. We must be able to quickly identify how our tax dollars are being spent and how that impacts our community. 

Kawika Henderson, District 5

• Develop economic opportunity zones to create more opportunities and more incentives for various small businesses and start ups. To also work with the Surprise city commerce, Surprise fire and city government to make the steps to openings a small business easier.

• Safety is also a priority. I Support the Surprise police and want to assist in ways to increase response time. As well as supporting bridging the gap with more community pride and interaction with Surprise PD and fire. These ideas include health and safety seminar courses that will be designed to be available towards every single residents to be alert and recognize dangerous situations for more safety precautions. Classes could include, self defense, gun safety, situational defense, conflict resolution and more.My push for more safety education as our community and city grows is just one aspect of my initiative towards building our community pride and spearheading into my my community health initiative. Because a safe community is one that mutually respects all of their residents. 

• Initiate a new big education programs based on the need of our public, private and homeschooled students that’s has never been done before in order to spur economic development here.

NEXT WEEK: How do you keep a balanced budget with the uncertainties of COVID-19?