The PebbleCreek Democratic Club will join other West Valley Democratic organizations and the Maricopa County Democratic Party, to host a “Meet the Candidates” Rally on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event will be held in the Kiva/Sagebrush Ballroom in Sun City Grand, 19753 N. Remington Drive, Surprise, AZ 85374.
More than 20 candidates are scheduled to attend. This will be a rare chance to meet with candidates for various offices in one location and a valuable opportunity to be informed about candidates, their experiences, what they stand for and their future plans.
Those confirmed present at the Rally include Ruben Gallego, candidate for U.S. Senate; Greg Whitten for U.S. House CD8; Quacy Smith for U.S. House CD9; Eric Stafford, Arizona State Senate LD29; Bill Olear, State Senate LD25; Barbara Fike, State House LD28; and Tanairi Ochoa-Martinez and Tom Tzitzura, for State House LD29. Maricopa County candidates confirmed include: Gregory Freeman, County Assessor; Tamika Wooten, County Attorney; Tyler Kamp, Sheriff; David Sandoval, County Supervisor District 4; Steve Gallardo, County Supervisor District 5; Dr. Laura Metcalfe, County School Superintendent; and Dr. Tom Nerini and Dr. Linda Thor, Community College Board. Corporation Commission candidates Ylenia Aguilar, Jonathon Hill, and Joshua Polacheck, Water Conservation candidates Terry Goddard and Heather Macre, Peoria School District candidate David Sandoval, and West-MEC candidate Bernadette Placentia will also attend.
Although most voters are familiar with top of the ballot candidates, it is essential to know about those who are vying to represent us at the local level. People who serve on these councils and committees regulate our lives on a daily basis. The decisions they make affect us directly and we need to make sure that we have reliable, informed candidates to run for these offices. Voting down ballot is crucial and is easier when we know our candidates. Events such as this rally, therefore, are an enormous help to voters and citizens.
PebbleCreek Democratic Club will resume monthly meetings in September. Scheduled speakers for the Sept. 4 meeting are the three Democratic Candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission. Ylenia Aguilar has served in the Osborn School District and currently serves as a member of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District. Jonathon Hill is a native Arizonan. He is an aerospace engineer at ASU’s Mars Space Flight Facility. Joshua Polacheck has served overseas in the Foreign Service and is a Harvard graduate.
The functions of the Corporation Commission include the filing of corporations, safety of railroad and pipeline systems, security of the financial marketplace, and regulating policy and rates for utilities. With record–breaking temperatures and concerns about global warming, this last function makes the Commission extremely relevant to our everyday lives and finances.
The PebbleCreek Democratic Club will meet on Sept. 4 in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom. The social hour begins at 6 p.m. and the meeting begins at 7 p.m. Meetings are open and all are welcome.