Democratic Diva

16 Feb 2010 10:11 pm
Posted by: Donna

CAWCD. The Central Arizona Water Conservation District. There are 15 members on the board and they are elected. Here’s what they do:

The Central Arizona Water Conservation District acts as a Board of Directors for CAP and as primary managers of Arizona’s Colorado River water entitlement.

The Board is responsible for system maintenance and operations, financial oversight, strategic planning, and the creation of water resource management programs across Arizona. Over 400 people are employed by C.A.W.C.D. in order to accomplish these tasks.

Sounds important, doesn’t it? We’re talking about:

336 miles of canal that transports and delivers Arizona’s allotment of Colorado River water from Lake Havasu to south of Tucson. It provides Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties with the majority of their water resources.

The above quotes are from Arif Kazmi’s campaign website. Arif is a civil engineer with a PhD and an impressive resume of experience designing water systems all over the world.

Arif Kazmi knows water. He attended Kansas State University in Manhattan Kansas where he proceeded for graduate and post graduate studies receiving Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering. Later earning a Doctorate in Engineering Management, his practical training continued at Fort Riley Kansas, and Junction City Kansas. He has been a licensed Professional Engineer here in Arizona for nearly three decades. As a member of Engineers Without Borders, Arif traveled to several African and Middle East countries, improving the quality of life for local citizens through the design and construction of pumps, tunnels, and other water transportation projects.

One would think that the CAWCD would be chock-a-block with wonks like Arif. One would be wrong. Remember, it’s an elected position. Here’s a sampling of the “expertise” of the current board members:

Originally appointed by Governor Hull in January 2003, to complete the term vacated by Bob Burns, Lisa Atkins was re-elected to the CAWCD Board of Directors on November 7, 2006, to represent Maricopa County until December 31, 2012.

Mrs. Atkins graduated from the University of Arizona with a Liberal Arts degree. Currently employed by Greater Phoenix Leadership as Vice President for Public Policy, Mrs. Atkins also serves as Co-Chair of the Arizona Military Affairs Commission and as a member of the Boards of Fighter Country Partnership, the West Valley Arts Council, the Challenger Space Center, Friends of the West Valley Recreation Corridor, Arizona Town Hall, Project Challenge, the Southwest Valley YMCA and the Arizona Trail Association. She has served on the Commission on the Arizona Environment, the 1999 Transportation Vision 21 Task Force, the 2000 Governor’s Water Management Commission and the 2003 Military Facilities Task Force. Mrs. Atkins served as Chief of Staff to U. S. Congressman Bob Stump from 1979 – 2002.

Mrs. Atkins, a native Arizonan, resides in Litchfield Park with her husband, John. They have two grown children, Brandon and Caroline. In her spare time she enjoys photography, history, and travel.

Wow, that’s…water-y. There is “water” there. Mrs. Atkins was on a commission advising the Governor about water. You know, I’m on a commission advising the City of Phoenix on housing and neighborhoods. I know next to nothing about housing or neighborhoods. Luckily, I serve on one of the few slots allotted to “citizens”. Most of the people I serve on the commission with know a lot more than I do. The reason being that it’s an appointed commission. More on that in a bit.

Susan Bitter Smith, a Scottsdale resident, currently is the executive director of the Arizona-New Mexico Cable Communications Association. She has both an undergraduate and graduate degree from Arizona State University and is a past president of the ASU Alumni Association. In addition, she serves as the honorary chair of the ASU MBA Alumni Association, past chair of the Walter Cronkite Foundation, a director of the Morrison Institute of Public Policy and the past chair of the Arizona First Amendment Coalition.

Among her other awards and offices, Bitter Smith is a past president of the Arizona Society of Association Executives and received the AzSAE’s Executive of the Year Award in 1988. She also is the past chairman of the American Society of Association Executives, and past chair of the ASAE Government Affairs Committee.

She is a past member of the Scottsdale City Council and the Balsz School Board.

No water there.

Paul Hendricks was elected November 2, 2004, to represent Maricopa County on the CAWCD Board of Directors for a six-year term.

Mr. Hendricks, a self-employed, environmental consultant, served as Commissioner of the City of Phoenix, Environmental Quality Commission and President of the Arizona Water Association and Director of the Environment Federation.

Mr. Hendricks attended John Wesley College where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science and Central Michigan University where he earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration.

Originally from Michigan, Mr. Hendricks has resided since 1984 in Phoenix with his wife, Elaine. He has four children, Frank, Jim, Kris, and Shelly. Mr. Hendricks is a Christian, private pilot and enjoys golf. Mr. Hendricks volunteers at Southwestern College located at 2625 E. Cactus in Phoenix, Arizona, Young Life Camps and does leadership mentoring

Okay, he’s got a background in environmental and water policy. Not sure how his Christianity is relevant to the mission of CAWCD.

On November 4, 2008, Pat Jacobs was elected to a six-year term representing Pima County on the CAWCD Board. Mr. Jacobs graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Government and a Masters in Public Administration.

Mr. Jacobs worked as a Court Administrator for 30 years in Michigan, California and Arizona and developed and implemented the “One Day One Trial” Jury System. As a member of the Northwest (Pima County) Fire District Board for eight years, he served as its Chairman for two years. Mr. Jacobs is a past President of the Tucson Kennel Club (TKC) and currently serves as TKC’s Show Chairman and as a delegate to the American Kennel Club. He breeds champion Miniature Schnauzers.

Mr. Jacobs is a native Arizonan whose family has resided in Arizona since 1867. His family includes Selim Franklin, “the father of the University of Arizona.”

Pat resides in Tucson with his wife, Kim. He has two grown children from a previous marriage, Phil and Mark. In his spare time, Pat enjoys reading history, going to dog shows and playing tennis.

Miniature Schnauzers! My Grandma groomed Schnauzers and poodles for a living in Margate, FL. I like Schnauzers.

MARK LEWIS

Board Member
County: Maricopa
Term expires: 12-31-2010

Mr. Lewis earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He is a member of the National Water Users Association, Colorado River Water Users Association, and is an elected Precinct Committeemen. He is the Executive Director of the Water Resource Institute, a Phoenix consulting firm.

Originally from California, Mr. Lewis has resided in Arizona since 1986.

Couldn’t find a website for his consulting firm when I googled it, but found a lot of political activity on behalf of the Republican Party on Mr. Lewis’ part.

Gayle J. Burns of Peoria, was elected to the CAWCD Board of Directors on November 7, 2006 to represent Maricopa County for the term January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2012.

Ms. Burns is currently employed by BGM Investments and is a member of the Glendale Downtown Development Corporation and the Historical Catlin Court Association.

Ms. Burns attended Glendale Community College and Iowa State University.

An Arizona resident for 44 years, Ms. Burns lives in Peoria with her husband, Robert. She has two adult children, Mark and Michael.

Okay.

Janie Thom was elected on November 7, 2006, to a six-year term representing Maricopa County on the Central Arizona Water Conservation Board. She will serve from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2012.

An Arizona native and member of a pioneer family residing in Arizona since 1888, Ms. Thom attended North Phoenix High School, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Northland Pioneer College.

Ms. Thom has served on the Mesa City Council from 2002-2006, Community Representative Forum, PaloVerde to Southeast Valley Power Project, and was chairman of the Mesa City Council Utility Committee. She received the 2001 Ronald Reagan Award from the Maricopa County Republican Committee and the 1999 Award for Outstanding Service from the Arizona Republican Assembly.

Ms. Thom lives in Mesa with her husband Richard and is the only member of the Board of Directors from Southeast Maricopa County. She has four adult children. Ms. Thom is a history buff and enjoys silent movies, hunting and gardening.

I like silent movies too! And I’m a Democratic Party activist! Doesn’t mean I know jack crap about water delivery.

Back to what I was saying about my Phoenix commission. I’m the seat warmer who got appointed because, for a brief time a while back, I decided that social climbing was important, for some reason. Not that I’m unappreciative of the appointment, not at all. I learn a lot from the presentations at our bi-monthly meetings. But no one is turning to me with fervent interest and asking, “Donna, what do you, oh uninformed social climber, think we should do?” Of course they’re not. They’re looking to the people on the commission who were appointed because they knew a thing or two about low income housing. Who are most of the people on that commission, thank goodness.

Not the case with CAWCD, unfortunately. Herein lies the inherent deficiency of elected boards controlling complicated policies that require complex knowledge. Arif argues that one civil engineer on the board might make a difference in the policy directions of CAP. He says that they left billions in stimulus funds for water projects untapped.

If there had been an Engineer on the board in February, 2009 when the stimulus bill was passed, our desperately needed infrastructure improvements might have been paid for by federal dollars. If there had been an Engineer on the Board in February, 2009, Arizona might have had another “shovel-ready” project to bring federal stimulus money and jobs to our state nearly a year ago.

But how would that help the Republican Party? What? You think the Central Arizona Water Conservation District shouldn’t be an arm of the Republican Party and a platform for socialites and ideologues to advance themselves? What’s wrong with you? Don’t answer that.

You want Arizona to have a water policy that saves money, saves energy, and even creates energy? Vote for Arif.

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