Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com August 10, 2016 Election Dates Aug 1, 2016 Voter registration deadline for Primary Election Aug 3, 2016 Early Voting begins for Primary Election AUG 30, 2016 PRIMARY ELECTION Oct 10, 2016 Voter registration deadline for General Election Oct 12, 2016 Early Voting begins for General Election NOV 8, 2016 GENERAL ELECTION To influence the primary election outcome, You must be registered to vote; Independent voters must choose a party ballot. Arizona has an open primary law which allows any voter who is registered as independent to cast a ballot for one of the officially recognized political parties. To change your affiliation, you must re-register to vote at servicearizona.com/voterRegistration Or contact La Paz County Elections at (928) 669-6136 Transfer station changes hours in heat Monica Con't: I currently attend council meetings and have for many years. I believe it's important to know the issues you're facing, be- fore you run for an elected position. I understand the role and responsi- bility as well as the limitations of a council member. 5. For years, I've helped promote the Town of Quartzsite. I under- stand the value of tourism in our community and the importance to both businesses and community members of extending our season. I've also volunteered many hours for various functions and organizations. 6. I feel the two most important is- sues we are facing are the expansion of the sewer plant, and promotion of the town. It is already going to cost the town $1,900,000 more today to upgrade than it would have 2 years ago, due to increasing material & labor costs. There are sections of town that are unable to hook up to the sewer plant at this current time. There are businesses that could be pursued to bring them to town if the infrastructure was there to support them. The other big issue I see us facing is town promotion. Our local businesses are trying to stay open year round off the revenue they make in two months. When attending the Off Road Expo last year, I talked to thousands of people, asking them if they were familiar with Quartzsite. 90% of them told me that Quartzsite was where they stopped to get gas on the way to Glamis Dunes. I want to change that. Our weather is beauti- ful in the spring and fall. We have beautiful trails, RV Parks, BLM camping, gas stations, restaurants and amazing shopping opportuni- ties. Quartzsite's a great weekend trip for people that want to come play. It's the responsibility of the town to educate people to these opportuni- ties. This will increase tax revenues, benefit our businesses, and job force. 7. I will be there. I'll attend coun- cil meetings, town functions and events. I'll listen. If you have a concern or a suggestion, I'll hear you out. I'll use my resources. I've made many connections both lo- cal and statewide. I'm not afraid to reach out for help or for ideas. I also know how to research state and federal law, and town code. Most importantly, I know how to put aside things that are personal in order to make the decisions that are best for the town as a whole. That is why I'm asking for your vote. NO RESPONSES FROM Ed Foster, Jerald Kinkade, Norm Simpson, Dee Sheehan. CANDIDATES FROM PAGE 9 The La Paz County Board of Super- visors has immediately implement- ed changes to the County's eight remote Transfer Station sites to ad- dress the working conditions during the extreme heat experienced this summer. Immediately, summer hours will be changed to 6:00 am to 1:00 pm. IF THE TEMPERATURE REACHES 115 °, THE TRANSFER STATIONS WILL BE CLOSED UN- TIL THE NEXT SCHEDULED DAY OF OPERATION. The new hours will be in effect from April 1st to September 30th when the Trans- fer Stations shift to winter season hours. At that time, the hours will be revisited and adjusted accordingly. The changes to the schedule to open earlier and close earlier plus new ap- proaches being researched for next summer were the result of concerns expressed by residents to the Board of Supervisors about the extreme heat conditions experienced over the last several weeks. At La Paz County's request, the transfer station employ- ees met with their Supervisor, Dean Pankowski of Republic Services, to discuss the issue and to determine the best solutions. They determined that changing the operating hours was the fastest approach to immedi- ately address the heat for the remain- der of the summer schedule. The changes to the summer Trans- fer Station schedule were designed to maintain the same number of op- erating hours to provide the same service for residents while easing climate conditions for the employ- ees. Residents will now see Extreme Heat Warning signs posted at the front gate to notify customers when the transfer sites have closed. In addition, Republic is investigating approaches to deal with the extreme heat next summer either through generators with air conditioning, additional shade or other ideas cur- rently being researched and which will be brought to the Board of Su- pervisors for their consideration. Safety for employees and their cus- tomers is Republic Services' top priority and their employees are extensively trained in many aspects of safety including heat exposure. Along with training, employees are supplied with water, ice, electrolyte supplements and lightweight uni- forms made for extreme heat condi- tions. The transfer station employ- ees are on the front lines with La Paz County residents daily. They appre- ciate everyone's support, kindness and concern. La Paz County's landfill is operated by Republic Services under an op- erating agreement that provides for free disposal and recycling for its' residents at eight remote transfer stations. The agreement has paid host fees close to two million dollars ($2,000,000) to La Paz County's general fund during the last four years. Operating the remote trans- fer sites, providing disposal for La Paz County parks plus supporting clean-up events represents close to $600,000 annually for services that La Paz County does not have to pay for from its' general fund. The abil- ity to provide free disposal for resi- dents maintains the regions' unique and pristine desert environment by discouraging illegal dumping. If you have any further questions about our unique public-private partnership that carries many ben- efits for La Paz County's budget and free services for its' residents, please contact your representative on the Board of Supervisors. The La Paz County Board of Super- visors, 108 Joshua Street Parker, AZ 85344 (928) 669-6115 EMAIL District 1 D. L. Wilson - dlwilson@co.la-paz.az.us District 2 King E. Clapperton- kclapperton@co.la-paz.az.us District 3 Holly Irwin - hirwin@co.la-paz.az.us

• Cover