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Police Association
Says ‘No’ To Recall
AJ
Police Officers Association rejects
recall and endorses sitting city council
members
By Ed Barker
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- A
recall election that got its
start when the City of Apache
Junction did not renew the
contract of former Police
Chief Glenn Walp in 2007
has now come full circle. The
Apache Junction Police Officers
Association (AJPOA)
has voted to endorse the five
sitting council members over
the “recall team” that supports
former chief Walp. The association
also voted to endorse
Councilman Doug Coleman,
who is not facing recall but is
up for election to the post he
was appointed to last fall.
The endorsements were announced
by Corporal Thom
Parker of the Apache Junction Police
Department to a cheering
crowd during “Call to the
Public” at the Tuesday, March
3 City Council meeting.
Recall leader James Stephens,
a former civilian employee
of the Police Department
and three-year resident
of Apache Junction, threatened
the Apache Junction
City Council in 2007 during
a “Call to the Public” portion
of a council meeting, saying
if Walp’s contract was not renewed,
the council would be
recalled.
Stephens, who is on the ballot
opposing Vice Mayor R.E.
Eck Jr., also worked for Walp
in Bullhead City when Walp
was police chief there (1996-
2001). A recall election of the
Bullhead City Council was
threatened by Walp supporters
when Walp and the city
council got into a public disagreement
over the way he
was running the police department.
Walp left to take over
the Capitol Police in Phoenix
in 2001 and the Bullhead City
recall never came to fruition.
Stephens was again hired
by Walp shortly after Walp
took over the AJPD in 2005.
Walp, now retired and living
in Gold Canyon, has been
touted by recall members as
a replacement for City Manager
George Hoffman if the
recall is successful.
See
A-1
and see AJPOA,
A-5
‘Wall’ Coming To AJ
 The Veterans Traveling Tribute will
arrive March 12
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
The American Veterans
Traveling Tribute (AVTT),
which includes an 80-percent
size replica of the Vietnam
Memorial Wall, will make
its way to Apache Junction
Thursday, March 12, through
Tuesday, March 17.
The wall is meant to provide
a forum for communities to
come together and honor, respect and
remember all those
who have sacrificed their lives
for the country’s freedom.
The memorial will be erected
at Prospector Park, 3015
N. Idaho Road, near the back
of the park by the athletic
fields, and will provide the
opportunity to visit the tribute
24 hours a day.
Lawrence C. Garrett Post
7968 of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars and the City of
Apache Junction Parks and
Recreation Department are
sponsoring the tribute.
“It sure took a lot of work
to get this here,” said Mike
Ferguson, co-chairman of the
AVTT committee. “A lot of
work and a lot of community
effort.”
The VFW Post raised about
$15,000, which should cover
the costs, Ferguson said.
The AVTT travels with nine
different components that
will be on display at Prospector
Park—the Centerpiece,
the Gold Dog Tag Memorial,
9-11 Memorials, Walk of Heroes,
a nationally acclaimed
art display, Tribute Panel,
World War II, Korean War
and a Vietnam Art Display
and Information.
See
A-1
and see The Wall,
A-8
City
Hosts Meeting About Fed’s Stimulus
Package
New federal law is topic of March 26 Web
seminar
The American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act was
recently signed into law by
President Obama. This act offers
new resources for local
governments and nonprofit
agencies to help children,
youth and families. This legislation
will provide direct relief
to some of the country’s
neediest families through various tax
provisions and
public benefit programs.
The stimulus package provides
resources such as increased
food stamp funding,
expanded Earned Income
Tax Credit and Child Tax
Credit, funding for Medicaid,
Head Start, Early Head Start
and Child Care, among other
provisions.
The City is inviting citizens
and nonprofit organizations
to participate in a free Web
seminar at 2 p.m. Thursday,
March 26, in the City Council
Chambers, 300 E. Superstition
Blvd., in Apache Junction
followed by a question
and answer session with City on
available resources and
programs.
This Web seminar, sponsored
by the National League
of Cities, will provide the
community with an overview
of the stimulus package and
focus on how cities can use
new federal resources to help
organizations in areas such
as education, health care,
youth violence prevention,
job training and benefits for
needy families. Speakers will
answer questions about when
and how these resources will
be made available, and will
share ideas about how cities
can work with other governmental
agencies to maximize
funding for local programs
and services.
See
A-1
and see Stimulus,
A-5
Track Teams Off And
Running
 By Chuck Baker
The News
Minus their two “big guns”
from last season, sprinter
Shane McCullen and thrower
Louis Crespo, the Apache
Junction boys track and field
team began defense of their
2008 4A-I State Championship
team title by hosting the
2009 season-opening meet
last Wednesday at Davis
Field featuring schools from
Higley and Queen Creek.
Crespo, the school recordholder
and State champ in
discus, graduated last year
and McCullen, a member of
the boys winning 4x100 relay
team and school record
holder in the 200 meters, is
taking his senior year off as
he prepares to embark on
Sun Devil football next Fall.
But don’t for a second think
the AJHS cupboard is bare.
With McCullen’s 4x100
relay teammates, Rusty Fernando
and Bo Bankhead,
back in 2009, along with
other key returning members
such as middle distance specialist
Zane Morgan, throwers
Trevor Berner, Stephen
Hughes and Cy Maughmer,
high jumper and long jumper
Tanner Morgan, middle
and long distance runners,
Mike Orr, Matt Tomasetti
and Jimmy Olson, sprinters
Andrew Duarte and Dwayne
Norman and pole vaulter
Ole Gabrielson, the Prospectors
will be competitive
this track and field season as
was the case last Wednesday
when they finished a solid
second behind Higley and
ahead of Queen Creek.
See
B-1
and see Track,
page
B-3
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