By Richard Dyer
Twitter: @RHDyer

If funding is identified and there are enough riders for a public transit system, an express service could link to the regional Valley Metro system, some candidates for Apache Junction City Council and mayor said.

Five Apache Junction residents have qualified to run for mayor and five others for three seats on City Council.

Running for mayor are Charles Austin, Robin Barker, Jeff Barlett, John Insalaco and Chip Wilson. Vying for council are Braden Biggs, Darryl Cross, Kelly Gremmel, Tess Nesser and Jeff Struble.

The mayor and the seats of three members of council --- Vice Mayor Wilson and Councilmembers Barker and Struble --- all who were elected in November 2016, are up for re-election. Incumbent Mayor Jeff Serdy is not running as he is seeking office on the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.

Independent Newsmedia reached out to each mayoral and council candidate seeking answers to a variety of questions, which will be detailed at yourvalley.net/apache-junction-independent in the coming weeks.

Below are their answers on how they would rate the state of public transportation in the City of Apache Junction and what changes they would recommend.

Mayor candidate Charles Austin

Improvements are needed for the area’s public-transportation needs, Mr. Austin, 58, said.

“Rate public transportation in AJ? Public transportation can definitely use some improvement,” he said.

Mr. Austin has worked with a lawn service, with various employment assignments; Botta’s Concrete Construction; and for D Bradshaw and other contractors.

He can be reached at ctecaustin@msn.com or 602-309-8226.

Mayor candidate Robin Barker

The City of Apache Junction has three choices for future public transportation --- private, city or state service, Ms. Barker, 77, said.

“Public transportation from Apache Junction to both Maricopa County and Pinal County is sorely lacking and has been for the lifetime of the city. There have been several attempts during my 48 years in the city to bring in some sort of transportation. All failed due to lack of ridership and, I suspect, the lack of patience on the part of the folks who were bankrolling the ventures,” she said.

“It seems to me that we have three choices: private service, city service or state service. Previously, the city has been in contact with the city of Mesa, the state and at least one private company to try to implement some form of transport to no avail. The city is in no position to finance a bus service on our portion of the sales tax unless the council would consider instituting a property tax, which may not be well-received,” Ms. Barker said. Rep. Kelly Townsend recently had a bill at the Arizona legislature that would provide funding for a two-year trial bus service to Apache Junction through the Arizona Department of Transportation.

“Unfortunately, the legislature has temporarily halted the session due to COVID-19. I feel this bill might be a good start to getting the transportation we need, if future state funding can be secured for continued operation,” Ms. Barker said.

“Without a committed funding stream, it would likely be temporary and yet another attempt that won’t last. If the bill is again considered when the state legislature reconvenes this year, I hope to speak to the need and, if not, next year I will encourage our legislators to try it again,” she said.

Ms. Barker is a retired English teacher (21 years); and was owner of the AJ News.

She is on Facebook at Robin Barker for Mayor 2020. She can be reached at barkerr43@yahoo.com and 480-980-0880.

Mayor candidate Jeff Barlett

A public transportation system is needed to help people find jobs, Mr. Barlett, 24, said.

“We need to do something about getting public transportation to Apache Junction because I know what it is like to go business-to-business looking for work in this city when nobody was hiring. Creating a public transportation system will give people the opportunity to find jobs outside of Apache Junction,” he said.

“I also feel that we should not over fund the idea, and keep it with in a reasonable budget. I also feel that we should start small and charge a fee to ride and eventually grow the system after it turns a profit,” Mr. Barlett said.

He works as a call-center representative and has experience working as a correctional officer, as a semi-truck driver and has also worked in security and other occupations, he said.

Mr. Barlett is on Twitter @barlettjeff and Facebook @Barlett4Mayor2020. He can be reached at vote4jeffbarlett@gmail.com.

Mayor candidate John Insalaco

Studies have shown it is not feasible to provide transportation in the City of Apache Junction, Mr. Insalaco, 82, said.

“Currently there is no public transportation. After many studies, transportation personnel says it is not feasible for them,” he said.

Mr. Insalaco retired from Insalaco’s Music and Upholstery in December 2013 after 42 years ownership and now plays in the four-piece band “Country Soul.”

He can be reached at jsinsalaco@gmail.com and 480-323-6752.

Mayor candidate Chip Wilson

The city offers transportation services to senior citizens, but not for the general public, Mr. Wilson, 72, said.

“We currently do not have public transportation in our community. We do have transportation for seniors that are homebound to take them to and from doctors’ appointments and grocery stores. We also provide transportation to bring seniors to and from the multi-generational facility for meals and we also deliver meals to the homebound seniors,” he said.

“What I would recommend is a city-wide study and survey of city residents on public transportation. This study would not only address the needs of the community but also look for funding. This would get the inputs from the entire community and I would work very hard to meet their direction they want,” Mr. Wilson said.

He retired from Boeing as a calibration and repair of electronic test equipment technician, and retired from the military after more than 22 years of service.

He is on Facebook at Chip Wilson for City Mayor. He can be reached at walterchip@aol.com or 602 361-6135.

Council candidate Braden Biggs

The cost of public transportation and whether or not there are enough riders needs to be considered, Mr. Biggs, 27, said.

“I won’t lie and say that public transportation is not needed or would not be a good thing to have. In my profession, I work with homeless people or people without access to a vehicle all the time. The problem that I see is not only the cost but usability,” he said.

“I have talked to a lot of people in the community about this and I predominately hear ‘Oh that would be great for ‘XX,’ but I would never use it.’ This leads me to believe that we are not quite there yet,” Mr. Biggs said.

Apache Junction should work with communities in adjacent Maricopa County to bring transportation here, he said.

“I do think that we should work more collaboratively with our neighbors to the west on seeing what we can do to bring transportation to our borders, but I do not think that the city can handle a transportation system --- at this time. I am of course, open to exploring this further and I am aware of Rep. (Kelly) Townsend’s proposal for a bus system and I am eager to work with her in a professional capacity and as a City Council member if elected on ensuring the proposal is the best option for Apache Junction,” he said.

He is director of communications and program development at Empowerment Systems Inc., an Apache Junction non-profit organization.

He is on Twitter @BradenBiggs, Facebook @Biggs4AJCityCouncil and has a website at www.Bradenbiggs.com. He can be reached at Biggs4AJ@gmail.com and 573-586-8787.

Council candidate Darryl Cross

The City of Apache Junction should seek a grant to pay for a study on the needs and costs of a self-sustaining public transportation service, Mr. Cross, 55, said.

“Apache Junction has no real public transportation other than for homebound senior citizens,” he said.

“I would support finding a grant to pay for a study to determine the overall needs and costs associated with public transportation. Also, where and how it could be implemented using only self-sustaining resource generated by rider use,” Mr. Cross said.

He has worked at Summit Fire Protection since August 2018 to present; and for Nu-Way Fire Protection --- 1998-2018.

He is on Facebook at Darryl Cross. He can be reached at CrossforAJcouncil@gmail.com and 602-820-9583.

Council candidate Kelly Gremmel

A partnership with Valley Metro could bring buses or other transportation services to the City of Apache Junction, Ms. Gremmel said.

“Apache Junction? What changes would you recommend? I think we would all agree that Apache Junction’s public transit is nonexistent. And while I believe we need to provide some sort of public transportation within our city, I also recognize the challenges of paying for public transportation,” she said.

“Therefore, I believe rather than trying to create a new public transportation system, we need to first begin by utilizing an existing resource such as Valley Metro. They currently have an express bus route that begins in Mesa at Power Road and Highway 60 which takes commuters to downtown Phoenix each weekday morning and evening. I believe we could establish a limited partnership with Valley Metro,” Ms. Gremmel said.

The express route could be extended to Apache Junction to transport residents to a hub for bus services, she said.

“Because Power Road is a primary hub for connecting buses throughout the east Valley, possibly we could have the route originate in Apache Junction, travel to Mesa where it currently starts. Individuals from Apache Junction would now be able to disembark and transfer to another bus line in either Mesa or Phoenix. This would provide a valuable resource for our citizens, helping those who lack necessary transportation to many jobs in Maricopa County,” she said.

Ms. Gremmel is a retired administrator for the City of Phoenix Prosecutor’s Office, a licensed real estate agent and co-owner of Successful Options.

She can be reached at kellygremmel114@gmail.com.

Council candidate Tess Nesser

Any transportation system needs to connect the City of Apache Junction with regional Valley Metro services, Ms. Nesser, 71, said.

“I would rate public transportation in the city as nonexistent. I believe a study needs to be made to determine how a tax-funded transportation system would directly benefit the City of AJ and its citizens,” she said.

“I am a proponent of ‘shop-local’ because every cent spent in AJ, the tax money goes to run our city. So I do not wish to see everyone use a tax-funded transportation system to shop outside of our city. But, that being said, our community and its citizens require a transportation system to be able to connect to the Valley Metro system so they can get jobs to be able to live in AJ and not move to other areas,” she said.

“And, those who can acquire better jobs outside our city limits will more than likely spend a great majority of that income in AJ on rent, mortgages, groceries, eating out and keep the tax money local,” Ms. Nesser said.

She retired from the Pinal County Attorney’s Office as a unit supervisor in Florence, where she worked 1986-2010. Part-time employment includes:

• Apache Junction Unified School District, part-time sub-para --- 2017 to present;
• Goldfield Ghost Town Museum, --- 2019 to present;
• Arizona Renaissance Festival entertainer --- 1999 to present; and
• Pinal County Elections Department, as a poll worker.

Ms. Nesser is on Facebook at Tess Nesser – Apache Junction City Council. She can be reached at TessNesser-AJCityCouncil@yahoo.com and 480-540-9680.

Council candidate Jeff Struble

Ridership is not large enough to pay for buses in the City of Apache Junction, Mr. Struble, 57, said.

“The public transportation in Apache Junction is nonexistent. We are constrained by cost of implementing a bus system in our community. We do not have the ridership to pay for the buses,” he said.

“To extend the routes from Power Road to Apache Junction is very expensive. The state legislators would like try and get funding for a two- or three-year period; then it would be left up to Apache Junction to fund the program. We currently do not have the funds and would have to implement an increase in city tax rates to pay for the future funding, or cut other services,” Mr. Struble said.

Mr. Struble owns both Padgett Business Services and Fatmans Pizza.

He is on Facebook at Jeff Struble for Apache Junction City Council and has a website, letsbuildourfuture.com. He can be reached at jeff@rhinodreams.com and 480-694-5100.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.