Looking back at the most popular stories among readers in 2022, one thing is clear: Who was running for Mesa Unified School District governing board and new businesses were top of mind this year.
Analytics from Jan. 1, 2022 through mid-November illustrate what was most important to Mesa Independent readers this year.
Of the thousands of stories posted throughout the year, four of the most popular Top 10 stories were related to local school board elections and politics. Three of those were question-and-answer-formatted stories about candidates for MUSD governing board and a fourth was a story announcing who was in the lead in early unofficial voting.
Other stories that were most-read? Development news and two crimes.
As a new calendar year begins, take a look at the most popular stories for 2022.
On Saturdays in 2022, the Mesa Independent posted a list of commercial building permits in Mesa City Council District 6 in southeast Mesa by address, date issued or in review, description, value, type of work and contractor or applicant. The 10th most-read story was the listing for Feb. 24-28, which included:
- 8743 E. Pecos Road No. 112; Feb. 24; issued; install new 31x36 fabric canopy on steel frame, with special inspection required for concrete, anchoring, steel and welding; $33,413; other commercial; Shade ‘N Net.
- 8048 E. Germann Road; Feb. 24; issued; not listed; not listed; commercial/industrial projects; EPS Group Inc.
- 2062 S. Buttercup; Feb. 24; issued; collocation of a new carrier (Dish Wireless) onto an existing wireless facility; $56,000; macro cell site; Test Electric LLC/Will Bourdages.
- 3035 S. Ellsworth Road No. 146; Feb, 24; issued; general tenant improvement/remodel $780,084; tenant improvement (interior only); Line Werks Architecture; Scott A. Wunderlich.
- 6550 S. Mountain Road; Feb. 24; in review; new fire sprinkler systems for the Isotainer canopy; not listed; commercial/industrial projects; Ralph Pfeiff.
- 10461 E. Main St. Feb 28; fees paid; modifications to a tower; $45,000; macro cell site; Tara Dunn.
- 6910 E. Hampton Ave.; Feb. 28; in review; add wireless dialer to existing fire panel for communication to central station; not listed; other commercial; Next Protection LLC.
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The ninth most read story was also posted in February. It was about a Chipotle restaurant to be built east of Ellsworth Road on the south side of Ray Road in the Cadence subdivision of Mesa.
The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously in a consent agenda with other items to approve a site plan review for a restaurant with a pick-up window on 0.79 acres. Absent from the meeting were board members Shelly Allen and Jeffrey Crockett.
Restaurants with drive-thrus are allowed in a community district upon site plan approval by the planning and zoning board, according to a written staff report.
The request was a modification to an approved site plan, Planner Robert Mansolillo said during a study session prior to the Feb. 9 meeting.
“The purpose is to allow the development of a restaurant with a drive-thru, and the restaurant will be a Chipotle,” he said. “(I)t’s not a typical drive-thru lane; there’s no order board. Instead, customers place their orders online and then drive in and pick up their orders.”
Ellie Brundige of Phoenix law firm Gammage & Burnham PLC is the applicant. PPGN-Ellsworth LLLP is the owner.
Chipotle is proposing an approximately 2,283-square-foot indoor restaurant and a 465-square-foot outdoor dining patio in Cadence, a 464-acre master-planned community north of the future State Route 24 freeway alignment, east of Ellsworth Road, south of Ray Road and west of Crismon Road, according to a project narrative.
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Seven candidates for two Mesa Public Schools governing board seats filed signatures to be on the ballot at the Nov. 8 election: Ray Deer, Chris Hamlet, Marcie Hutchinson, Jacob Martinez, Ed Steele, Rachel Walden and J. R. Wright.
MPS is the largest public school district in Arizona and has six high schools, nine junior high schools, 50 elementary schools and 17 choice and success schools.
As the election neared, the Independent conducted Q&As with each candidate to get their opinions on various topics. In this, the second in the Q&A series, we asked candidates, “What are your hopes for Mesa Unified School District?”
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A story in August about a Starbucks drive-thru coffee shop to be constructed west of North Stapley Drive on the south side of East University Drive in Mesa in the limited commercial zoning district was the seventh-most-read story.
The Mesa Board of Adjustment on Aug. 4 voted unanimously to approve a development incentive permit for the site, with board members Adam Gunderson and Chris Jones absent.
The applicant — Tim Rasnake of Archion Architecture and Interiors LC — requested the permit to allow for deviations from certain development standards to construct a 940-square-foot coffee shop with drive-thru, Planner Sean Pesek said in a staff report document.
“(T)he purpose of a (development incentive permit) is to provide incentives for the development of smaller tracts of land that would have difficulty meeting current development standards,” he said. “Through the (development incentive permit), the applicant is requesting a reduction to the required side and rear landscape yard widths, requesting a reduction to the required front and streetside landscape yard width, requesting placement of a solid waste enclosure within the required landscape yard and requesting a reduction to the required drive aisle setback from street intersections.”
The property is approximately 0.7 acres. There is an existing commercial building, approximately 2,550 square feet in size, that will be demolished to accommodate the request, Pesek said.
The development incentive permit is needed because the site will be greatly impacted by planned city of Mesa road and intersection improvements, according to a narrative and justification statement from Archion Architecture and Interiors LC.
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A Whataburger restaurant with a drive-thru will be replacing a Mobile gas station and auto service center on the southeast corner of McKellips Road and Country Club Drive in Mesa, according to the story posted in March.
Preliminary design for the building on 1 acre was discussed by the Mesa Design Review Board.
“I think this is a nice-looking building and it’s really going to do a lot of good in that area of town,” board member Jeanette Knudsen said at the March 8 meeting.
A new 2,959-square-foot building will be constructed with vehicle access off McKellips Road and Country Club Drive.
The landscape plan shows landscape yards along Country Club and McKellips, and also landscaped parking lot islands, Staff Planner Robert Mansolillo said at the meeting.
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Three police departments along with federal and county agencies joined forces to arrest 16 suspects on child sex crimes and human trafficking.
The Phoenix Police Department Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit partnered with the Phoenix Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, Tempe and Mesa police departments, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The undercover Operation Tangled Web targeted the demand for sex crimes by placing ads on websites “commonly sought out by suspects seeking illegal sex acts,” a release stated.
Authorities allege the 16 suspects from Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe solicited and/or brokered deals for various sex acts prior to being arrested.
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Mesa police identified the victim in a Nov. 6 morning shooting as 18-year-old Stephen Jacobo.
“The Mesa Police Department is actively investigating this homicide and welcomes any information about the identity of the suspect,” police said the day after the shooting near 1700 West Emelita.
Police received a call early Sunday morning, Nov. 6, that gunshots were heard, and when they arrived at an apartment they found a man who had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The person who notified police indicated “multiple people were running out of the apartment,” police said. But when police arrived the apartment was empty except for the victim.
An official said detectives are working to identify witnesses.
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As the Nov. 8 election neared, the Independent conducted Q&As with each candidate for Mesa Public Schools governing board to get their opinions on various topics. In this, the sixth and last installment, candidates were asked, “What can the school board do to attract parents to enroll their children at Mesa Unified School District?”
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As of Friday, Nov. 10, Marcie Hutchinson with 25% and Rachel Walden with 22% of votes cast were leading in the election for two Mesa Public Schools governing board seats, according to unofficial results posted by the Maricopa County Elections Department.
The candidates and votes as of 8 p.m. Nov. 10 were:
- Marcie Hutchinson: 41,001 votes — 25%
- Rachel Walden: 36,577 votes — 22%
- Jacob Martinez: 26,201 votes — 16%
- Ed Steele: 23,958 votes — 14%
- J. R. Wright; 14,590 votes — 9%.
- Chris Hamlet: 13,113 votes — 8%.
- Ray Deer: 10,545 votes — 6%.
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As the election neared, the Independent conducted Q&As with each candidate for Mesa Public Schools governing board to get their opinions on various topics. In this, the fifth installment, candidates were asked, “The school board evaluates the superintendent. How do you rate Dr. Andi Fourlis’ performance as superintendent: Exceeds, meets, approaches, or far falls below the level of performance required and why?”
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.
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