To give residents another opportunity to learn more about the Mesquite District candidates, the Peoria Independent has submitted a second questionnaire inquiring about their stance on certain issues.
Two candidates are running for the seat — former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas and Interim Peoria Councilmember Brad Shafer.
This batch of questions were going to be used in a candidate forum sponsored by Peoria Independent, however Douglas chose not to participate because the forum was virtual and not in-person.
In the interest of providing voters with the information they need to make an informed decision at the ballot box, this article will feature questions that were going to be used at the candidate forum.
Diane Douglas
During this time of extreme drought, what can you do to ensure residents have water in the future?
As I look around my own HOA, which seems to be the norm rather than the exception around the Valley, I see so much waste of water with ridiculous numbers of plants and trees mandated on every lot. We should start by reining in the outright waste of water caused by such arbitrary and capricious directives.
Peoria is a member of the Arizona Municipal Water User Association created in 1969 by three Valley mayors to advocate, protect and ensure laws and regulations pertaining to water for their cities.
Currently only one mayor serves on the association. If AMWUA is planning, negotiating and voting on water rights and issues, it is my opinion that our mayor must represent Peoria.
How important is it to protect against a pandemic and its spread? How important is public health to you?
Of course public AND individuals’ health is important. During the pandemic, the city passed along and/or implemented the recommendations, effective or ineffective, that were mandated by the county, state and federal government health departments. However, to quote American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman: “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” During the pandemic it seemed we had too many answers we weren’t allowed to question. I believe in government accountability and answerability to citizens not vice/versa, especially in matters of public and individuals’ health.
Brad Shafer
During this time of extreme drought, what can you do to ensure residents have water in the future?
Innovation is driven by necessity — we must continue to find creative solutions. I represent the city of Peoria on the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, so I have an in-depth understanding of our water crisis, how we got here, and where we are going. This experience will be essential in the next few years. Peoria has invested in water infrastructure and has reduced their water use by 5%. I encourage neighborhoods to do the same and consider utilizing the city’s water rebate programs. I’ve also spent time speaking to neighborhoods about updating their water utilization for landscaping to reclaimed water systems.
How important is it to protect against a pandemic and its spread? How important is public health to you?
Public Health is extremely important to me. After all, I work in healthcare. Although I am no longer on the patient care side, I see the data of how costly a pandemic or other lifestyle choices can be to both patients and organizations. Living a healthy lifestyle is easy in Peoria with so many outdoor spaces to enjoy. During the most recent pandemic, many neighborhoods were closing down their playground and park areas. As HOA president in my neighborhood, we kept our parks open and hired a company to sanitize the playground and picnic areas each week.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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