Surprise District 6 City Councilmember Chris Judd.
City of Surprise
Surprise City Council District 6 map.
City of Surprise
By Chris Judd
On Saturday, October 21, Mayor Skip Hall and I attended The Western Hoedown. 100% of the proceeds from the event benefit the White Tank Mountains Conservancy. WTMC is important to Surprise and the region, and it was great to see so many people come together to protect our jewel of the West Valley.
Barrio Queen Meet & Greet
Monday, October 16, Mayor Skip Hall, Councilmember Patrick Duffy, Assistant Director of Economic Development, Mike Hoover and I visited the Phoenix location of Barrio Queen for a meet and greet with their team in anticipation of the new Surprise restaurant currently under construction. Head Chef, Julio Mata, and his team treated us to a delicious preview of the award-winning menu, a wonderful taste of things to come to Surprise later this year at their Village at Prasada location!
Fiesta Grande
Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated Surprise Fiesta Grande with us on Saturday, October 7. It was a beautiful night filled with music, dancing, food and community!
G.A.I.N Night
Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods Night was held on Saturday, October 21. Thank you to everyone who came out and the departments who made it possible. The event is aimed at uniting the Surprise community and promoting our safe and family-friendly city. It was a great evening filled with entertainment, food and community!
Veterans Day Parade
Join us in honoring our service men and women at the 9th annual City of Surprise Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 11. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and will be routed along Bullard Avenue between Paradise and Tierra Buena lanes. It will feature community floats, bands, dancers and more! This annual event has become a tradition in Surprise, honoring the men and women in uniform who have selflessly served our country.
If you're arriving early to get a spot, there's an option to purchase breakfast and coffee from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. at Surprise Stadium in the Centerfield Plaza. This year's breakfast is $7 and will be proudly served by the Surprise Police Department.
Surprise Party & Sparkling Surprise
Celebrate the holidays at our annual Surprise Party! Enjoy a variety of activities and entertainment experiences including a foam snow party, food trucks, a vendor village, kid zone, Santa, fireworks, drone shows and more!
The two-night event will run Friday, December 1 and Saturday, December 2, from 5 - 9 p.m. at the Surprise Recreation Campus - 15960 N. Bullard Ave.
This event also kicks off Sparkling Surprise, a display of nearly 200,000 lights in and around Surprise Community Park. The campus will be illuminated each night from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., through January 2.
On Tuesday, October 3, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Economic Development Committee ended on a celebratory note. We reflected on the tremendous growth and diversification of the region's economy since the EDC's formation in 2010 during the Great Recession. The EDC was critical in bringing together elected officials, thought leaders and economic development stakeholders to jumpstart our region and diversify its economic base. Much has been accomplished over the past 13 years to make the MAG region successful again and attract investments worldwide. We ended the meeting with pies to mark how the region grew the economic pie for its communities.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
At the Council Meeting on Tuesday, October 3, Mayor Hall proclaimed the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Dana Martinez, Director at A New Leaf, was in attendance to accept the proclamation with Daniela Celaya, Program Manager at A New Leaf's Faith House Domestic Violence Shelter. Lilia Plescencia and her team from the Surprise Prosecutor's Office, Renee Gronski and her team, Carol Johnson, Patty Young, and Tina Cound from Victim Services at the Surprise Police Department were also in attendance.
2023 Best of the West Event
The annual WESTMARC Best of the West Awards Dinner is a West Valley signature event. WESTMARC celebrates and recognizes outstanding contributions to the quality of life, education, workforce, economic development and innovation in the West Valley. This year, the City of Surprise had projects nominated from the Parks & Recreation, Transportation and Economic Development departments. The Surprise Transportation Department brought home the Innovation Award for our new WeRIDE Microtransit Program, along with Avondale and Goodyear. WESTMARC’s President's Choice Award was given to all West Valley mayors for their partnership and collaboration. Village at Prasada was nominated for the Economic Engine Award and the Surprise Adaptive Recreation Program was nominated for the Quality of Life Enhancement Award. Although they did not win their categories, they received Finalist awards.
Champions for Clean Air
The WeRIDE Microtransit Program also won the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Livable Communities award at the 36th Annual Champions for Clean Air Awards ceremony held on Friday, October 20. This award recognizes agencies who have made a special effort to improve transit, bicycle or pedestrian facilities that make communities more livable. The City of Surprise, along with the City of Goodyear and the City of Avondale accepted the prestigious award.
Arizona Women Leading Government Award
Congratulations to our Arts, Culture & Library Director, Kelsey Lamphier! Kelsey was presented with the inaugural Arizona Women Leading Government "Women Leading in Excellence Award" on October 20. This award recognizes an individual committed to women's advancement into leadership positions within local Arizona government.
Motorcycle Safety Class
Join the Surprise Police Department for a Motorcycle Safety Class on Sunday, November 12. After demonstrations and discussion, participants will apply their learned skills on an interactive course!
For current motorcycle riders only, a motorcycle and helmet are required.
Arts & Culture Events
Are you ready to discover arts and culture events in Surprise? From theater performances, gallery tours, poetry readings and more, the City offers a number of events throughout the year. Here's what’s coming up:
The next regularly scheduled City Council Meeting will take place on November 21 at 6 p.m. and will be open to the public for in-person attendance. You can also watch live at surpriseaz.gov/SurpriseTV or the Surprise City Gov Facebook page at facebook.com/CityOfSurprise. Cox channel 11 also carries the meetings live. Agendas are always posted online at a minimum of two days prior.
If you see something on the agenda that concerns you, please reach out before the meeting so I have time to address your concern. I may even ask your questions during the City Council presentation. The best way to reach me is chris.judd@surpriseaz.gov.
Community Meeting
Join me for my next D6 Community Meeting on November 15 at 6 p.m. at Tap House Sports Grill, located at 13699 N. Litchfield Rd. Let's discuss the latest City issues and answer any questions you may have.
