The Surprise City Council approved the removal of a council candidate from the Arts and Cultural Advisory Commission — but Mayor Skip Hall wants to take measures that it doesn’t happen again.
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The Surprise City Council approved the removal of a council candidate from the Arts and Cultural Advisory Commission — but Mayor Skip Hall wants to take measures that it doesn’t happen again.
By a 4-2 vote, Jack Hastings was taken off the arts board April 21 after two public meetings where he fought to keep his spot.
Now, Mr. Hall, who turned out to be the swing vote in the matter, said he wants the council to discuss a “resign to run” ordinance at its next meeting in May.
“If you’re on a commision in the city of Surprise and you run for city council, you must resign your commission position,” Mr. Hall told the rest of the council after the vote. “I don’t want to go through this again.”
What the mayor is referring to was the political drama surrounding Mr. Hastings, a 27-year-old civics teacher from Valley Vista High School, who is making his first run at a political office.
Arts board chair Margaret Lieu asked the Boards and Nominations Committee to remove Mr. Hastings from the commission for allegedly using the position to campaign for the city council and other apparent infractions, including attendance and overstepping his authoriity posting a city event online.
The committee, which was made up of three councilmembers, voted April 10 to send it to the full council, where only Vice Mayor Chris Judd and Councilman Patrick Duffy voted for Mr. Hastings to keep his seat.
Councilmembers Roland Winters, Nancy Hayden and Ken Remley voted to remove him, just as they did as part of the Boards and Nominations Committee.
“I don’t think I’d be here if I wasn’t running for city council,” said Mr. Hastings, who is running in District 5.
Ms. Lieu said politics were not at play with the timing of the call for Mr. Hastings’ removal, which came just a day after he qualified to run.
“I felt like a lot of things Mr. Hastings has been saying, posting and quoted as saying has been nothing but a deflection of his own behaviors,” Ms. Lieu said. “My complaint with Mr. Hastings has nothing to do with him personally. And the allegation that I’m doing this for some political reason is simply false.”
Two Surprise residents who provided written comments at the meeting — which was closed to the public in person — backed Mr. Hastings.
“It is all too convenient that it hasn’t been until Mr. Hastings has submitted enough signatures to make it onto the ballot for consideration as an elected council member, that [Ms. Lieu] suddenly has a case of duty,” Beth Simek wrote. “Where has she been the last two years?”
Sam Potter was a little more sucinct.
“This is why people hate politics,” he wrote. “This is why people don’t want to serve in city positions. Do you have hundreds of people waiting to serve on the Arts council? I doubt it. This kind of thing would give me pause if I ever wanted to run for office, and I suspect this is exactly the point.”
Mr. Hastings’ opponent in the District 5 race, incumbent Councilman David Sanders, recused himself from the dicussion and vote and left the dais.
Mr. Judd was one of the councilmembers who were unconvinced about Mr. Hastings’ “guilt” in the matter.
“I don’t necessarily agree that these are facts that they’ve come up with,” Mr. Judd said. “If they are facts, there’s not much there.”
Ms. Lieu addmitted to Mr. Judd that she didn’t personally witness any campaigning activity.
“My base concern at this point is the Arts commission is a very active committee and I’m concerned that with a couple of clashing personalities the toxicity might render the committee dysfunctional,” Mr. Judd said before the council voted. “I don’t agree that he should be removed for the items here, but I am concerned.
Mr. Duffy took apart the allegations against Mr. Hastings point by point.
“In my opinion, we shouldn’t even be here,” Mr. Duffy said. “It’s almost like tarnishing a reputation. We have to have facts and evidence, and it’s just not here.”
The Arts commission is now accepting applications for the opening created by Mr. Hastings’ departure.
“It has been hurtful to have my character questioned on social media, in newspapers and in public, especially since I have prided myself on being an honest person,” Ms. Lieu said.
Editor’s Note: Jason Stone can be reached at jstone@newszap.com.
Former NAU Lumberjack who loves going to concerts (or I did), watching sports (or I did) and hanging out with friends (oh, never mind). I also enjoy backgammon, surfing and men who are not afraid to cry.
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