Can Citizens force a vote on a controversial plan to bring a Private Prison to Globe?

A group of local citizens gather in front of United Jewelry in downtown Globe to launch a petition drive to get 2 ballot initiatives on the March ballot.g

No ballot initiative has ever been done in the 19 years that Globe City Clerk, Gina Paul has been at her post. Its easy to see why. Ballot initiatives, like so much of our political process has gotten cumbersome and expensive , and few have the tenacity and dedication to see such a process through. However, the grassroots organization which launched their opposition to a private for-profit prison to be built in our community has shown just such tenacity, and this morning, they officially launched a Citizens Initiative which will require 580 signatures to be placed on the ballot in March.  See Initiatives Here:Ballot Initiatives

There are two initiatives in accordance with the law and the way these things have to be written. Each initiative can only pertain to one issue, so one initiative is titled: “Voters Must Approve New Prison in Globe Act” and a second initiative is titled: “No City Resources Spent on New Prison Act.” The language of both initiatives have been carefully drafted to put voters in the drivers seat when it comes to siting a new prison or using local infrastructure and resources for a new prison in our community. This is a big decision which will impact the community going forward and should not be left in the hands of a few elected officials who think they know best.

Jim Moss explains the petition drive and the ballot initiatives to a crowd of 40 who had gathered for the launch.

Both exclude correctional facilities owned or operated by the City or County Jail or Gila County Sheriffs’ office.

There has been much debate over the issue of a prison, and while a few City and County leaders like to point to “a silent majority” without any proof of such support, the Citizens Opposed have gathered thousands of signatures and postcards from those firmly opposed. Still, the most democratic and clear path to settle this issue of how our resources are to be used and whether a prison is the best ‘economic development’ idea anyone can come up with for our community….is a VOTE. Your Vote.

The Ballot Initiative will allow every registered voter to weigh in on this issue. As it should be.

So whether you are for or against a private prison here, remember that by signing the petition you’ll help put this issue to a vote in March, and that friends and neighbors is good old fashioned American Democracy in action!

The Ballot Initiative will give registered voters a voice.

Press Release: Citizens Opposed   We are reprinting in it’s entirety to share with our readers.

Public Information/Press Release

TWO Ballot Initiatives are being launched by Citizens of Globe, AZ who do not want their
community to become another rural Arizona Prison Town.

These TWO Ballot Initiatives are closely related, but have distinct purposes. (see attached)

The first Ballot Initiative is titled, VOTERS MUST APPROVE NEW PRISON IN GLOBE ACT. It
requires Voter approval for any new prison constructed within Globe’s City Limits.

The second Ballot Initiative is titled, NO CITY RESOURCE SPENT ON NEW PRISON ACT. It
requires Voter approval for any municipal resource to be spent or utilized for any new prison
construction project within, or outside Globe’s jurisdictional boundaries.

Citizens have launched these TWO Ballot Initiatives because local elected officials refuse to
pass a Resolution that would prohibit a 1000 to 2000 – bed proposed private prison from being
constructed in the Globe community.

Nearly a year ago, citizens began speaking out in opposition to a proposed private prison
project. More than 2,500 area residents signed a Declaration of Opposition to such a prison,
and implored elected officials to pass a Resolution that would safeguard their community
from the private prison ‘industry’. These elected officials refused to act on behalf of their
constituents. Globe residents continue to ask, “If they don’t represent the citizens of this
community, then who do they represent?”

The Arizona Constitution provides for citizens to “Initiate”, or propose laws or measures that
are enacted by a direct vote of the people. The citizens of Globe are now taking action to
accomplish what their elected representatives refused and failed to do.

Citizens of Globe must gather 582 signatures to place these TWO Initiatives on the ballot at the
City’s next regular election in March, 2012. Registered Voters of Globe, Arizona will ultimately
decide the outcome of this very important community issue.

The Committees organizing these TWO Ballot Initiative Campaigns are receiving legal counsel
from the Phoenix Law Firm, Perkins Coie, LLP. Attorney, Rhonda L. Barnes, can be reached at
602-351-8305 or RBarnes@perkinscoie.com.

June 3, 2011

Jim E. Moss, Committee Chairman

480-540-1279 or mossjim13@hotmail.com

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By: Laura Baker

Note: This is a reprint from an article Laura wrote for the GlobeMiamiTimes. Featuring the Romero’s amazing garden which supplies the region with a plethora of options for growing chilis,tomatoes and herbs.

Image via Wikipedia

I remember the first time I drove through Six Shooter Canyon.  The wind was cool and the sun danced merrily through the tall trees that lined the narrow road.  The quaint houses and the quiet street were a refreshing change to the smog, the crowds, and the miles of asphalt spidering across the Phoenix Valley.  There, nearly at the end of the road, I spotted a weather-worn sign that read “Sunrise & Sunset Chile & Herb Garden.”  We parked like we were visiting old friends and entered a small fenced yard.  There I met Pat & Manuel Romero, owners of the Sunrise & Sunset Chile & Herb Garden, who casually asked what they could do for us.  Where to begin?  The perimeter was lined with young tomato and pepper plants, a center table was filled with a plethora of herbs, and to the right was a greenhouse filled with every kind of chili plant.  After perusing Pat’s three-ring binder and circling the premises several times, I finally left with a few tomato plants, a white bell pepper, some kitchen herbs, and a little plant called yarrow that Pat threw in for “fun.”

But, in fact, I came away with much more. Visiting the Salsa Gardens (as it is sometimes called) is no Wal-Mart experience.  The Romeros don’t simply welcome you into a store; they welcome you into their garden, their outdoor home, a place grown from patience, hard work, and a passion for plants.  They tell you stories, remember your name (or at least your face), and with gracious familiarity help you take home a little garden.   The plants themselves are as refreshing as the people who sell them.  They were not prepared in bulk, at the lowest cost possible, in some far away place.  No, each plant began its life on the Romero’s kitchen table as a tiny seed, was nurtured all winter in the warmth of their home, and then hardened for the spring, awaiting their final destination in your garden.

The Sunrise & Sunset Chili and Herb garden is the inspiration for many awesome Salsa Gardens throughout this area!

Exotic Plants..and more

While the personal touch drew me in, the sheer variety found at the Sunrise & Sunset Garden sold me as a return customer.  Where else can you find white, purple, or brown bell peppers or tomatoes that range from pink, white, orange to zebra-stripped?  Pat’s personal favorite is the fatalii chili pepper, the African equivalent of the habanero pepper.  Even Ace and Walmart recognize they can hold nothing over the little garden and refer customers seeking something more unique to the Salsa Gardens.  In fact, customers come from all over the area from as far away as Apache Junction, Dudleyville, and Roosevelt.

60 Varieties of Tomatoes…

While today the Chile & Herb Garden attracts visitors from all over, its beginnings were humble.  The Romero’s first sold their seedlings at yard sales.  Impressed with the quality of the plants, friends and neighbors encourage the Romero’s to sell more. So, in 1996, they began their little store with a few plants and one small greenhouse.  Since then the greenhouse has expanded and the number of plants has grown to about three to four thousand, with 50 to 60 varieties of tomatoes, 70 kinds of chilis, and about 25 to 30 types of sweet peppers, not to mention a whole host of herbs.  Despite this growth, the Romero’s remain community-minded.  Every year, they donate plants to places such as the senior center, nursing homes, or the food bank, and their final weeks of profit to the St. Andrea’s Children’s Clinic in Nogales, Mexico.

Sunrise and Sunset Chile and Herb Garden Open for Business

The Sunrise and  Sunset Chile and Herb Garden is open from the first or second week in March till the first week in June.  Their regular hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, but Pat assures me that if you find her there other times she’ll help you out then too.  As a small seasonal business, they don’t take credit cards, so bring cash.  The tomatoes and peppers are $2.50 each and herbs are $3.25 ea. They are located at 9149 Six Shooter Canyon Road, Globe, AZ.  They can be contacted via email peppers@cableone.net or by phone at 928-425-6218.

I must admit that buying a plant from the Romero’s does not guarantee a “green thumb,” but I believe it does something even better: it inspires a “green heart.”  So this year, whether you are preparing an elaborate garden or just hoping to grow a little something in a pot, make sure to visit the Sunrise and Sunset Chile and Herb Garden.  And who knows maybe this summer you will find yourself having a salad with zebra-striped tomatoes and purple bell peppers!

The Albino Red Tail Hawk one week before it was found shot

Pam Roberts’ couldn’t believe her luck in spotting the albino red tail hawk circling high above her while she was out riding last week. “We watched it for a long time and it perched on a branch for awhile, giving us a good look.”  It came back several days later and she and her daughter spotted it again near their barn.

While albinism is more likely to occur in red tail hawks than in other birds of prey, it is still a rare and glorious occasion to catch one on film or be graced with the sight of a large white hawk  soaring above you.

And so it was a sad day when Pam ran across this same bird – with a bullet which pierced it’s wing. The bird was shot for target practice. It’s body left to rot on the ground. Pam says she found him near the jeep trail which intersects the blue property line (of FMI) to just to the left of the stock pond. The area is out near the Gila County Fair Grounds.

She brought the bird to us in hopes that getting out the information may encourage someone to come forward who knows something about the shooting. It is against the law to shoot these birds. And what person in their right mind would do so anyway?! There is a substantial fine if Arizona Fish and Game can make a case. It helps that Pam kept the bird and the bullet.

Now all that is needed is someone to come forward with information about who took aim at this magnificent bird and killed it – for target practice.

The AZ Game and Fish Department “may offer a reward of up to $500 on information that leads to the arrest of person or persons” responsible for the killing the white red-tailed hawk.  Please refer to case # 11-000315 when calling.  You may remain confidential and you do not have to be present in court.

Operation Game Thief line: 1- 800-352-0700

Photo by Jim Brown. Hawk in flight

Pam Roberts, who lives out by the Gila County Fairgrounds discovered the bird shot, and his body decaying near the stock pond.

The Hawk was first spotted near 'Blevins'. It's body was found near the stock tank. The Map shows the land out by the Gila County Fairgrounds.

The bullet entry is from a rifle - not a shotgun.

We seem to have entered a phase in local politics where the public voice simply seems to be an inconvenience to those in power. Something to deal with – rather than listen to.  And no, I’m not talking about what is happening in Wisconsin, although there are some parallels. No, I’m referring to our own elected leaders in Globe who have insisted on pushing through a private prison project despite significant citizen opposition.  Recently they paid $700 to put ads in the local papers identifying what they say are the “Facts” about a private prison in Globe.

Debating these ‘facts’ Jim Moss, spokes person with Citizens Opposed, and Micky Nye with the Chamber of Commerce and EDC were on KIKO’s Open Line at 9:30 both yesterday and today. We hope to post those debates in their entirety here, on this site, later this week. One of the issues discussed today was a DVD which was produced by the Emerald Companies and shown at a closed door meeting nearly a year ago to handful community and politicos to help “sell” the idea.  We acquired a copy of that DVD and have posted it here for your review.

When ex-EDC Director ingratiatingly says the community is “thrilled” with the project, she must have been speaking about present company, since very few in the community even knew of it’s existence at the time the DVD was produced.

Here are just FOUR of the False Facts reviewed in the KIKO debates :

False Fact #1: The State of Arizona guarantees usage of the building for 20 years at 90% occupancy.

Unless, of course, the State of Arizona chooses to exercise the opt-out clause in the RFP which excuses the State from this ‘guarantee’ if the legislature determines it is not in their best interest to keep populating these prison facilities.

**And at least one staunch Republican legislator is making a strong case for moving away from building more prisons and incarcerating more prisoners. This Mesa Republican, Cecil Ash, represents the 18th district and he points out that if the State continues it’s current course it will incur an additional $979 million over and above the $949 million the State already spends!  He relays an actual case of a man who stole a $200 bicycle and was sentenced to 8.5 years. At the average cost of $22,000 per prisoner per year, that means tax payers are now spending $160,000 for that $200 criminal. Ash, and others, simply point to a plain truth. The current system is simply un-sustainable. To believe that the State is going to continue to find ways to fund greater incarceration rates on the backs of tax payers is to live in La La Land.  See: Cecil Ash/ Issues

FalseFact 2: Comparing the one escape from our local State-run prison to the safety record of privately-run prisons is a phony factoid. Remember Kingman where the alarm had been going off every 20 minutes for months and guards ignored it? The track record of prisons which are operated by the for-profit entities including Correction Corp of America, MTC, Emerald and others, fall short of those State-run facilities for *security, *pay scale, and *training. Private prison fact sheet 2009(2)

False Fact #3: “We are not creating another industry, just adding to one that is already here.” This is a direct quote by Jerry McCreary, EDC who was part of a short video created by the Emerald Companies to convince the State DOC that this community supported the idea of a private prison.  In actuality, there is not ONE private prison operating in Gila County and this issue has never been approved by the voters of this area.

False Fact #4: “There is a significant amount of work done by inmates, including clean ups along side highways, making bicycles …and helping out Besh Ba Gowah.”  OK, here’s a question for you dear reader. Just how many inmates have you seen working around the area? Ten? Twenty? Well, that would appear to represent less than  10% of our current prison population.

Hey, I’m all for putting these guys to work on behalf of good causes like cleaning up the roadways. But until we have all 350 inmates at the State run prison out on the roads cleaning up trash, I don’t think it’s a valid argument to say we need to house 1000 MORE inmates within our City Limits, to do some community service. That’s lame don’t you think?

Recently, Citizen’s Opposed requested that this controversial issue be put to the voters by placing it on the upcoming ballot in May. They have even agreed to pay for the costs if they loose this vote. (This option was actually suggested by Councilwoman Thea Wilshire a month ago during a council meeting in which a citizen suggested putting it to a vote.)

Wilshire wondered aloud that such a vote might be costly, and perhaps “The Citizens Opposed would be willing to pick up the cost.”

The opposition has agreed to that and a letter requesting a public vote in May has now been circulated to the the Mayor and Council members. Will they agree to settle this issue by putting it to a vote ?

Image via Wikipedia

The new RFP for more prison beds in Arizona is out and bidders will be expected to turn in their packages by February 24th.  Here in Globe, we don’t know who the bidders are at this point. We don’t know if the Emerald Companies who presented before the Globe City Council and EDC on the first go-round will be among the bidders this time. We don’t know even, if Globe is still considered as a site for contention. But what we do know is enough for continued concern and vigilance by all who want to protect this community from becoming another host for these ill-conceived projects.

The Mayor of Globe, Fernando Shipley and three of the six Globe Councilmen: Carmen Casillas, Mary Ann Uhl and Lerry Alderman voted last week to ignore a large majority of Globe and Gila County Citizens (2500+) and send a letter to DOC Director Charles Ryan telling him a “majority of Mayor and Council” were in support of a Private Prison.

In a 3-3 vote with Wheeler, Wilshire and Baker voting NAY, the Mayor broke the tie to give the letter of support a “majority.”  Hardly a resounding message.

In fact, Director Ryan would be well advised to know just how little support is actually contained in that letter.  That kind of ‘majority’ pales in the face of thousands of real citizens who have put their signatures, their faces and their facts on the line.

We know that the attitude of the three Council people – as stated by them at last week’s Council meeting- is dismissive and patronizing to the opposition. Uhl said she was “appalled” by the group’s questioning of the EDC, and Casillas commented that she thought these discussions with the public should be limited, noting that she has better things to do. Alderman accused the opposition group of presenting “lies by omission and veiled threats.”

Yet, in six months of public debate on this issue, none of the prison promoters including Mayor Fernando Shipley, EDC Director, Jerry McCreary, and Councilmen Alderman, Casillas nor Uhl have refuted any of the points made by the opposition with their own facts. Choosing instead to attack the members and tactics of the grassroots opposition. A group they now accuse of intimidating others. The same group which during the September presentation to the Council nearly 7 months ago, was heralded by the Mayor as one of the most civil, well-spoken, well-organized groups the Council had ever heard.

Funny how these charges of  “veiled threats” have arisen just in the last couple weeks. It appears that after 6 months of tone-deaf leadership in which a handful of pro-prison leaders have steadfastly refused to debate the merits of a private prison, they now find their voice to talk about some ‘veiled threats’ issued by the Opposition group. Weak!

The thing that is veiled here are the accusers’ facts. They can’t tell us – or anyone else it seems- just who was involved, or what was said. It apparently never seemed important enough to go to the Police, or confront the  organizers with this. Until last week. When they couldn’t think of anything else to say in the face of opposition except to scold and cast aspersions on those in the audience who have steadfastly opposed a Private Prison in Globe.

This week the DOC put out a new – and revised- RFP for 5000 beds. See Complete RFP Here

This RFP had been re-written in light of the Kingman fiasco just six months ago and has more stringent safety measures.

It also includes new language on page 36 which seems to cast doubt on whether Globe will even be considered as a viable site.

Page 37:

2.3.2
The Department has the ability to offer state-owned land for the purpose of this RFP. The following locations identified below along with the information provided on Attachment 10 can be used for the purpose of providing a response for the use of available state-owned land. The state-owned land identified within this section is the only state-owned land being offered for the purpose of this Request for Proposal. Offerors are cautioned not to include state-owned land that is not stated within this section as part of their offer.”

The locations identified within the section are: Florence, Lewis, Perryville and Yuma.

This language seems to preclude Globe, however in speaking with Barrett M, who is a Public Information Office with the DOC, he indicated that the language actually meant “State Land that is currently under DOC control. ” Really? It seems that the Department of Corrections- who is adept at writing RFPS – would have made the language clearer if that was the case. So what’s up?

This week a new report came out in the Arizona Republic on Kingman. www.azcentral.com/…/20110130kingman-prison-still-under-scrutiny0130.html

One of the “fixes” the State insisted on was beefed up monitoring. This is being accomplished by using more Corrections Department employees on site. But, as House Minority Chad Campbell says, ” …what’s the point of a private prison if we have to put (state corrections) personnel up there to make sure MTC is living up their obligations?”

Adding to the voices of dissent, this March 2008 video shows the ills of privatizing our nation’s prisons.

The rise of private prison corporations are based on a profit model for the corporations and their shareholders – NOT the rural communities, States and local leaders who they court with their false promises of jobs and revenues. Pay attention to what one Colorado Congresswoman has to say about the private prison operators wanting the State to “Guarantee a 90% occupancy.”Sound familiar? And, don’t miss this article which outlines the tiesbetween Arizona leaders and the corporate interests of private prison operators.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/6085/ties_that_bind_arizona_politicians_and_the_private_prison_industry/

By: LCGross

Several years ago I spent time in Alaska hiking the Resurrection Trail which stretches through 43 miles of wilderness and makes you forget all civilized notions of comfort and human-scale.

This is nature on a grand scale in all it’s glory. The trail head ends up just outside of Seward, Alaska, which is where my friends and I spent the last several days before flying back to sunny Arizona. The landscape everywhere you look in Alaska is breathtaking. That is, until you arrive in Seward, a town which was devastated in the ’60’s when a tsumi rolled in and sucked everything which man had built for the last hundred years back into the sea.

Seward re-built, but as you can imagine the re-building took on a more utilitarian approach.Concrete replaced wood and tilt-up buildings and tin sheds were erected quickly where once there had been ornate cornices, native stone buildings and wood porches.

Where once the town’s legacy involved character and content, lending a thread of continuity between the old and new, there is now function over form.

Historic Downtown Globe, Az still functions as the community's primary shopping and social hub

Coming this March, the Globe Miami Chamber of Commerce, will once again host a thousand visitors for Globe’s popular Historic Home and Building Tour.

Most locals consider it a ‘tourist event.’ Something for outsiders.  It certainly is well attended by visitors who flock to our little community to look at old homes and “try out” our small-town community for the weekend.

But consider for just a moment… what if Globe-Miami had a “Seward-Event” – something that wiped out all our old buildings and houses with their history, family ties and community character?

Just ask Seward  Alaska.  The old buildings represent a heritage that can never be replaced – once lost.

Whether you are a visitor or a local resident, be sure to put the Home Tour on your Calendar and help us celebrate the buildings – still standing.

27th Annual Globe Historic Home & Building Tour

March 5- 6th

9am – 3pm

Tour begins at Oak & Sycamore: Downtown Globe

For more information, please contact the Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce   928-425-4495

The Historic District looking north. A majority of Globe's buildings were constructed between 1904-1916 during the boom days of Copper.

Featured story in the Globe Miami Times: Winter Edition 2011

By: Linda Gross

The voice in the morning of gila101.9FM belongs to Bill Taylor, the irascible, irreverent, station owner who has made the jingle “Keepin’ you in the Know” a household word in the Globe Miami region.

Taylor, who wears many hats as owner, disc jockey, salesman and chief bottle-washer of the station, is the familiar voice on the morning show between 6am -9am of Globe-Miami’s hugely popular radio station – gila101.9FM. Every morning Monday thru Friday  he entertains, educates and confounds his audience with local news and politics and his own unique take on both.

As a radio broadcaster, Taylor has had a long and colorful career in the industry which included stints in L.A., Miami Florida  New Orleans, Baltimore, Charlotte, Orlando., and was recognized by Hee Haw when the show began spotlighting radio personalities across the country in the 70’s. He was the innovator of a syndicated broadcasting casting system similar to 8-tracks which ensured the integrity of recording no matter how many times the song was played . When he came to Globe, he brought over 3000 cartridges which grew to 5000 before switching to CDs and computers. At a time when the other stations frequently played scratched records, Taylors’ station was a marked improvement. His biggest success was a bingo type promotion played with  music instead of numbers, went through 32 million cards in three  countries. This was the initial  funding for the station.

Taylor's extensive library of tapes

We caught up with Taylor during one of this morning shows…

GMT: What brought you to Globe?

Bill:   I was working in L.A. I knew the job had no future as I was getting too old to be a rock Jock and I didn’t want to look for another job in L.A. Radio.it wasn’t easy getting there.  Plus, I do things that get me canned. I’d worked for The General Manager at KIQQ, at 3 other stations and he’d fired me before. If I wanted to do things my way I knew  I’d better have my own station.  I was also doing syndicated promotions.

I looked for places with a vacant channel to build a station, as it costs less than buying one. I’d filed in other locations and lost out. That’s when my consultant said,  “I know a place that is so ugly, nobody will file on top of you, but you better go look to see if you can hack it.”

I flew to Phoenix, rented a car, came to Globe and heard the worst radio I’d heard in years.

The stations would  play scratchy records, sometimes at the wrong speed.

Bill Taylor on the set with a corn to his ear. The line was, "I have never heard so much corn in my life!" (referring to silly humor). The year was '73 and the program was recorded at Chnl 5 in Nashville and edited in LA.

I thought to myself, if I can’t be a winner in this market, I’m really bad.  Easier said…Willard was tough. Took years to beat him. He always made more money, ran more  commercials. It’s just that fewer people heard them.   I’d started on the air in radio in a small South Carolina mill town so I knew what it was like in a one economy town where there was only one major employer. No different than when the mines shut  down.  .
II remember how the kids felt there was nothing to listen to on Sunday mornings with all the preachers. . I made up my mind, if I ever had my own station. We’d play music on Sunday morning.   An exception, We recently picked up the Mormon Choir 5:30-6am  when KIKO AM dumped them

GMT: The Station changed its call letters from Kiss FM to Gila1019. What is the story behind the change?

Bill:  While at KIQQ in  Los Angeles, KIIS “Kiss FM”  constantly beat us, and I liked the moniker. It was catching. However, the name did not relate to the community and when I had a chance to change when we moved on the dial, I took it. There are now Kiss FM’s all over the place. There’s one in Phoenix. Now we are “The Gila County Station” Monster Hits…Gila1019. People can relate.  After 20 years. We will always be KISS FM to most of our listeners. And at times we still say it on the air.  The Rating services still give us credit if someone responds by saying Kiss  FM. .

GMT: You get in trouble sometimes for the things you say on the air. Tell us about that.

Bill: This is a good ole boy town and I ain’t one of them. So there are people who don’t like me. I’m not here to be liked. I’m here to make people think. In every major market, the most popular air personality is also the most disliked.  A good example is  Howard  Stern.  Sometimes I get a good  laugh. Like the time someone stole a car from Ellsworth Motors, and I said it had to be an inside job – as only an employee would know which one ran.

GMT: I heard Ellsworth wanted to sue you over that one?

Yes he called.  I followed that with the story when a truck rolled out of McDonald’s and hit a vehicle on his lot.  My comment was, “ lucky there was an eye witness so they could tell  which one was hit.“
I’ve said things that have made advertisers cancel, but freedom has it’s price.  I’ve watched things being swept under the rug and thought, “where the Hell is the Silver Belt!” So we’d blew a whistle. My favorite was Judge Carol Nichols in 1994. One of her employee’s alerted the state as to problems and the state shut the court down. In the process they found a mess that made Patty Nolan look pure as the driven show.  We were the only media that covered it.  The only time she was mentioned in  the  Silver Belt was when she ran for  re-election  and that was in a campaign ad paid for by members of the Gila County Sheriff’s office.   I’m very proud of our support of Gary Geotteman which contributed to his election to Southern Gila County J.P. Judge.  This will be an honest well run court.

I think one of my best bits was the Family Business’ contest where the idea was to name the most people who were related that worked for the county.

GMT: You’ve given quite a bit back to the Community…

Bill:  Even when times were tight I’ve always tried to financially support local projects. The Lord calls it seed money. I got some decent dollars for moving on the dial to 101.9 so that 98.3 could cover the Valley.  It gave me the opportunity to do more.

I brought in The Wall (a reproduction of The Wall in Washington DC) during the Gila County Fair.  And then things most people don’t even know about…like the giant TV, X-Box Guitar Hero at the Boys and Girls Club and the gas range at the Safe Home. Plus the station  helps pay for the light parade every year, paid to paint a Miami fire truck, paid for the security system at the Miami Library, help Audrey with her monthly power bill. Every year little league.  This year paid for Santa at the Miami Small Town Christmas.. It goes on. We don’t turn our community work into a station promotion as then we’re not giving  we’re advertising. .  So most folks have  no idea how much cash we pour back into the community.  A greater percentage of advertising dollars on KQSS stay in our community.

If I went on people would think I was bragging. It’s mostly behind the scenes and many I help don’t know where it came from.  It feels good to be an anonymous giver. There is constant fund raising and being quiet allows me to pick my projects.   This is my home. The Lord blessed me by plunking me down in Globe Miami, Thank you Jesus. . If I die and go broke on the same day, it will have timed out.

GMT: You have a style all your own. How would you describe it?

Donna Anderson, Bill Taylor and Leora Hunsaker at a 2007 fund raiser for the Center for the Arts, Globe

Bill: One on One.  This is me. If you don’t like it, turn the knob.  I’ve always been sarcastic, irreverent, and enjoy that kind of humor. How can you look at Washington, DC and not think that most are slimy bastards. Poor Miami is a Banana Republic. Globe fought progress but had money in the bank, Now the new crowd owes plenty. The county doesn’t know how many vehicles it owns or who has them. Just when you think they’ve reached a peak, they do something even dumber. I do wish we could do live programming all day long. Play requests. We have a huge library. But since Wal Mart killed Broad Street there’s not enough retail biz left to cover the cost. So we’re on the hard drive. However, if there’s a major news story we break in.   We’re the only station with Generators in case of an emergency.  That’s an investment that may save a life.

GMT:   What do you like most about your work?

What I like most is my freedom to try new things. I don’t have a New York Corporate office squeezing every dollar out of this town, telling me I can’t do something. We run fewer commercials  because they get better results. There’s .Finding lost dogs, Playing special requests, feeling good when I know I’ve touched someone. Our Leader said. When you do it for the least of them, you’ve done it for me. . ..A lesson that took most of  my life to learn.

Talking with Bill, I couldn’t help but remember what he had said earlier about a cardinal sin of broadcasting.  “It’s a sin to be boring,” he said.

Amen, to that.

By: Linda Gross

We’re in the running! Really.  Globe Arizona, population about 7,000 people is competing against FIFTY other entries from around the country to win the Reader’s Digest  “We Hear You America” contest.  Why, in just the last three weeks, thanks to the blogosphere, facebook and email, we have gone from 7th place to 3rd place with just over just over 10,000 clicks for GLOBE!  Of course, it it alittle embarrassing that Ava, Missouri with a population of just 3,000 is ahead of us with 13,000 clicks, but at the rate we’re going – we might just catch up to AVA! How do we do this!  CLICKS. Go here:”We Hear You America” and click ten times!

We Hear You America is a contest of CLICKS for your favorite hometown team! Globe is currently FOURTH out of 50 locations. Go Globe!!

Yes, the first time I did it, I didn’t realize you can just click away for your ten times. A cute message appears every time you click which encourages you: Siss Boom Bah your city loves you, 2-4-6-8 your town appreciates you! etc. It’s easy.

Now- Why am I asking you to do this?

Because Readers Digest, that bastion of American hometown literature, is running a contest for what town can get the most CLICKS by February 7th, 2011. They are giving away five million dollars with first place getting $40,000, 2nd place getting $25,000 and 3rd place getting $10,000. Runner ups will receive $500 each.

We are 3000 clicks away from being in the money for 3rd place!  So if you want to support your HOMETOWN for some much needed funds… Please go HERE and CLICK for Globe!

Lots of people have weighed in on what they’d like to see the money spent for, but the leading request seems to be the effort to build a new library.

The Conductor calls Aaallll Aaboaard! for the afternoon train

The Globe Miami Times has teamed up with the Copper Spike Excursion Train and Cable One advertising to film a commercial for the new 2010-2011 Train Season. Thursday, Dean Seyfferle with Cable One was in town and spent a good part of the day shooting in the Depot, on the Train and North of Globe where the train winds its way through low desert scenery.

The 30-sec commercial is scheduled to run on CNN, Fox News, A& E for the next 5 months and will be seen by audiences from Apache Junction to Safford. It is part of GMT’s year-long ad campaign featuring the tag line :

“GlobeMiamiTimes and GMTeconnect  bringing Globe-Miami to you!” The Copper Spike ad will rotate with GMT’s latest testimonial ad: Community_2.

Filming inside the Old Depot

This will be the third full season of the Copper Spike and the first season they will be offering meal service on-board. The trip has been extended by a half hour, making each trip two hours long. A lunch menu is offered on the train 4 days a week, with a Dinner Car on Fridays and Saturdays. Bar service is now available.

The train brings in thousands of visitors to the Globe community each season and serves as an economic boost to the local shops, restaurants and hotels. With the addition of meal-service and new events it is anticipated to be another great season for all!

Globe Miami Times and GMTeconnect will be hosting an Events Page for the Copper Spike on their website to help visitors navigate the community while they are in town for the train. The new page will include special offers from local merchants and hotels for visitors riding the train, as well as local railroad history and how the Copper Spike came to be!

The Copper Spike makes it's way over the trestle at the south end of Broad street , Globe Az

Since launching its own website a year ago, GlobeMiamiTimes has seen traffic on the site increase every month. And Google now recognizes many of the feature articles and postings about the area because of the on-line presence of GMTeconnect.com. The site also includes a business directory with over 700 business where local businesses can list for free, or pay an annual fee for a host of services including a full business page and net-tools. Business owners such as Sarah Bernstein, who owns Simply Sarah’s, acknowledge the importance of having a web presence…even if she herself does not spend any time on-line.

Promoting good business and fun times in Globe-Miami. Come ride the Copper Spike and explore all there is to do and see in the area at gmteconnect.com