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Finally, an Announcement!
It's been a long time coming, but I want to take this opportunity to let y'all know that I have opened an exploratory committee for my old seat back in LD 15.
(Insert Rocky Balboa training montage here.)
As you might expect, I believe that I am the most qualified candidate for this position. Here's the ol' resume:
- I served in the legislature from 2002 to 2004 where I was chosen by the national Democratic Leadership Council as one of the "100 to Watch."
- I was the state Energy Office Director, 2005-2006.
- I shepherded legislation through the legislature in 2008 which made major renewable energy projects possible in Arizona.
- I led an effort to reform the way we draw our congressional and legislative boundaries in order to make more competitive districts.
- In the legislature, I fought the payday loan industry.
- In 2008, I was the manager of the successful effort to defeat the $15 million payday loan industry ballot initiative with only $150,000 and lots of caring people.
- I am a proud real estate agent and know the people in my district.
- I am also a proud member of the Phoenix Green Chamber of Commerce and Local First AZ.
- In the 1990s, I worked for various non-profit organizations in Phoenix, Washington DC and Bosnia.
I am seeking your support to return to the legislature to focus on reforming the structural deficiencies in our government, such as redistricting, election financing and tax law, which prevent positive growth and economic diversity.
Recent events in our government have made it painfully clear that we need to address the foundation of how our government operates before we can hope to move forward as a state.
I have the core knowledge of what needs to be done and the experience to get it done.
Watch for events and endorsements soon. For now, please help me get started. I can accept up to $410 per person and I appreciate contributions of any amount: $25, $50, $100 dollars.
Please make contributions to "Ken Clark Leadership Committee" by check or PayPal at 2010@kenclarkforaz.com. Send "snail mail" contributions to P.O. Box 2101, Phoenix AZ 85001.
Always include your name, address, occupation and employer.
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My Promise to You
Simply put, Get Your PHX is about supporting local businesses in CenPho. It is not about my campaign.
You should never feel that you can't come to a Get Your PHX event for fear that you will be hit up for a campaign contribution or lectured about state politics.
The Clark Report is about keeping you in touch with everything CenPho (or, at least everything CenPho that I have time to cover).
It is a monthly newsletter and it will stay that way. I will make announcements about the campaign, but the newsletter will maintain its original focus.
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November Get Your PHX: Hula's Modern Tiki
The goal of Get Your PHX is to show up, en masse, to support those who pioneer new restaurants, stores, bars and event spaces. We want to provide them a boost as they put their sweat, tears and wealth on the line to make life great downtown. Plus, we want to provide a chance for you to meet others like you, who want to get the most out of Phoenix. Thanks again to Cindy Gentry of the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar. It was inspiring to be in this new space, with its roots in a truly community-based drive for fresh, local food. I've waited far too long to highlight Hula's Modern Tiki, the new tiki bar at 4700 N. Central. This seems like a good time, as they are starting a new lunch service soon. Not many people know that Phoenix used to have a number of Tiki bars, established as people returned from WWII. The most famous of which is the Bikini Lounge, which has stood at 15th Ave. and Grand since 1948. Hula's stands a chance of reviving the old tradition in a tasteful way. I spoke with Dana Mule, the majority owner in the venture. Dana was raised in Phoenix and fell in love with the Hula's Island Grill and Tiki in Monterey, CA almost four years ago. He convinced the owners of that restaurant (and another in Santa Cruz) to partner with him on this venture. Much of the menu is the same, with some adaptation for Phoenix. It was, after all, the food that inspired Dana, so he did not want to change that too much. However, the decor and architecture is designed to reflect more of the urban culture of Phoenix. "Less kitschy, more modern," says Dana. It took Dana a year and a half to find the right location and he expects to be here for a long time. He told me how he used to drive past this old building as a kid and that he finds it odd to think that he will now spend much of his life working in it. As this is an adaptive reuse of a building that was a flower shop for 13 years, and countless businesses before that, Dana and his team had to deal with many of the difficulties you come to expect from adaptive reuse. "In some ways," says Dana, "the city was very helpful. In other ways, they were a pain." But, he says, he gives a lot of credit to Councilman Tom Simplot for helping them through the sticky points in the process. Please join us and learn more about Dana, his vision and his story. November Get Your PHXThursday, November 19th from 5:30 to 7:30Hula's Modern Tiki4700 N. CentralPhoenix, 85012Please RSVP to me via email or through Facebook so I can get an accurate count. |
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What NOLA Taught me about PHX
I went to New Orleans, LA, this weekend to celebrate my favorite holiday, Halloween, and to check out the city. I've never been.
This trip made me realize that Phoenix's best days are in the future and me much more excited about what we are building here.
I want to tell you why.
NOLA is a 300 year old city, founded by the French, ceded to the Spanish, taken back by the French, sold to the Americans and freed by the Yankees.
The Creole perspective is much like that of the Belgians --they've
lived under so many rulers that they seem to look at the world through
a softer lens.
We can't compete on history and age, so let's get that out of the way. Most of the homes there are older than our state: Greek Revival, French Colonial, American Colonial and Victorian.
The Big Easy's "chockers with culture," as the Aussies would say. Heck, their airport is named after Louis Armstrong. So, we can't try to squint our eyes and pretend that we can compete...yet.
 Architecturally, they have postcard perfect scenes of shuttered doors and tall, reaching columns. The home I stayed in was built in 1880, with 16 foot tall ceilings.
They weren't the ceilings like the ones we pointlessly put in McMansions out in the burbs here in Arizona. They were built so high to funnel heat upward and outward to cool the pre-air conditioning homes.
We, on the other hand, make a habit of tearing down most things built before 1970, despite having produced some of the finest architects of our age.
Despite this, I was not discouraged. I was not left engrossed in a lack of self-esteem for my state or my city.
It made me love the future even more.
As I walked around the intimate streets of the old city, I could see that folks there were trading on their past, and that only goes so far.
Don't get me wrong, I respect the aged elegance of it all. But time passes, and with it goes the memory of the traditions.
 The Marti Gras beads and fleur-de-lis in every shop, restaurant and Seven-Eleven have taken on a certain melancholy. With every year that passes, they seem to drift further and further away from their ancestral roots and slip desperately in to a Disney-like shadow of what they once were.
Phoenix, on the other hand, has so much left to write.
I don't accept for a minute that we are only ever to be the state of Barry Goldwater and the waning years of Frank Lloyd Wright. When I meet all of the artists, architects and business owners here, I can see that we are slowly edging our way to our own expression --our own mark on history. It will be bold, unforgettable, beyond the simple stereotypes that people hold of us and probably nothing like anything we can predict now.
That is why I never could have settled in Melbourne, Sarajevo or Germany, although it would have been easy to. Those places are all done. They are controlled by old families and old money. Here you can still have your say in what we are building.
And, despite the difficulty and inconvenience of it all, I think that life is richer when you create something, when you build something new.
To get to this grand future, we need three things. First, we need to know more about our history so we can express to people what makes us special.
Second, we need to invest in the people who live here and what they are creating through the arts and their businesses.
Finally, we need to address our infrastructure and sustainability. The very architecture around us defines how we think of ourselves and where we are going. No longer can we allow the slap-em-up-and-leave-em home builders and developers to run our state.
In the end, I am more inspired by our future now than I have ever been. Through Get Your PHX and living in CenPho, I've met so many people who share this vision that I can't help but be optimistic.
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In Other Market News...
October Market Trends
Short sales increase. People panic buy. Watch for the post-tax credit hang over as a good time to buy.
Green Building --Affordably
The local USGBC will be hosting an event on building affordable green housing at the GreenBuild Conference.
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CenPho Community
Certified Local Harvest Festival
It's happening tomorrow, so don't miss the Certified Local Harvest Festival, put on by Local First, AZ. I will be there, for sure.
Phoenix Children's Hospital Goes Green
See how the new Children's Hospital facility is taking steps to save energy.
Civility in Politics
Walter Kronkite, Thomas Jefferson and CNN Commentator John Alvon walk in to this bar...
Don't Make Clean Elections the Scapegoat
Too many commentators blame our divided legislature on Clean Elections. They usually don't remember what it was like before Clean Elections and forget the role of redistricting.
Sustainable Nosh in PHX
Find the best places to eat that satisfy your desire to live sustainably.
Green Streets FestivalIn coordination with the GreenBuild Conference, Roosevelt Row is hosting a huge festival downtown. I guess I'd better ride my bike over.
Taste of DowntownDon't miss the November 17th Taste of Downtown. Yes, we have food here! Some incredible food, at that!
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Final Words, Compliance and Other Legal Stuff
As always, I respect your right not to be bothered with annoying spam email. If you would like to be removed from my email list, just let me know. Thanks!
And in order to be in compliance with state election law, I should say that the portion of this email that is used to talk about my campaign is paid for by the Ken Clark Leadership Committee, Hon. Sam Coppersmith, Chair.
Sincerely,
Ken Clark
  
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Organizations Worth Supporting
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