Past President Aaron McDermid welcomed visiting Rotarian Dave Murray of the Thunder Bay, Ontario Rotary club. We also welcomed as a club guests Danita Rios, guest of Jack Beveridge and a prospective Rotary member and our speaker of the day, Joel Stern, AJ City Attorney.
1. Aaron McDermid is filling in today as President in the absence of Len LaFlesch.
2. Sharon Stinard reported that she and Len presented 10 Rotary scholarships each worth $500 to 10 graduating seniors at Apache Junction HS. Sharon is expecting additional applications from students at Imagine Charter School, Apache Trail HS and Central Arizona College.
3. Aaron inducted our newest member - Jacquie Smith of the Arizona Water Company. Welcome to Rotary Jacquie!
4. Bill Burrows brought us the news of the day.
5. Bill Burrows won the drawing and $10 but drew the king of clubs. So the pot - worth $189 today - continues to grow.
Apache Junction Assistant City Manager Bryant Powell introduced our speaker, Joel Stern. Joel is a Univ. of AZ law school graduate who has been with the city of Apache Junction as City Attorney for 16 1/2 years. Prior to coming here, he was one of the city attorneys in Riverside, CA.
Joel handed out a packet of information that he uses with the Citizen Leadership Institute in Apache Junction. One handout described the responsibilities of the City Attorney in his role as the legal advisor to the AJ City Council, Boards and staff and his other role as the Prosecutor for all misdemeanor crimes committed in AJ. Attached was a list of the number of misdemeanor charges brought in various categories over the 2013 calendar year. The most numerous were assaults, disorderly conduct, driving with a suspended license, failure to appear in court, shoplifting, criminal damage, and speeding. He also handed out detailed descriptions of Public Records law, Open Meeting Law and Conflict of Interest Law which would be of particular interest to persons engaged in public governance.
In general for Pinal County cities, felony prosecutions are handled by the Pinal County Attorney's Office while misdemeanor offenses are handled by the City Attorneys. Non-incorporated areas like Gold Canyon have both felonies and misdemeanors handled by Pinal County attorneys. Joel is assisted in his work by 2 Criminal Legal Aides and 2 Civil Legal Aides.
Nearby Rotary Clubs that might be useful for meeting makeup attendance. You can find the meeting times and locations for Rotary clubs throughout the world by going to the Rotary International website (www.rotary.org) and clicking on "Club Locator" in the upper right corner of the screen.
Mesa East Rotary Club: Mondays at 12:00 p.m.
Superstition Springs Golf Club, 6542 E. Baseline, Mesa (16 miles)
Gilbert Rotary Club: Thursdays at 7:00 a.m.
The Henhouse Cafe, 3244 E. Guadalupe Rd., Gilbert, AZ (20 miles)
Mesa West Rotary Club: Thursdays at 12:10 p.m.
Hilton Phoenix East-Mesa, 1011 W. Holmes Ave.,Mesa (24 miles)
Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club: Wednesdays at 7:00 a.m.
Banner Health Business Center, 525 W. Brown Rd., Mesa
Tempe South Rotary Club: Fridays at 6:45 a.m.
Friendship Village, 2645 E. Southern Ave., Tempe (26 miles)
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