Julie Cieniawski Talks About What She Would Do as the Next Supervisor for Maricopa County District Two 

Educator Julie Cieniawski would like to bring “ethical local governance led by thoughtful decision-making” to District Two of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. A teacher, Scottsdale Unified School District Governing board member, and Vice Chair for The Family Promise of Greater Phoenix that aids the homeless, she pledges, if elected, to “be a solution-oriented individual and prioritize seeking comprehensive input from those impacted by the decision, before making decisions on behalf of our communities and county employees.” If chosen to serve on the board, she will focus her attention on supporting: 

• Fostering economic vitality.
• Access to the ballot box and authentically certifying the outcome of our elections.
• The protection of natural resources. 
• Healthy and safe communities. 
• Quality affordable housing. 
• Enhanced education investment for early childhood and workforce training for future-focused jobs.
• Quality affordable childcare with embedded early learning opportunities

Ms. Cieniawski graciously took the time to discuss her candidacy for District Two of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The questions and her responses are below. 

• Please tell the readers about yourself and why you want to become a Maricopa County Supervisor in District Two.  

*“I am a first-generation college graduate with both my Bachelors of Science and my Masters in Education from the University of Minnesota. I moved here 36 years ago and have worked and lived in both Mesa and Scottsdale. I currently reside in Scottdale with my husband of 29 years. We have raised our two adult children here who also attended our local district public schools.”

“I have been a career public school teacher (at mostly the middle school level) and have invested many hours outside of the classroom supporting others while serving as a scout leader, and athletic coach, served in assorted district, local, state, and national-level leadership roles.”

“I am not a stranger to leadership or engaging in challenging roles. I am running for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors because local governance is the fabric of democracy. It is interwoven with the consideration of assorted needs, interests, budgetary constraints, and the responsibility of making tough and important decisions to benefit our future.  What makes that fabric strong is our community’s interest in working together to solve the problems we face today and creating solutions that will benefit us all tomorrow.  I take the well-being of our community seriously.  My interest in supporting children, families, and our most vulnerable individuals throughout our community continues to guide my reason for service. I will bring a strong and different voice and an authentic form of leadership to Maricopa County, one that demonstrates respect for the unique needs of our varied communities, one that respects the citizens’ interest to feel safe and be treated with dignity.” 

“I want to become the next Maricopa County Board of Supervisor to ensure the very important decisions that will be made in that capacity, are made by an individual who will put the interests and needs of our community before personal gain or extreme political agenda.  The residents of Maricopa County deserve a representative who seeks to solve problems and provide a voice to those who will be impacted by the decisions made at the county level.”    

“I have always been a very strong leader focused on those I represent and I think that is what’s going to make me a great official on the Board Supervisors. That is what makes a better leader and what’s necessary to move progress forward.” 

•  Please explain to the reader what the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors does and how it impacts their lives. 

“Well, basically it sets and distributes the budget of Maricopa County based on our determined priorities. That’s roughly determining the direction of $4.5 billion to over 40 departments, with 13,000 team members.  If you value decisions made regarding community safety, access to affordable and quality healthcare, issues relating to the justice system, animal and flood control, community development, levy taxes, education, parks, the environment, resources, licensing, general municipal services, infrastructure, and very importantly certifying the outcome of our elections. It’s one of those positions that has flown under the radar in importance and that’s unfortunate because that’s how we end up having poor leaders in important positions.”

“Again, allocating $4.5 billion is an enormous responsibility but I think our success is really dependent on great representation. I think it’s really important that folks understand how their government works and the roles and responsibilities we all hold in supporting effective governance.  The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors can provide a positive influence in lifting up individual’s lives, just stepping outside and looking around in the summer heat that we’re having so early this year and I wonder what are we doing to support issues of housing for people who don’t have a safe place that’s away from the extreme heat.” “One of my passion projects has been family homelessness issues. As a teacher, I’ve seen students impacted by homelessness.  I’ve had students in my classroom who were hiding the fact that they were homeless because their mother thought that if this was disclosed, the children would be taken from them and I clearly understood that was not in the best interest of the children.  Keeping children with their parents or trusted care providers helps regulate human functions and provides a supportive impact on learning. I understand how our Child Protective Services and our foster care center systems are overwhelmed and can create stress in a child’s life. I bring up this issue of family homelessness and homelessness in general because this is an issue that has not just happened overnight. I think the Board of Supervisors can better address these issues by enhancing mental health and addiction services and making sure we’re creating and approving housing development projects that provide assorted living opportunities regardless of income or family situation. I have the will to address these serious issues with creativity and with the input of experts because what we’ve been doing isn’t improving our human condition.  We’re not addressing some really important issues and people are dying because of it.” 

• What are two or three issues you’ll be running on in this campaign? Please explain. 

Though all of the decisions imparted on the BOS are important, the main issues of concern fall within the priorities of safeguarding the integrity of our election process, promoting accessibility to affordable and sustainable housing, and supporting endeavors that ensure our residents have healthy and safe communities, and accessible affordable housing, and access to education, are a few important topics I plan to prioritize once elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. 

“I think it’s really important for us to have community leadership that is focused on displaying integrity and respect throughout their role of service in our community and while on the Board of Supervisors.  Decisions being made really are being made for the best interest of our communities and not merely for the personal gain of leaders. I don’t consider myself a politician, merely a committed community leader wanting to roll up my sleeves, address the needs of our community, and return civility back to leadership and our community.  I believe I am one of the only candidates running for this specific position that doesn’t have business or personal gain at stake. I think that it’s important to recognize that the issues I’m genuinely concerned about really do provide benefit to others and will improve the human condition for all Maricopa County residents.” 

“Education is vital to the success of our future. Investing in our children in their formative years by providing affordable, quality childcare and early learning experiences provides the best return on investment and saves lives and public money in the long run (education vs. incarceration).  

Whether support comes through direct funding or creating and nurturing private/public partnerships, advancing the capacity of the residents of Maricopa County provides an extremely high Return on Investment and ultimately fosters a vital and thriving economy.”  

 “I believe the area the BOS provides oversight to, that has the most untapped potential, is education.  Whether it’s early childhood education, workforce development, efforts to improve future job skills for those incarcerated or providing affordable accessible childcare so families don’t have to decide where they’re going to be dropping their kids off while they go to work, especially here in the summertime.” “Again, affordable housing, education, and ensuring our residents experience a safe and healthy quality of life are key elements to improve our communities. There are many other important issues like using our natural resources and open spaces. Making sure that we provide community members with quality jobs that provide decent wages and benefits to live merely beyond just paying their bills, is also important.” “I think we need to carefully examine our ability to alleviate the consequences of extreme heat on people.  Whether work-induced or housing options, the availability to secure a life experience protected from extreme weather and environmental stressors is vital to the health of our community. I think we need to be looking at incentives for developers and work with municipalities to be building differently and making sure development projects and their codes are in place to honor some creative, environmentally friendly, housing opportunities throughout all of our communities not just those closest to the freeways or in undesired areas.” “I think it’s important to make sure that the decisions that are being made are being made with collaboration from those who are impacted by the decisions.” 

• Please explain at least two reasons the voters should choose you over your opponent.

“I think it’s very important that we have community-focused leadership in all positions throughout our government and I do not believe we currently do. I mentioned earlier that I have been involved in service to our community and investing in our children and our families throughout my adult life and I think that a service-driven model is really important in leadership. I understand the importance of communication and I understand the importance of thinking about things differently and being open-minded to new ideas to elicit better results. I consider myself a very effective problem solver. I listen. I seek information. I pay attention to the data and I’m able to make decisions even when placed under great pressure. I think some of that is because of my years as a middle school teacher and dealing with middle school students so effectively.  I think that really has helped me in the various leadership roles that I’ve taken on in our community.” 

• Please explain your get-off-the-vote operation and how your campaign will appeal to Democrats Independents of like-minded Republicans.

“I appreciate this question a lot because this is the challenge, especially throughout such a vast geographic area that the Board of Supervisors District Two represents. Some of the areas are indigenous territories and some are unincorporated communities. There are at least six legislative districts in it and all of those communities throughout B2 are very diverse. I can’t come into this saying here’s the plan. I do have the plan though of getting out the vote by meeting people where they gather. I think it’s really important to meet with people face-to-face and not just using social media. Though social media can be relevant to any successful campaign, but it is also putting the right people in place that are going to support these efforts. That is already underway, and we have received great support since coming into this race, on the last day of February this year, we have hit the ground running and I’m going to continue to work hard like I always have in any position I have either sought or served.” 

• Is there anything not covered in the first five questions you would like readers to know about you and your candidacy for Maricopa County Supervisor? Please explain.

“I think my work experience and my dedication to our community is most telling about my interests in serving on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. I will continue to choose to see people with respect, treat them with dignity, and include them in the decision-making process. I think that’s really important especially in this day and age where people are not always given factual information. I’ve always been a person willing to meet with people out in the community, like I mentioned before, where they gather is where I’m happy to reach out to them. I think it’s important for people to understand that I am the best choice for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors District Two. I’m in this to support our community and stay future-focused in decision-making and make sure the employees of Maricopa County, our state, and our local communities are well represented.” “If anyone ever has any questions, they can go to JulieCforAz.com or they can also reach me through my email for my Campaign which is JulieCforAz@gmail.com. I’m willing to listen and pay attention to them, I really want us to have a better future and that’s what my motives are in running for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.