18 MARCH 2023 show and podcast. samstone.vote Kevin began his career as a patrol officer in Arcadia in 1980. He was Assistant Police Chief for 13 years. Kevin was awarded the Medal of Valor and the Medal of Merit, the two highest citations for heroism and bravery. Kevin has served on the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona board for over a decade. He has served on the community board for the Arizona Supreme Court Judicial Council, the Arizona Police Officers Standards and Training Board, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Community Advisory Board. He is currently a lecturer at ASU’s Watts College, where he teaches in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. kevinrobinsonforphoenix.com On March 14, the City of Phoenix will conduct a Runoff Election where city voters in Districts 6 and 8 will elect their Council Member. This election is happening because no candidates for this office received a majority of votes in the Council Election held in November 2022. The candidate with the highest votes in the Runoff Election will take office for a four-year term beginning April 17, 2023. Below is a bit of information provided by the candidates for Arcadia’s District 6, Sam Stone and Kevin Robinson: Sam’s family moved to Arizona 30 years ago. He’s been a resident of District 6 for the last four years. He is a small business owner and self-proclaimed sports nut and policy geek. For the last 4.5 years, he served as Councilman Sal DiCiccio’s chief-of- staff, helping craft and guide policy for the office. He has also served as the Director of the Civics Education Initiative at the Joe Foss Institute and runs several local and federal candidate campaigns. Sam also hosts the Breaking Battlegrounds radio Kevin Robinson By Rachael Bouley Arcadia sophomore Vessa Turley and her tennis partner, Notre Dame Prep sophomore Georgia Cranford, have had a busy season stacking up their accolades. Most recently, the duo became the first Arcadia junior players to win two national and international titles back to back under the United States Tennis Association. Vessa and Georgia won the Eddie Herr International Tournament in December 2022. They went into the 16 & under girls’ competition unseeded and came away as doubles champions. The dynamic duo carried this momentum into the USTA National Winter Championships, securing a first-place finish in clay court doubles for their age group in January. Vessa and Georgia made the USTA Southwest Section very proud, becoming the first juniors from the region to make it through the second round at Eddie Herr and win two national titles in 30 days. Before these events, they had only played doubles together a few times, although they’ve known each other since they were eight years old and squared off in the AIA State Championships as singles last year. Vessa recognizes the Eddie Herr competition as a huge highlight for her blossoming tennis career. “It brought me a lot more confidence toward my doubles game and made me want to improve and win more,” Vessa said. “The biggest highlights were beating the top seed in the semi-finals and playing our best.” Vessa said that beating the semi-finals was the push they needed going into the finals. “That gave us more confidence,” she said. “We didn’t drop one set; even if we got down, we continued to push and try our best.” Vessa finished second in the 14s the previous year, which motivated her even more. She hopes to reach the top 300 International Tennis Federation juniors world ranking and take her skills to the next level while embracing tournament opportunities with a duo that’s proven tough to beat. “The best part of playing doubles is having Georgia on the court,” Vessa explained. “We’re able to communicate and help each other, which takes a lot of pressure off us. It helps us be more comfortable on the court. We have our own strengths, so we can combine them during the match.” Eddie Herr marked Georgia’s first significant doubles win in a high-level tournament. “Winning the Winter Nationals Championship and the coveted gold ball was a dream come true,” Georgia said. She hopes to continue improving her game to prepare for college and professional tennis. Regardless of the future, Georgia looks forward to making more memories with Vessa on and off the court. “Being able to share the court with a close friend is the best part,” Georgia added. “I love that we can lift each other and work as a team to win big titles such as Eddie Herr and Winter Nationals.” Sam Stone District 6 Runoff Election on March 14 Tennis starts with friendship – on and off the court Vessa Turley and Georgia Cranford celebrate their doubles tennis win at the USTA National Winter Championships. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW TURLEY Learn more at phoenix.gov and find your polling place at elections.maricopa.gov/voting. L E T T H E G A M E S B E G I N! S P O N S O RS H I P S A N D R E G I S T R AT I O N B F K D I V I S I O N Commercial Real Estate Sean Doyle | sdoyle@saguaros.com A B C D I V I S I O N Residential Real Estate Jonah Joffe | jjoffe@saguaros.com A L L P RO C E E D S B E N E F I T T H E S AG UA RO S C H I L D R E N ’ S C H A R I T I E S F O U N DAT I O N . S A G U A R O S . C O M Mark your calendar for The Saguaros’ 24th annual Olympiad on April 14, 2023. Only one team can take home the coveted Saguaro Cup—will the winning team be yours? Sponsorships are available for both the Agents Benefiting Children (ABC) and Brokers for Kids (BFK) divisions. A N N U A L O L Y M P I A D F R I DAY, A P R I L 14 T H | S C OT T S DA L E S TA D I U M 20 23