251008_CEC MEETING MINUTES.PDF

Minutes of the Community Engagement & Connection Council Subcommittee meeting 
held on Oct. 8, 2025, 4:00 p.m., Hybrid Meeting – Tempe City Hall, 31 E. Fifth St.,3rd floor 
conference room and virtually through Microsoft Teams 
 
Members Present: 
 
 
 
 
 
Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid – Chair 
Councilmember Arlene Chin 
Councilmember Nikki Amberg 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
City Staff Present: 
Rosa Inchausti, City Manager 
Eric Anderson, City Attorney 
Kara DeArrastia, City Clerk 
Greg Ruiz, Interim Chief Deputy City Manager 
Lisette Camacho, Deputy City Manager/CFO 
Darrell Duty, Interim Fire Chief 
Jared Morris, IT Director 
Dr. Velicia Humes, Chief Diversity Officer 
Kris Baxter, Director, Communications & Marketing 
Tim Burch, Director, Community Health and Human Services 
Mary Mezey, Deputy Director, Community Health and Human Services 
Octavia Harris, Deputy Director, Community Health and Human Services 
Jessica Jupitus, Deputy Director, Community Services 
Shawn Wagner, Deputy Director, Community Services 
Julie Heitter, Administrative Manager, Community Services 
Brianne Fisher, Manager, Transportation & Sustainability 
Tara Ford, Public Works Director 
Maegan Pardue, Public Information Officer 
Wydale Holmes, Director, Strategic Management and Innovative Office 
Shauna Warner, Neighborhood Services Director 
Melissa Westbrook, Council Assistant 
Ty Lee, Council Assistant 
Parrish Spisz, Council Assistant 
Kimberly Sotelo, Sr. Management Assistant 
Mariana Pena, Mayor’s Assistant 
 
Minutes  
Community Engagement & Connection Council 
Subcommittee 
Oct. 8, 2025

Stakeholders: 
Dr. Elisa Kawam 
Candyce Lindsay, Human Relations Commissioner 
Suri Wall, Neighborhood Advisory Commissioner 
Lane Carraway, Neighborhood Advisory Commissioner 
Gace Wombacher, Mayors Youth Advisory Commissioner 
Braden Castaneda, Mayors Youth Advisory Commissioner 
Julie Kent 
 
Members of the Public: 
Elizabeth Stewart 
Michael Zamora 
Jana Lynn Granillo 
Diane Melrose 
Jan Doughty  
Deb Zajac 
Tim Gomez 
Evelyn Ochoa 
Trinity Slabbekoorn 
Alexandra Albert 
Tom Brown 
 
Call to Order: 4:00 p.m. 
 
 
 
 
 
Agenda Item 1 – Public Appearances 
Deb Zajac, Tempe Resident, expressed critical feedback on the lack of direct response to 
questions by Council and City Staff. Not hearing directly from Council or receiving non-specific 
answers to questions creates a feeling of not being heard. Also consider uploading meetings to 
YouTube and more moderated events. 
 
Agenda Item 2 – Welcome and Introductions 
Vice Mayor Garlid welcomed everyone, and each Council subcommittee members and 
stakeholder introduced themselves. Vice Mayor Garlid made an opening statement that 
described the subcommittee’s purpose and the goals of the subcommittee to create stronger 
community relationships and connections, increase community involvement, and make kindness 
cool. 
 
 
Agenda Item 3 – Loneliness and Its Impact: A Time to Act and Care 
ASU Professor, Dr. Elisa Kawam presented the issue of loneliness and its effects on society. 
The presentation highlighted the importance of understanding loneliness and disconnection. It’s 
distinct from solitude in that it’s caused by the lack of meaningful relationships. It’s powerful 
because humans are hardwired for connection and community. Those experiencing loneliness 
often develop serious health outcomes and vulnerability. Lack of connection can shape how we 
feel about ourselves and community. It can be stigmatizing and traumatic. 
 
Research on the topic reports that 37.4 percent of American adults experience moderate to 
severe loneliness with older adults aged 50-80 years old reporting high levels of feeling a lack of

companionship and social isolation. Housing instability can affect feelings of social 
disconnection, voter participation, and loneliness. Loneliness impacts physical and mental 
health, increases depression and anxiety and is comparable to the risks of smoking and obesity. 
Social outcomes can be seen as weakening neighborhood ties and reducing trust in others and 
public institutions making civic participation less likely. 
 
Loneliness is a public responsibility. Cities are uniquely positioned to reduce it by investing in 
connections to create healthier, more resilient communities. Think - a legacy mindset. 
Loneliness matters because it is about mind, body, safety, security, and meaning. It’s 
preventable and treatable. 
 
Discussion followed the presentation: 
There was consensus that connection and engagement is important. The question is - how do 
we bring people in? People need to feel valued. Education on how to attend a public meeting 
and what to expect would be helpful because they can be intimidating. Tutorial videos could be 
considered. Besides apathy, there are people who might have participated in the past who felt 
they weren’t heard and withdrew from civic involvement. The question was raised what is the 
correlation between loneliness and anger? (More research on this topic will be shared at a later 
date). An idea for consideration was proposed – What if the Mayor and Council sent a letter to 
new residents welcoming them to the community? Barriers to participating can be economic, 
due to family obligations, or climate. There was agreement on the importance of showing people 
you care. 
 
 
Agenda Item 4 – Council Subcommittee Meeting Schedule 
Current direction is to schedule the next two meetings in early November and December, if 
possible. 
 
Agenda Item 5 – Future Agenda Items 
The Council subcommittee suggested a presentation from the Youth Commissioners on their 
perspective of engagement and connection. 
 
Next meeting date: TBD  
 
 
Meeting adjourned at 5:01 p.m. 
Prepared by:   Parrish Spisz, Council Assistant, (480) 350-8599 
Reviewed by: Tanya Chavez, Mayor and Council Relations Director, (480) 858-2215