Inside Coconino update for Oct. 6

I am Rashida Suminski, the Public Fiduciary Director for Coconino County. I recently joined the County on May 30, 2017, where I have the pleasure to continue my role as the Public Fiduciary Director, in a larger and more diverse County. I am honored to serve the citizens of this great County.

Prior to relocating to Flagstaff, I was the Public Fiduciary Director for Mohave County. I worked for Mohave County for ten years, all of which were in the in the Public Fiduciary’s office. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University. I am a National Certified Guardian as well as a Licensed Fiduciary through the Arizona Office of the Courts.

I have spent my professional career protecting the most vulnerable adult citizens of our State. I am truly dedicated to making a difference in the people’s lives that we serve. The incredibly talented group of staff that I have the pleasure of leading, work above and beyond to ensure the County’s wards are safe, protected, and thriving in the best environment possible.

My long-term experience in this field has been a great addition to this department. I empower my staff with knowledge, and decision-making skills, in approaching the management of their Ward caseloads. I strongly support collaboration of ideas, as well as “out of the box” thinking, when solving complex issues.

Most people do not know exactly what the Public Fiduciary’s Office does for the community in Coconino County. The Public Fiduciary is Court appointed Guardian and/or Conservator for vulnerable adults that have been deemed incapacitated as defined pursuant to statute. The Public Fiduciary is an appointed position and serves at the pleasure of the Board.

The vulnerable adults that we serve are those with Developmental Disabilities, Serious Mental Illness, and the Elderly population suffering from cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Our department works directly with external agencies such as Adult Protective Services, Flagstaff Medical Center, Flagstaff Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s office.

I look forward to my continued work with the internal and external agencies we interface with daily, in a collaborative effort to protect the vulnerable citizens of Coconino County.

I’m pleased to also introduce this week’s edition of Inside Coconino in which you will also find:

·    Supervisors support DACA

·    Special CodeRED for employees

·    Soup with the Supervisor

·    and much more…

Rashida Suminski

Public Fiduciary

The Board of Supervisors recently voted unanimously in favor of congressional action on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program last week at their board meeting.

The recent repeal of DACA prompted the Board to reemphasize the importance of protecting the rights of approximately 57,000 DACA eligible Arizonans who qualify under the act. It is estimated that DREAMers could grow the Coconino County and Arizona economy over the next ten years.

“It is essential we provide DACA students the support they need to find their own opportunities for success that America has founded itself on.” said chairwoman of the board Liz Archuleta.

The system will be used to send general notifications and more importantly, emergency notifications in the event of an event involving county buildings or locations. This system is only for employees to receive delayed start notifications or other alerts.

You must manually opt in to receive these alerts on your

desk line, mobile phone, email and work address. If you are on patrol, please use your office location. This will be a separate login and password to an existing registration you may have in CodeRED.

How to sign up:

1) Go to https://public.coderedweb.com/CGE/BF7C58503316

2) Input your Coconino County or State email address

3) Select “No, I am new” – Create a password

4) Enter your worksite address. (not your home)

5) Enter your phone numbers

6) Select “ALL EMPLOYEE CONTACT” group.

7) Review and submit.

Soup with the Supervisor

The County has a new Facebook Live segment! Each week, a different supervisor will pick discusses county issues over a warm bowl of soup at a local restaurant in their district. This is a way for Supervisors to educate the public on relevant topics within the County and their respective districts.

Check out the segments first episode with Supervisor Archuleta here. Follow Coconino County on Facebook for future episodes!

Flagstaff furthered this movement by becoming the first International Dark Sky Place in 2001. Presently, there are 15 total Dark Sky Places in the world, including the more recent additions of Sedona, Big Park and Oak Creek, AZ.

You can learn more about the Dark Sky movement at www.darksky.org, or contact them through social media.

Sustainable Building and Water Conservation Tour

The Coconino County Sustainable Building Program, in partnership with Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, City of Flagstaff Water Services, City of Flagstaff Sustainability Program and the Coconino Plateau Watershed Partnership, hosted the 13^th annual Sustainable Building and Water Conservation Tour on Sept. 30. 250 participants came out to learn about the sustainable building techniques and materials utilized in the eight projects that were part of this year’s tour.

The highlighted projects included water conserving methods such as rainwater catchment, greywater systems, xeriscaping and low flow fixtures. Participants explored a tiny house and toured Willow Bend’s building and gardens.

The self-guided tour also featured six other projects open to the public, including a shipping container home, a sustainable farming and experiential education project, and homes showcasing passive solar design, solar PV, solar thermal, air sealing, advanced insulation and more.

Get your hiking shoes and explore the beautiful colors of Coconino County!