Greetings,
Hope everyone is doing well. I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the support you have given me as your CELA President this year. It has been a very busy year, and would like to share some of the successes we have had so far. As a reminder to our membership that last July 2018, CELA signed a Pass-Through Membership Agreement with the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE). CELA annual dues are now $50 per year, which includes AACE membership. Please make sure to inform your organization that they do not need to renew your AACE membership, only your CELA membership.
Last August, CELA held a two-day conference for Code Enforcement professionals in Avondale, AZ, which was a success. The two-day conference also came with CEU’s that can be used for your ICC Certification Renewals, which is a benefit of the CELA/AACE Partnership. Thanks to those who submitted a survey response on the two-day conference. CELA takes those reviews into consideration when planning future trainings. With that said, I would highly recommend that our members forward training recommendations to anyone on the Board of Directors. CELA is already in the planning stages for the CELA Spring Conference, to be held in April 2019 in the Phoenix area. Our goal as your professional organization is provide requested/needed training to our members. A reminder for anyone who is interested in taking the ICC Zoning Inspector and ICC Property Maintenance & Housing Inspector exams, a preparation class is scheduled for Wednesday, November 14, 2018 in Goodyear, AZ. Registration is now open on the CELA website.
A reminder that the CELA election ballots have been mailed to every member in good standing, at the address on file with CELA. Please make sure to cast your vote and return your ballots before October 30, 2018. Voting is essential so you can choose who you want to represent you on the CELA Board of Directors for the next calendar year. The annual business meeting for CELA has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 14, 2018 from 12pm to 1pm. Lunch will be catered and all active CELA members are invited to attend. Please make sure that you RSVP via the CELA website, that we have enough food for everyone. Election results will be provided at the annual business meeting.
Congratulations to the Level I Academy graduates! The academy was held two days a week from September 5th through September 20th in Chandler. More information on page 9 of this newsletter.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the Board that has graciously volunteered their time to make sure that the trainings and the operations of this professional organization are running smoothly. The board members are 1st Vice-President Lupe Laborin-Romero (City of Goodyear), 2nd Vice-President Gail Bosgieter, (City of Goodyear), 3rd Vice President Gregory Arrington (Town of Youngtown), Past President Stephen Erno (City of Chandler), Secretary Frank Alvino (Town of Gilbert) and Treasurer Martha Ortiz (City of Avondale). I am proud to be working alongside these extremely talented professionals!
As a reminder, in addition to their regular job duties, each of the board members volunteer their time to CELA. We are always seeking for additional help. As dedicated as your board members are, we cannot do it alone. I encourage and challenge each of our members to get involved with CELA by serving on the board, joining a committee, or by simply contacting any board member with your comments or suggestions. Finally, a reminder that AACE Annual Conference is being held in Broomfield, CO from October 29th to November 2nd. Registration information is available on the AACE website.
I appreciate your continued support of the organization and look forward to seeing you at the upcoming training opportunities!
Sincerely,
Victor Martinez, President
Code Enforcement League of Arizona