Sun City West resident Mike Cassandra seeks seat on governing board

Mike Cassandra, a Sun City West resident and candidate for the Sun City West Governing Board, presented a recorded candidate statement describing his background and reasons for running and asked voters to support him on March 30.

Cassandra said he moved to Sun City West in 2010 with his wife after retiring and chose the community for its amenities. "We picked Sun City West after looking at several communities near here," he said, noting that his parents lived in Sun City and that the community has proven a good fit over the years.

Cassandra said he is originally from North Dakota and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota, majoring in history and political science. He described a career of more than 40 years with the Great Northern Railroad, which he said was a predecessor of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and said he held management and operating positions in Montana, Washington, Colorado and Wyoming.

"I was responsible for many groups of workers, safety, budget, customer relations, local state and federal government relations that pertained to the railroad and general operations for my specific area on the railroad," he said. He also said he "hired several 100 employees and was responsible for their training," framing that experience as management and personnel oversight relevant to board work.

Cassandra described active community involvement, listing memberships in golf, computer, automotive restoration, railroad, tennis and photography clubs and saying he has held officer positions including president, vice president and other board roles. He said he has served on board committees including Election, Long Range Planning and Properties for the last two years and that he attends governing board meetings often, watching online when he cannot attend in person.

He said he has been a resident for more than 15 years and has developed relationships with several board members and staff. "I believe that Sun City West has done a good job keeping our facilities and infrastructure up to date," Cassandra said. "It is imperative that we do not fall behind in these areas." He added that the community has sometimes been "reactive rather than proactive" and said his prior work experience would be an asset in addressing ongoing issues.

Cassandra closed by asking for support in the upcoming vote: "I ask for your support and vote on March 30." The transcript contains a single candidate statement; no additional debate or opposing commentary is recorded in this file.