John D'Anna, Mesa columnist(Photo: The Republic)

Story Highlights

  • Mesa badge Swat aggregation associates cavalcade a heart-wrenching video of their #Ice Brazier Challenge
  • A annular up of key Mesa political races

If you're like me, you've apparent a hundred of the alleged "ice-bucket challenges" afloat beyond your Facebook augment and maybe alike done one yourself.

Mine was, to say the least, invigorating. So abundant so that I about didn't apprehension the shrinkage.

But it's for a acceptable cause: adopting acquaintance — and money — for a abhorrent ache alleged ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

I'll accept my video wasn't about as artistic as the one by Arizona Coyotes boxy guy Paul Bissonnette, who stood on a mountaintop cutting alone a Speedo and ice skates and had berg baptize dumped on him from a helicopter.

Nor was abundance as absorbing as the one of the 2-year-old who amount of factly narrates her own challenge, again drops an F-bomb back she's hit with ice water.

Up until this week, I didn't anticipate the videos could get any bigger than that.

Then I saw what our men and women in dejected did.

The Mesa Badge SWAT aggregation did its own adaptation of the challenge. Cutting their uniforms and gear, they ample two massive front-end loaders with ice and water, again stood accept to accept below the automated buckets.

On cue, the two dozen admiral were decrepit with hundreds of gallons of ice water.

At the end of their video, which you can acquisition on YouTube, their afflatus becomes clear.

"In anamnesis of Administrator Mark Kelly, Mesa Badge Department. E.O.W. (end of watch) Sep 18, 2011."

You may bethink that Kelly died of ALS, abrogation a adolescent family. As his ache progressed, he was beneath and beneath able to backpack out his duties as a badge administrator and was assigned to board duty. But alike that became too much, and he was faced with the anticipation of demography a medical retirement.

But that would accept meant his ancestors would alone be acceptable for bisected the allowances they would accept accustomed if he died on alive duty.

What happened abutting was extraordinary. Hundreds of Mesa burghal employees, abounding of whom had never met Kelly, donated bare vacation time to him, acceptance him to abide on alive assignment until the ache took him and acceptance his added and four baby accouchement to aggregate abounding benefits.

RELATED: Back the absoluteness of ALS hits you harder than a brazier of ice water

So maybe accepting abolished with a brazier of ice baptize isn't for you. But you can still help. Every year, the Arizona affiliate of the ALS Association hosts a fundraising walk. This year's is Oct. 11 in Scottsdale, but they assure me Mesa association are welcome. I'll see you there. Info: alsaz.org or 602-297-3800.

Election rewind ... A few thoughts from Tuesday's election:

• From the top of the admission on down, it was nice to absolutely be able to vote for bodies for a change instead of actuality affected to accept the bottom of two (or more) evils.

• David Luna became the aboriginal Latino to be adopted to the Mesa Burghal Council. Ever. It was continued overdue, and it's a acclaim to his adamantine assignment and adherence to our city.

• The ambassador and board contest were a archetypal of civility. Kudos to all of the candidates. Let's achievement your archetype trickles up the aliment chain.

• The Russell Pearce agency didn't arise to be abundant of a factor. In the District 25 House race, he dissed Michelle Udall, who absent almost to Rusty Bowers; and he accustomed Justin Olson, who accomplished aboriginal overall. He declared Bowers and candidates Haydee Dawson and Jerry Walker as accompany but didn't accomplish an endorsement. Dawson and Walker are abutting Pearce allies. Combined, they got beneath than bisected of the votes Udall got. Pearce put a lot of accomplishment (and money) abaft Ralph Heap, who was active for Pearce's old Senate seat. Heap absent by a advanced allowance to bounden Bob Worsley. Pearce additionally backed Danny Ray for mayor, but John Giles, who was active in Pearce's adjournment from the accompaniment Senate, won handily.

John D'Anna's cavalcade appears online every Friday and in book on Saturdays. To abide an item, accommodate it in your ice-bucket claiming video. Or aloof e-mail john.danna@arizonarepublic.com. Follow John on Twitter @azgreenday.

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