Mesa District 5 Councilwoman Dina Higgins has been appointed as vice chair of the National League of Cities’ Energy, Environment and Natural Resources (EENR) Committee for 2013, according to a news release.

A third candidate for Mesa’s District 5 City Council seat has signaled plans to enter the race.

Dina Higgins, who ran a grassroots campaign for Mesa City Council, outdistanced opponent Phil Austin by a wide margin Tuesday night to win the District 5 council race. Higgins, an engineer and past chair of the city’s Board of Adjustment, prevailed with 58 percent of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

Shaking an endless number of hands. Chatting with residents in grocery store checkout lanes and Little League games. Evidently, and to many people’s surprise, that strategy was good enough for City Council candidate Dina Higgins, who emerged as the clear leader in the only three-way council race in Mesa.

Fresh Start Women's Foundation East Valley executive council recently announced the 2011 honorees for the East Valley Man and Woman of the Year.

Mesa Councilwoman Dina Higgins was appointed to the American Public Gas Association’s board of directors during the organization’s annual meeting.

Christopher Glover was sworn in as the newest councilman in Mesa, taking the oath from his parents during a ceremony on Monday. Glover represents District 4, which covers central and downtown Mesa. He replaces Kyle Jones, who was prohibited from running again after serving two terms. Council members Scott Somers and Dina Higgins were also sworn in to serve their second terms.

A Mesa proposal to eliminate the Downtown Development Committee was strongly opposed by council members Dennis Kavanaugh and Dina Higgins at a meeting last week.

Mesa City Councilwoman Dina Higgins is auctioning off the “shovelbat” she used to help break ground for the Chicago Cubs spring training facility, with proceeds benefiting Sunshine Acres Children’s Home.

So much for escaping to Arizona in the winter to avoid snow.

The races for Mesa’s mayor post and four council seats are set. Virtually all of the candidates who announced their intentions to run submitted enough signatures Wednesday to qualify them for the March ballot.

When someone recently asked her if she's still in the Mesa City Council race, or if the race was even on, Dina Higgins knew something was missing. Literally, as it turned out.

Besides the presidential election buzz nationally and the city’s mayoral runoff closer to home, east Mesa residents still have a vote to cast for a City Council seat.

Mesa's City Council approved an 85-foot-tall sign along U.S. 60 near Recker Road, which will advertise A.T. Still University and some surrounding businesses. The council approved the sign on Monday in a 5-2 vote, with council members Dennis Kavanaugh and Dave Richins objecting. They argued this sign violated many of the city's guidelines for this kind of massive sign along a freeway, and said the signs are intended to call attention to shopping areas. Richins called the sign clutter. "I don't think we need one more distraction," Richins said.

Mesa is considering a surcharge or even a ban on plastic bags in retail stores, following the lead of other cities that prohibit the petroleum-based sacks for environmental reasons.

Mesa lawyer Dennis Kavanaugh filed petitions Friday with enough signatures to join the District 3 race for Mesa City Council.

The mayor and three council members of Arizona’s third-largest city will run unopposed in their fall re-election bids, as no challengers met Mesa’s Wednesday deadline to qualify for the ballot.