The
Arizona
Republic
Editorial
Board
Wednesday,
May 7,
2008
You would think that a mayor would get to have a say in who is appointed to manage the community.
Not so in Buckeye.
There, the Town Council has shut out the future mayor from playing a role in hiring a town manager — even though voters are set to choose between Jackie Meck and Michael Todd on May 20.
That's less than a month away.
In a mysterious rush, the council made Jeanine Guy's interim status as town manager permanent.
She's a longtime bureaucrat who started her career in 1992 as a library director and who lacks a college degree. There was no national search, and that means that Buckeye residents won't know if there is someone out there who is better qualified or more experienced.
Guys' rushed appointment is the latest step in the town's dysfunction and steady march backward.
We hope that the new mayor will step in, demonstrate leadership and professionalism desperately needed to jump-start the community.
The person who can best make that happen is Meck. He served on the council from 1968 to 1975, including three years as mayor, and served another stint on the council from 2002 to 2006.
Experience is his strong suit. And experience is what Buckeye desperately needs.
He has a long and admirable record of community service.
He has promised to establish better communication and unify the town's far-flung residential enclaves.
Meck, 66, a seasoned community leader, and Todd, 33, a young, energetic businessman but lacking experience, easily shoved Mayor Bobby Bryant out of the mayoral race. Voters made their voices heard: They wanted new leadership.
Ironically, both campaigned on finding a qualified, permanent town manager. Why wasn't the council listening?
Bryant failed to deliver on his pledged of creating a more open and stable government, taking charge and overseeing Buckeye's emergence from small town to city.
Instead, frustrated residents watched as elected officials made one poor decision after another.
There has been a troubling exodus of staff. Two town managers received their walking papers with hefty severance packages and absolutely no logical explanation. An assistant manager was inexplicably chased away. The lingering controversy over the historical Raney House — before a buyer finally moved it south of downtown for use as a microbrewery — was a sad symbol of Buckeye's ineptitude. Issues that were front and center two years ago — for example the decaying buildings in downtown — remain unresolved.
Repairing the damaged reputation and fractured public trust is going to be a challenge for Meck. But as a lifelong Buckeye resident, he is a steady, experienced and confident person who knows the town better than anyone.
We believe he would be able to build consensus on the council, not create divisions. We believe he can best set the tone to restore confidence in Buckeye government.
We recommend Jackie Meck for mayor.
