Q&A with inBuckeye.com
Published 5/16/08

inBuckeye.com: Even though both candidates for mayor have made finding the right town manager a part of their campaigns, the Buckeye Town Council moved Jeanine Guy from interim town manager to permanent status. What, if anything, are you going to do now to make sure Buckeye has the right person at the helm of town government?

Jackie Meck: It was a surprise to many of the residents when this decision was rushed to the table.

As mayor, I would be one of seven votes that have to agree on the direction we need to go.  It is not my desire to play politics with lives and careers.  I plan to sit down with Jeanine and have a mutual discussion on our town's strengths and weaknesses.

It is imperative that we have a town manager who has the knowledge and expertise to facilitate effective growth through commercial and infrastructure development, educational and job opportunities, recreational facilities, and protection of our open spaces and natural resources.  The town manager must be competent enough to accomplish these goals.  I do not believe in micro managing.

This being said, we will have to identify what we want to accomplish and the strategies needed, and then make sure the right people are in place to achieve those goals.  .

You have talked during the campaign about how economic development is so important to Buckeye. What are you going to do differently as mayor to make that happen?

We must actively pursue quality businesses and work with them in a professional manner to ensure the success of the businesses and the development of the town.  One of the roles of the mayor is to act as ambassador of the town and promote it to various businesses.

  We need to pursue “technical junior colleges, colleges and Universities” in order to provide education, which in turn will help attract companies with higher paying jobs.  Better education will bring higher paying jobs to our residents.    

I would like to see our residents be able to find jobs here in Buckeye and have our community reap the benefits of having businesses locate within Buckeye. 

We must communicate to our existing and future developers that it is to their benefit to invest in the infrastructure of the town. For the most part, growth should pay for itself so that the financial burden of providing infrastructure should lie with future developments and not with current residents.

There may also be circumstances that the town may need to provide incentives to encourage certain companies or types of businesses that create a significant positive impact on Buckeye to bring their companies here.

Are you happy with the work of the town’s economic development department, or would you make changes in direction or personnel there?

As a mayoral candidate, I have had the opportunity to talk with many of the town’s employees and hear various comments on the direction and goals.  It would be presumptuous of me to comment on that at this time.  When I become mayor, I will meet with the various departments to learn more.  At that time, we can look for ways to improve and set goals.  I want to promote open communication and respect for all employees so that they have the best opportunity to succeed at their jobs.   

It’s been said the Buckeye needs the infrastructure to be able to attract new and desirable businesses to town. What infrastructure do we need; what’s it going to cost; and how are we going to pay for it?

Buckeye has grown faster than the infrastructure can keep up.  The most important items we need are water and sewer lines.  We cannot have development without these.  Given the amount of land that Buckeye has to develop, it well cost millions, however as I said in a previous question, for the most part, growth should pay for itself.  It would be unfair to put the cost of future development on the current residents.  Developers should not make their money from Buckeye and then leave.  I believe that they should give back to the community.  For example, the developers in Tartesso and Festival have agreed to help pay to maintain the schools in those areas.  This helps the town and also helps them to sell more homes.  In this way, both the Town and the businesses are benefiting.

The town needs to survey and develop an engineering and site plan in conjunction with the railroad, I-10, I-8 and the airport so that as companies come in, we would have specific sites available for development. In conjunction with this planning, we could create the infill of the community.  While we are not in the real estate boom, we have the time and personnel to pursue these goals. 

To help pay for the infrastructure, we could create “Improvement Districts,” which would issue bonds. The developers could also put in oversized infrastructure, then allow future development to tap into these lines for a “tapping fee” that would go to the original developer.

Voters have to pick one of you as mayor, which means they would consider one of you more effective or better than the other at some aspect of the job, or perhaps something about the experience, character or personality of one candidate or the other. What would you tell a wavering voter why he or she should pick you – specifically in comparison to the other candidate for mayor? What do you have that your opponent lacks?

I will be a dedicated full-time mayor who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the office of Mayor.  I have met with legislators at the national, state, county and local levels for the past several years.  As the retired General Manager of the Buckeye Water District, and former Town Councilman, along with my involvement in state legislation, water, and electricity and having served on various boards, I believe my leadership, experience and knowledge will serve the town of Buckeye in a positive way.  I believe that leadership is the skill needed to create an atmosphere of excellence through teamwork and pride in the work performed.  A leader builds effective partnerships with others to successfully achieve specific goals.  By getting people involved in worthy endeavors, positive and meaningful change can be accomplished.  An old Chinese proverb says, “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.”  It is my intent to create an open government where the people of Buckeye have a say and are involved, so that they may learn to love Buckeye the way that I do. 

A few years ago, it seemed as if Buckeye was going to grow exponentially into one of the Valley’s biggest cities. Then the housing boom went bust, and growth has slowed considerably. What should Buckeye be doing during this time to prepare for the next growth wave, and when do you expect that to occur?

The slow down in growth should be considered a huge benefit for Buckeye.  The housing boom of a couple of years ago has created a number of growing pains that we now have the opportunity to resolve.  If we take advantage of this slow down, it will allow us to catch up.   Top priorities include revisiting the number of public safety personnel and their facilities.  We must be able to effectively provide police and fire protection for all of our residents, but at this time we are somewhat behind.  We must also use this time to take what we have learned and re-evaluate our plans and goals.   Infrastructure and commercial development can now catch up with the number of houses.  Our plans must be well thought out and methodical, using an engineering and site plan to avoid impulsive decisions that may create a negative impact on Buckeye.  Time is of the essence, though, so we must now move forward quickly to prepare for the future.  Experts have told us that there is no way to predict when the market is going to turn around.  One item that I would like to address is changing our town to a city.  We have passed the growth requirement for that to happen and I would like to see Buckeye gain the benefits and status that come with being a city. 

Any final words for Buckeye voters?

Buckeye is at a pivotal point in its development and if we are to create a successful city, we must start now to move forward in a strategic and positive way.  I have already begun the process of getting community input and resolving some of the issues.  It would be my honor to continue this endeavor as your mayor.  It is important that our residents exercise their privilege to vote on this Tuesday, May 20^th.  My name is Jackie Meck and with your vote and your help, we can work together for a better Buckeye.