Jack L. August, Jr., Ph.D.
Executive Director
Barry Goldwater Center for the Southwest

Buckeye, Arizona, for better or worse, is no longer a small amalgam of farmers and ranchers eating at the same diner in town every morning, but instead an increasingly sophisticated and diverse community that has drawn new population from the cities and suburbs of California, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, and every corner of the country. This fast-growing portion of the Valley is important to all of us and the challenges and choices ahead require public stewardship of the highest caliber.

I have had the opportunity to work with and serve the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District as an expert witness and historian. Water is the cornerstone for growth, progress, and quality of life in Buckeye, western Maricopa County, and the region. It has been my privilege to work with Jackie Meck, whose family, career, and experience, reflect the essence of Buckeye's values and whose professionalism and knowledge of water resources--their development, use, and conservation--is not only impressive, but also prudent, rational, and visionary. His leadership at BWCDD, along with countless years of community service demonstrate the kind of continuity and historical perspective that not only will serve his constituents well but also inform his decision making.

In addition to his grasp of water and natural resource issues, Meck touts the value of higher education in a changing and maturing economic environment. Indeed he has vigorously supported locating community college and four-year university campuses in the City of Buckeye. He was among the several valley leaders who encouraged a private university, Franklin Pierce University, to establish a western campus in Goodyear. He supports a similar initiative for Buckeye, thus allowing local citizens the choice of a private four-year college. Meck's innovative ideas on higher education should become part of the public discussion in the larger context of Buckeye's future economic development.

On May 20, 2008, I urge the citizens of Buckeye to vote for Jackie Meck for mayor.

Jack L. August, Jr., Ph.D.
Executive Director
Barry Goldwater Center for the Southwest
  and Visiting Scholar in Legal History
Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.
One Arizona Center
Phoenix, Arizona