Update from September Pinal Partnership Government Relations Committee Meeting – Greg Stanley and Senator Pratt as Guests
left to right: Richard Rosales, APS; Buchanan Davis, U of A; Greg Stanley, Pinal County; Heather Wilkey, Town of Queen Creek; Dale Wiebusch, City of Maricopa; Mitch Basefsky, CAP; John Bisop, Ritoch-Powell & Associates
The Pinal Partnership Government Relations Committee had a joint meeting with the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on September 24 at the Florence Community Library. The meeting was led by Co-chairs Ben Bitter of the Town of Florence and Rebecca Timmer of Wilson & Company.
Greg Stanley was the guest of honor as Friday, Sept. 27th he retires as County Manager for Pinal County. The group had a discussion with Greg about the history and future of infrastructure, development, legislation, economic development, water, and more. He shared stories about projects in Pinal County that he will always remember fondly including:
- The revamping of an infrastructure design manual during a time of rapid growth in the County (2006)
- Ironwood Road improvements totaling $85M, making it the biggest public project undertaken by the County to date
- Floodplain management including ordinance update, planning to tackle issues, as well as creating weather and flood stations
- PRTA, you are encouraged to watch the recent oral argument from last Wednesday
We asked Greg for advice on managing and leading people, he said that there is always more than one side to a story, and to always listen. He also advised not to be afraid to make decisions. He is very thankful for many partnerships over the years, and noted the importance of contracting with outside businesses. He told us he’s excited for the future of the County and for the staff that will make it all happen!
The Committees wish Greg Stanley a happy retirement and look forward to working with new leadership at Pinal County! We will miss you, Greg, and we hope you’ll “be around!”
Senator Frank Pratt provided his monthly legislative insights for the upcoming session and spoke about 3 ad hoc committees that have been formed.
The next Government Relations Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 22nd and will focus on a discussion of ADOT’s recent release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Preferred Corridor for the North-South Corridor. Please reach out to Melissa if you are interested in joining a committee, which is open to all members of Pinal Partnership.
