Inside Mesa

As Executive Director of the Falcon Field Area Alliance, a not-for-profit private business partnership, my job is to create and sustain a prosperous and diverse business community in the Falcon Field Business District. I have worked in economic development organizations in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, and New York. Each of these states is competing for high tech/knowledge based companies. Mesa is no different. But, in order to succeed in the increasingly competitive global marketplace for these high-wage, high-value jobs, Mesa must have a long-term community-wide commitment to ensuring quality growth.The most important competitive advantage for a community is a highly qualified and stable work force. That has to be present or nothing else matters. But the next most important thing is that the government is investing adequately in the public services and infrastructure that are necessary for the long-term economic growth of the city, its residents and its business community.I am very worried! As the Mayor and City Council prepares to make long term decisions on how the city will be financed in the future, I need to know that I can tell companies that Mesa will be able to provide the essential public services such as police and fire protection; street construction and maintenance, and the critical quality of life issues such as parks, recreational areas, and libraries. I want to be able to tell companies that the city has a stable and predictable revenue source and that if they invest in Mesa they will have a community that provides all the necessary services as well as educates and supplies the best workers possible.