Executive Director’s Report

At the June annual Regional Council meeting, which was MAG’s Annual Meeting, the election of officers was held. We welcome our new chair, Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers from Avondale, and we say goodbye and job well done to our outgoing chair, Mayor Hugh Hallman from Tempe. We are fortunate to have great leadership for the MAG organization.

Following the meeting, the biennial Desert Peaks Awards program was held. In my comments to open the evening, I noted that MAG was celebrating its 45th year. During this time, MAG has distinguished itself from other regional planning organizations across the nation. This is due to the leadership demonstrated by local elected officials in 1985 to promote the one-half cent sales tax for transportation. The MAG region was one of the first in the nation to enact a sales tax for transportation. The leadership since 1985 has ensured that 138 miles of freeway have been built, representing the most aggressive freeway construction program in the nation.

During the awards program, a special honor was given to Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, who has been working with MAG for the last 22 of our 45 year history. During her tenure on the Regional Council, Mayor Scruggs has been the most ardent supporter of building the regional freeway system. She was honored at the Desert Peaks ceremony with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award for Regional Planning. As I was sitting next to her, it was clear that she did not expect the award and that it truly meant something to her. Mayor Scruggs has made a difference for the MAG region. She always did her homework and could be counted on to defend the role of local elected officials in the MAG regional decision-making process. When she retires later this year, she will be missed, but I am confident others will come forward to follow her great example and assert the role of local elected officials in regional decision making.

In addition to Mayor Scruggs, Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers and Tempe Councilmember Shana Ellis were selected to receive the honor for Regional Excellence. Former Glendale City Manager Ed Beasley and former Maricopa County Manager David Smith both received Professional Service awards for their contributions to the region. These are great awards for individuals who understood the patience, diligence and commitment necessary to make and implement public policy.

Many awards were given out and it was especially rewarding to see in many programs the number of recipients receiving awards. In some cases, the number of recipients could almost not fit on the stage at the same time. It meant to me that regional cooperation is alive and well throughout MAG.

I am confident that with continued great leadership, we as a region will continue to make a difference for our residents and that MAG will continue to be different from other regional planning organizations.
For more information, please contact Dennis Smith, MAG Executive Director, (602) 254-6300.

Meeting Report for Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Action Items

MAG Elects Officers
Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers was elected chair of the MAG Regional Council during MAG’s Annual Meeting. She succeeds Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, who has chaired the Regional Council for the past year and whose term is expiring.

Mayor Lopez Rogers will lead the MAG organization for the next year and also will preside over the MAG Executive Committee. Mayor Lopez Rogers has served on the MAG Regional Council since 2006 and MAG Executive Committee since 2007. She served as treasurer of the Regional Council from 2010 to 2011, when she was elected vice chair. The Executive Committee serves as MAG’s finance committee and is responsible for a number of administrative responsibilities, such as amendments to the budget and contract selections. Mayor Rogers will also serve as vice chair of the MAG Economic Development Committee, and she will continue to serve on the MAG Transportation Policy Committee. She serves as the vice president of the National League of Cities and in November will become its president.

In addition to Mayor Lopez Rogers’ selection as chair, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith was elected as vice chair. Youngtown Mayor Michael LeVault was elected as treasurer. Elected as at-large members of the Executive Committee were Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney, and Litchfield Park Mayor Thomas Schoaf.

The Regional Council also appointed members of the MAG Transportation Policy Committee (TPC). New members included Lt. Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community and Joseph E. La Rue of the State Transportation Board. The TPC is responsible for making policy recommendations to the Regional Council on transportation issues, including the Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program.
For more information, please contact Dennis Smith, MAG Executive Director, (602) 254-6300.

Municipal Aging Services Project Toolkit
The MAG Regional Council voted to approve a Municipal Aging Services Project Toolkit designed to help meet the needs of people aged 65 years and older. The toolkit was developed through a grant by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. The purpose of the project is to determine the most effective role for local governments in meeting the needs of seniors, working collaboratively with nonprofit agencies, faith-based communities, and community groups. After a year of extensive community engagement with more than 1,300 people, a toolkit was developed with specific action steps in areas that were prioritized through the process. Focus areas include supporting people who are “aging in place” (continuing to live in the same home or community); promoting transportation options; increasing social participation; increasing organizational capacity; and utilizing technology.
For more information, contact Amy St. Peter, MAG Human Services and Special Projects Manager, (602) 254-6300.

Information Items

Desert Peaks Awards Honor Regional Efforts
During a ceremony attended by nearly 300 people, the Maricopa Association of Governments honored nine partnerships and individuals in six categories who were selected to receive the 2012 Desert Peaks Awards. The awards are presented to those agencies and individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting, recognizing, and attaining the ideals of regionalism. In addition, the first-ever “Lifetime Achievement Award for Regional Planning” was bestowed upon Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, who has served the region in public office since 1993. She served as chair of MAG in 1997 and 1998.

Awards were distributed in six categories: Public Partnership, Public-Private Partnership, Professional Service (two recipients were selected for this honor), Regional Partnership (two recipients were selected for this honor), Regional Excellence (two recipients were selected for this honor), and a new category added this year, Outstanding Economic Development Champion.

This year, two individuals were selected to receive the program’s highest honor for Regional Excellence, Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers and Tempe Councilmember Shana Ellis. Mayor Rogers was nominated “for her regional leadership in guiding the transformation of not only Avondale but the entire region through her direct engagement to ensure its economic, social and cultural vitality.” Councilmember Shana Ellis was cited for being instrumental in having the Regional Public Transportation Authority (Valley Metro) and METRO light rail work in tandem to realize significant efficiencies through a combined, streamlined regional agency. Other awards included:

Public Partnership:
• Regional Emergency Transportation Service

Public-Private Partnership:
• Gangplank Avondale

Professional Service:
• Mr. Ed Beasley, former City Manager, City of Glendale
• Mr. David Smith, former County Manager, Maricopa County

Regional Partnership:
• Domestic Violence Protocol Evaluation Project
• Regional Wireless Cooperative/Topaz Regional Wireless Cooperative

Regional Excellence:
• Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers, City of Avondale
• Councilmember Shana Ellis, City of Tempe

Outstanding Economic Development Champion:
• The Flinn Foundation

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the MAG Regional Council will be held on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, at 11:30 a.m. at the MAG offices, 302 N. 1st Avenue, Phoenix, second floor, Saguaro Room. Agenda items are expected to include recommendations for the Phoenix West Extension locally preferred alternatives; a status report on MAG federally-funded, locally-sponsored projects; and an update on the Economic Development Committee survey results and charter. Additional agenda items are pending.
For more information, please contact Dennis Smith, MAG Executive Director, (602) 254-6300.