By Madelaine Braggs | Rose Law Group Reporter
Pinal County supervisors have a few tricks up their sleeves for 2021. The Board welcomed new members this year, and with them a fresh perspective on how to continue developing business in the area. Supervisors Kevin Cavanaugh, Mike Goodman, Steve Miller, Jeff McClure and Jeff Serdy joined Pinal Partnership Friday for a moderated discussion by Rose Law Group founder and President Jordan Rose to reflect on their successes from last year and new projects going forward.
Here are some excerpts from the conversation:
What’s your favorite thing about being supervisor and the most surprising?
Chairman Steve Miller:
“Nothing surprises me anymore. Every day’s a new day and we never know what’s gonna come about. I just take it all in stride. My favorite thing is having the ability to help the guy on the street navigate through the waters of government. I enjoyed that as a city councilman and I enjoy it now as a supervisor. It can be daunting at times, but what seems small to one person can be a big deal to someone else. The most rewarding part of the job is to help someone get an answer.”
“Our job is to represent the public not just in policy decisions but to also advocate for them through the process,” he added.
Vice Chairman Mike Goodman:
“I love the people and being able to work with them. I got in to this to make a difference, to look at some of the issues around us and be an influence in the community for the good. The most challenging part of the job was when I first came in to office. I saw the disconnect between different governing agencies and focused on improving those relationships, because we count on each other, from the ACC all the way down to transportation.”
Supervisor Jeff McClure:
“My favorite thing is the support I’ve found in the county agencies. Like Serdy said, it’s hard to be out in a remote area, but you make a phone call and someone will get whatever information you need on your computer. I ran business for 30 years and it was always me who had to do everything but now you have people behind you. You ask ‘who takes care of that’ and boom- you are pointed in the right direction. I’ve been watching the process for a few years and the amount of information you have to find and shuffle together is the most surprising part, but I’m having a lot of fun.”
Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh:
“My favorite thing is providing new or better solutions for problems in the district. I’m a systems person, so I’m developing procedures and processes that people can follow and improve over the course of time. Whether I’m there for just four years or whether someone takes over, I want to leave whoever follows a good legacy to follow. The most surprising is the number of hours I’ve been putting in, 10-12 hours a day and a little bit on Sat. It’s a lot of time learning every nook and cranny of the district, the people and the processes.”
(Supervisor Jeff Serdy served as Apache Junction Mayor for two terms before joining the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.)
What’s most surprising about switching from mayor to supervisor?
Supervisor Jeff Serdy:
“When you’re in charge of a city you have a whole staff, who knows what buttons to press, but as a supervisor you’re more independent and it’s up to you to problem solve. The county supports you, but their HQ is far from you. It’s like going from high school to college, where you’re on your own for the first time.”
What’s one accomplishment as a supervisor you want to be remembered for?
Chairman Steve Miller:
“Definitely the water issues, water policies will always be a top issue. I think we brought to light a lot of good information that will help us make good policy decisions down the road.”
“I think we changed the landscape of the county to one that’s “pro-business” and focused on bringing employment. All five of us supervisors being businessmen makes us all five capitalists and we believe in people making money. We changed the attitude of the staff and we’ve turned this thing around where we want to see jobs come and we’ve made that a priority.”
Vice Chair Mike Goodman:
“What we lack here in this area is employment opportunities and a lot of retail. Something that’s been revealing is the amount of retail sales actually leave our community here and go spend in Maricopa or other areas. That’s been a challenge since day one. One thing I noticed was a need to improve our infrastructure, which has a big part in bringing enticing companies to set up shop here. We’re learning from our sister cities to create an environment where businesses want to do that.”
Supervisor Jeff Serdy:
“I’m focused on transportation, getting more roads in the area and in San Tan Valley. I’m also focused on tourism. We have plans to make a recreation area and possibly a national monument, which could really put us on the map and lead to tourism opportunities for the whole East Valley.”
Visit Pinal Partnership to gain access to these exclusive virtual breakfast events with the Pinal County Board of Supervisors and business experts dedicated to the area’s expansion.
