Carefree Mayor and community leader Les Peterson has declared his candidacy to continue as the town’s Mayor during the next electoral term. Les assumed the duties of Carefree Mayor in the early spring of 2015. The upcoming primary election is on August 28, 2018, for the term which runs through December 1st, 2020.
The early development stage of Carefree is drawing to a close. Carefree is now in the midst of a period of transition to a new financial reality as a result of projections of new home building slowing as the Town approaches “built-out,” and state legislative funding revisions. Town finances are currently stable and positive (+17% increase in sales taxes through the first eight months of FY 2017-18 versus the year ago period). But, without changes to Carefree’s business model, the Town can reasonably project expenditures exceeding revenues in the foreseeable future. We need to continue taking steps now to assure the positive future desired by residents.
Great progress has been made in recent years to develop and establish an appropriate new financial business model while maintaining the quality of life that Carefree residents treasure. The Town Council and Staff, and a broad cross-section of volunteers, have been working in concert with Mayor Peterson to achieve the Town’s goals.
Major accomplishments have included working with property owners to initiate the renovation of major properties – notably including Bashas’, the Carefree Conference Center and Resort (CIVANA) and Spanish Village, selectively encouraging the development of smaller, high-quality residences close to Downtown for Foothills residents, finalizing the removal of the wastewater treatment plant in Carefree, developing and fielding world-class marketing programs to attract people and businesses to Carefree, continuing the integrity of Carefree as a beautiful rural town and achieving the identified priorities within the Town’s tightly managed budget constraints.
The tasks required in the upcoming years to continue this transition of Carefree are daunting but achievable with a continued focused and consistent effort. These include economic development successes to replace the dwindling sales tax revenues being projected from fewer new homes being built, addressing the water related problems of the many Carefree residents on the west side of Black Mountain who do not enjoy the same level of water service as do those residents who currently are serviced by the Carefree Water Company, taking the appropriate steps to slow down the speed of vehicular traffic passing through our beautiful town and investing in the Town’s streets and major traffic arteries to handle the increased traffic being experienced.
Mayor Peterson is a Valley native since 1958, and graduated from ASU with B.A. and M.A. degrees. He and his wife, Mary, have been married since 1965. They have two children. Les received his initial training in marketing and business management at Procter & Gamble. This was followed by more than 30 years working with leading marketing services firms which specialized in strategic planning and business/marketing program development for more than 180 client companies.
Les has resided in Carefree for the last 22 years.
In addition to serving as Mayor, Les is a Director Emeritus of New Pathways for Youth, an organization which provides mentoring and life-changing training to over 600 youths from dysfunctional families. He serves as a member of the Paradise Valley Community College Advisory Board and is a guest lecturer at ASU in international marketing. For fourteen years, Les was one of two outside “judges” of MBA business plans in the Cornell University MBA entrepreneurship program. Prior to being elected to the Carefree Town Council in 2012, Les served on the Carefree Planning and Zoning Commission and was the President of the Boulders Homeowners Association.
– Carefree Truth
