A Carefree resident since 2001 when he and his wife built their new home here, Jim Van Allen would like to continue his volunteer work for Carefree. He previously served on the Council and has been at every Council meeting and significant Committee meeting since. Jim has been a contributing partner in the Carefree’s Future Matters Newsletter in order to deliver the real facts as to what is happening in Carefree. Jim spent almost 8 years as a very active member of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Posse and has also volunteered his time at the Chamber of Commerce.
Jim’s background includes 35 years as a senior executive in the Hotel industry where he was one of the founders of the Embassy Suites chain. He is a fiscal policy conservative with a heavy background in Accounting, Budgeting, and people Management. Jim also spent years in the Construction and Asset management fields for his Hotel chains.
In addition to Council duties, Jim will dedicate much of his time to working with our existing merchants as well as those new to the Town. He would like to partner with the management teams at the Conference Center, Lowe’s, and the Carefree Marketplace stores to help broaden awareness of their service to our community. Jim wants to see Carefree attract some of the high demand businesses currently unavailable here. He knows a strong business center in the Town core is important, and understands the importance of our other major revenue areas. The various parts of Carefree’s business community don’t stand alone. By working in concert with all Carefree business and service providers, they can once again make Carefree the valued destination it has been in the past.
Jim strongly believes that Town government has a responsibility to residents, commercial property owners, and businesses to provide a fair and balanced environment for all to thrive, not just a select few. By law, our government is barred from providing financial assistance to any business or developer. Instead, the town needs to make Carefree an attractive place to operate a business, support the needs of residents, attract visitors, and provide amenities that keep people returning all year.
As Carefree moves closer to ‘build-out’, protecting our property values is especially important. Development must be respectful of the things that make Carefree unique. Protecting the integrity of our zoning and maintaining high standards against opportunistic tinkering is essential. Thoughtful development is paramount for keeping Carefree the kind of place we all want to live. Change for the sake of change simply breeds sameness, sameness that is evident in the lack of soul seen in development elsewhere.
Jim is a team player but not part of any slate or special interest group. His focus will be on listening to, and doing what is right for the residents of our great Town, many that he knows personally. He will appreciate your vote on August 30th and pledges to do everything he can to deserve your trust.
