In an effort to strengthen our working relationship with other municipalities and more effectively represent the interests of Carefree residents in important regional matters, Carefree has strengthened its role in the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) organization.
MAG is a council of municipal governments and tribal entities that serves as the regional planning agency for Maricopa County, including the neighboring urbanized areas in Pinal County. MAG provides regional planning and policy decisions in areas of transportation, air quality, water quality, economic development, and human services. A separate Committee is assigned to each of these areas, under the overall leadership of the MAG Regional Council.
The MAG bylaws summarize the purpose of the organization: “The Maricopa Association of Governments is based on the principle that cities, towns, counties, and Indian Communities, which are closest to the people, should exercise the basic initiative and leadership and should have the primary responsibility for addressing those local problems and needs which require action on an area-wide or regional basis.”
A more complete discussion of the role and purpose of MAG can be found at www.azmag.gov
At the meeting of the MAG Regional Council on June 24th:
Carefree Mayor Les Peterson was appointed by the membership to the Executive Committee of the MAG Regional Council. The other members serving with Mayor Peterson on the Executive Committee are: Jerry Weiers, Mayor of Glendale, John Giles, Mayor of Mesa, Ken Weise, Mayor of Avondale, Kevin Hartke, Mayor of Chandler, Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix and Anna Tovar, Mayor of Tolleson.
Carefree Vice Mayor John Crane was appointed by the membership to the MAG Economic Development Committee (EDC). As described in the MAG website: “The role of the Economic Development Committee is to develop opportunity-specific and action-oriented initiatives that fosters and advances infrastructure in the MAG region, especially transportation infrastructure that would further economic development opportunities. The EDC consists of 35 members, which is comprised of 19 MAG member agency elected officials and one representative from the Arizona Department of Transportation appointed by the MAG Regional Council.”
