Hidden Valley draws state lawmakers to town hall

A few dozen Hidden Valley residents filled the Thunderbird Farms Fire Station yesterday for a town hall with state lawmakers from either chamber who represent the rural community just south of Maricopa.

Organized by the Thunderbird Farms-Hidden Valley Community Committee, the event was part of a monthly series for active and former elected officials. Last night’s keynotes were Rep. Teresa Martinez and Sen. T.J. Shope.

The two young and eager Republicans offered an ear for the concerns of a little-known community sympathetically dubbed “the island of misfit toys” by one attendee.

Stymying development was a chief concern among attendees who pleaded with legislators to push the city of Maricopa to grow “at a reasonable rate.”

Martinez and Shope deferred these concerns to the county level.

The freshman Martinez, appointed in 2021 to replace Rep. Bret Roberts, said she hoped to find a middle ground for both parties regarding Maricopa’s expansion.

“I love Maricopa as much as I love Hidden Valley,” she said. “Maricopa has a clear vision of how they want to grow and we as representatives have to be able to support their vision. I think it’s just finding the right balance where everybody is happy.”

Shope agreed.

“You have a situation where people who own property want the surrounding community to stay the same,” he said. “The reality of every unincorporated community next to an incorporated city is the vision doesn’t always align…The charge here is really to somehow find a way for the county to work with the people who reside in these unincorporated areas.”