‘It is a blessing to be of service’: Woman driven to make city better

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Rachel Leffall sits for a photo outside Maricopa City Hall on Feb. 16, 2023. Photo: Monica D. Spencer/InMaricopa

For Rachel Leffall, her years of community service began with her mother.

“My mom, she was always helping,” Leffall said. “She would be my inspiration because, growing up, she served as a really good example of being humble and helpful.”

She recalled working alongside her mother to serve food after Sunday church services or always lending a hand during family reunions and other events. That drive to work combined with her mother’s high educational expectations led Leffall to become a longtime community advocate and a current member of Maricopa’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

She credits both her mother and her faith with instilling in her that constant desire to help others, an action she calls a blessing.

“When someone is in need and I am able to serve that need, I feel that’s being a blessing,” Leffall said. “It is a blessing to be of service and treat others with compassion and dignity.”

A leap of faith into Arizona—and Maricopa

A native of Southern California, Leffall first arrived in Arizona in 2002 and attended the University of Arizona. She earned her master’s degree in higher education and completed a long list of volunteer work, including as a mentor with the university’s Project SOAR service-learning program.

“Being able to help and mentor the students was so rewarding,” Leffall said, later saying that her degree and volunteer work, “all tied together…in being able to help people excel in what they do.”

During her time at UA, Leffall worked in the Tucson Metro Chamber as a governmental affairs manager. Later, she served on the city’s ParkWise Commission, guiding parking policies and programs for the city.

While researching train stations across Arizona for the commission, she spoke with an assistant at the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce and learned of the city’s history and slow-growing economy. Upon hearing that the city had been without a hotel for decades, she was briefly inspired to open a bed and breakfast before that dream dwindled.

Twice more, Leffall considered a move to Maricopa before a leap of faith brought her to the city in 2009.

“I was in California with my foot elevated from surgery and it was like the holy spirit just dropped in and said, ‘you need to buy your house. Look to Maricopa again,’” she recalled.

Leffall opted to take that chance, finding a house and home in Maricopa. From there, her community service with the city began almost immediately.

“I felt the people were very welcoming,” Leffall said of her first year in Maricopa. A chat with a security system installer led her to a re-election event for then-mayor Tony Smith and, eventually, her long list of city involvement.

Rachel Leffall stands outside the City of Maricopa City Hall on Feb. 16, 2023. Photo: Monica D. Spencer/InMaricopa

In addition to her current position on the city’s planning and zoning commission, over the years Leffall has also been a member of the Industrial Development Authority Board, part of the 2040 Vision Steering Committee and ran for city council in 2014. She actively encourages others to become involved in city proceedings.

“I think it’s important to be engaged in the community and to make a difference. Not just talk about it but to take action and be a part of what’s going on,” she said.

In addition to serving in committees, commissions and other programs, Leffall also mentors small business owners and youth. She helps neighbors’ children prepare for college but also strives to emphasize the importance of giving back.

“You can have the great grades but that’s for you,” Leffall said she often advises youth. “What do you do to give back?”

For the children Leffall mentors, this often translates into volunteering at the local food bank. This service opportunity continues even when she is unavailable to transport them and Leffall believes it creates a positive change in how youth perceive their world.

“When you are doing something that is benefitting someone else, it makes you see (others in a different perspective),” she said of the experience. “Being able to expose others to that is heartwarming.”

Embracing a vision of diversity and inclusivity

Earlier this year, Leffall composed a short piece for InMaricopa on how she sees the city creating and maintaining a more inclusive environment, which included actions for both the city and its citizens. For her, a large part of it comes back to how people recognize and speak with each other.

Rachel Leffall smiles as she sits inside Maricopa City Hall on Feb. 16, 2023. Photo: Monica D. Spencer/InMaricopa

Over the years, Leffall has engaged in conversations surrounding representation of Black people in the community, reports from people of color reporting interactions with police and the importance of acknowledging tragic events. While these conversations can easily become emotional and heated, she emphasizes learning how to better understand others’ perspectives.

“I just believe in having the conversations because sometimes people don’t understand,” Leffall said. “I believe in effective communication and having these conversations so that people are aware of what’s going on.”

Possessing that awareness, respect for others and drive to help are what she believes can make Maricopa a more exceptional home for everyone in the community.

“We have a great city,” Leffall said. “There’s so much opportunity here and I just feel like we have such a diverse population and group of individuals who are committed to making this city be the best it can be. I just want to be a part of it.”