Lopez makes bid for city council seat

Maricopa resident Camerino Lopez III is the latest resident to throw his hat in the ring for a city council seat next spring.

Lopez spoke with inmaricopa.com in an email interview about why he is running, the challenges Maricopa faces and more.

inmaricopa.com: Talk a little bit about your background, where you’re from, what you do now, etc.

Lopez: I was born at Mesa Lutheran Hospital in NW Mesa, AZ. I had lived in Mesa for all but one year before moving to Maricopa. I have never moved out of Arizona although I visit many other areas. I enjoyed living in the ‘city’ and became very accustomed to all the amenities associated with a population of 450,000. I watched Mesa grow from an orchard to a sprawling piece of the greater Phoenix area. My family was very apprehensive about moving to Maricopa due to the commute and the lack of large retailers. The school system was also a big concern for us as we moved from an excelling school. We purchased a home in January of 2006 and moved in December of 2006.

During the year long wait we visited Maricopa every week and were amazed at the rate which the city is growing. Now that we have settled in we’ve become very accustomed to the ‘small town’ feel and the close community neighborhood. Since living in Maricopa I have begun coaching for the Parks and Recreation starting this past summer with basketball and I have just finished flag football. I plan to resume coaching at the beginning of the year. I am involved in the community and support local business. You may have seen me dancing with the dads at Founders Day or volunteering to take the neighborhood kids to the park. I currently work in Tempe and have been with the same company for seven years in the role of project manager. I began as a technician, moved into manufacturing management and now oversee project development. I implement, sustain and continually improve numerous projects. In this role I have had the wonderful opportunity of working with people from around the world. This has further enlightened me to the numerous cultural differences within our ever diversifying population.

inmaricopa.com: What interested you in running for city council?

Lopez: My parents were very adamant about voting and making a difference; both were in administration throughout their professional careers. They were also on numerous national and local committees or councils, some of which they still reside on. I have seen the impact one can make when involved with a dynamic team. The City of Maricopa has enormous potential for citizens, business and visitors. Because the city is so ‘fresh’ I feel that this is a great opportunity to help grow our community in a positive and constructive manner that has the potential to reap rewards well into the future.

inmaricopa.com: What do you see as the top two or three challenges facing the citizens of Maricopa right now?

Lopez: Every city has its challenges and fortunate for Maricopa we are in the early stages of development, which are very critical. The main concerns for every community are safety and general infrastructure. I see that the city has been doing a great job of trying to catch up with residential building. Two new elementary schools are scheduled to open next fall and there have been a few new fire houses rising up. The installation of a city police force was another positive gesture. With our municipals well on their way, and headed in the right direction, there are two topics I would like to address. The first being business, local business. Many stores I walk into have the owner or a family member there to greet you which is comforting. This is excellent as we should promote local entrepreneurs. At a glance it would be great to establish the corporate identities we have become reliant upon. The real benefit for our community would be to help grow the small start ups into larger retailers and service companies. These companies would have more of a tendency to address what’s good for Maricopa and not necessarily the bottom line. This is not an easy task and takes the entire city’s support. There is a need for large corporate buildings, but the emphasis should be on our community, its citizens and the local business.

The other topic would be the rate of growth in our community. The revenue potential from taxes for the city is enormous, but we cannot let this lead us into hasty decisions. Maricopa should work to maintain the small town feel and promote the city as a coveted place to live and to raise a family. The city can evolve while balancing the community and commerce at a steady rate. The reputation of Maricopa should be so that people seek to live in an environment of good neighbors, clear air and bright stars.

inmaricopa.com: If elected next spring, what would be your first priority as a councilman?

Lopez: My first action as councilman would be to familiarize myself with all of the aspects involved in running a city. I would also familiarize myself personally with others who help to maintain the city. I believe that knowing the systems and how to accomplish tasks is important. In order to make sound decisions you must have the foresight, the vision to direct oneself. I could not make a decision on what is most important without consulting my advisors, the citizens of Maricopa, on which route may have the best impact or that is the most important to the city. I would also try to complete any relatively small project or proposals. There may be some that need minimal effort to return a large gain. All larger issues such as the limited roads out of town and the rate of growth are long term projects that will take a couple of terms to complete. Some are already in the works, and I would continue to promote them.

inmaricopa.com: Do you currently attend council meetings? If so, what do you think of the current council?

Lopez: I don’t currently attend council meetings although I read the minutes periodically. I like to see the decisions being made and motioned. It was just a curiosity at first but it seems to have grabbed a hold of me. It is very similar to running a business that has a board of directors; no one person has control. It seems to be a well-balanced system.