Profile: City council candidate Edward Farrell

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InMaricopa: Who are you?

Farrell: I am a fourth generation, lifelong resident of Maricopa. I am 43 years old. My wife, Lori and I have a set of twins, Luke and Selah.

InMaricopa: Why are you the best candidate?

Farrell: The council should always have diversity. Being a lifelong resident, Maricopa has always been in my heart and I love my community. As a child, I witnessed my parents step up as leaders in our community to make Maricopa a better place to live. As a husband and a father, I want to continue to lay the foundation, and create the highest quality of life possible for my children and for all citizens of Maricopa for many generations to come.

InMaricopa: What specific experience would you bring to this office?

Farrell: As a councilmember for the last six years, sitting on 11 different boards, commissions, and committee’s, I have created relationships at the local, county, state, and federal level that are integral in continuing to move forward, making Maricopa a self-sustainable city. I sit in five different statewide boards that are transportation-related. As a Canamex commissioner, I have successfully campaigned for Interstate 11, the first planned interstate in our country in 25 years, which will run north-south just west of our city, and turning east-west to the south of Maricopa. I-11 will become a much needed major corridor for ingress/egress in Maricopa, and it will also create opportunities for economic development. If re-elected, I will have the opportunity to continue my work on these boards, commissions and committees and to keep open communication with the Gila River Indian Community with hope to create a north-south corridor to the east of our city as well.

InMaricopa: If elected, what is the first thing you would change on the council?

Farrell: A change that would be positive is to be more aggressive in reaching our goals that we have established as a council. The current council is a strong, transparent council that truly makes the residents of this city our main priority. The city council needs to stay proactive, and focused on what we have been working hard on in the last six years, which is a public safety department that will continue to serve and protect at the highest level, higher education, health care, and more parks and recreation, which will lead us to economic development that will create a high quality job work force.

InMaricopa: What are the three most important issues facing your Maricopa area constituents and what would you do to address each?

Farrell: The most important issue for our residents at this time is utility rate increases. Although the city has no control over the utility companies that are in our city, it is vital that we continue to be a voice for our constituents, and use every tool that we have available to keep our residential, and commercial utility expenses stabilized.

More sports complexes have an immediate need. Pacana Park is maxed out for use, and Maricopa needs more recreation for people of all ages. A solution to resolve this issue is to partner with the Maricopa Unified School District. As a child growing up in Maricopa, our school district was always the cornerstone of our community. We desperately need to return to that type of relationship. By being partners, the city can possibly offer more recreation through the school facilities. Maricopa is in desperate need of meeting places and the school has just recently done an outstanding job in creating a wonderful facility for its staff and students.

The third issue is the Santa Cruz Wash Resolution. Without this resolution, we cannot move forward with economic development, higher education, a healthcare facility, and a city complex as well as other businesses or corporations that will increase the economics in our community that may choose to locate in that area. The Santa Cruz Wash, which runs through the middle of our city, is just as vital as the Santa Rosa Wash was to be completed for protection of all properties in the developments that surround Santa Rosa Wash.

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