Roberts first recipient of key to city

The Maricopa City Council awarded the first-ever key to the city to resident and former state legislator Bret Roberts, who recently resigned his seat to move his family to South Carolina.

Roberts was in his second term representing Legislative District 11 in the Arizona Legislature. He represented the district, which covers parts of Pinal and Pima Counties, since taking office in 2019. Prior to serving in the legislature, Roberts was in the mortgage business and served as a detention officer. He was an elected constable for Pinal County serving in the Maricopa area from 2015-19.

During his stint in the legislature, he advocated for issues that affect Maricopa, especially in transportation and education. He spearheaded the effort to get the state to provide $35 million in funding toward the Riggs Road overpass across State Route 347, one of the most dangerous intersections in the state.

Mayor Christian Price presented the key to the city at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

“We certainly appreciate all that you did, and on behalf of the city of Maricopa I want to extend our gratitude for your advocacy at the state capitol, and especially for obtaining the funding for the Riggs Road overpass – $35 million,” Price said. “We know that was a multi-year effort and not at all easy. So, as a token of our appreciation, we wanted to get you something that we created for you – something that is our very first key to the city that we have ever given out.”

Roberts deflected much of the praise, saying: “As far as the Riggs Road overpass funding, I just wanted to say that even though my name that was on the bill…I have to give thanks to the citizens of Maricopa because this was by no means only my task. There was a team of us, and we reached out to the public and asked the public to reach out to the rest of the legislature and let them know how important this was. The public actually responded, and I got feedback up there (at the capitol) from the House that was significant and was definitely a factor (in the passing of the bill).

“It was by no means my own effort, it was definitely an effort that we all came together, we all understood the importance of that intersection that, for whatever reason, is the most problematic on the 347. I would like to attend the ceremony when it is opened.”

Council member Vince Manfredi elaborated on his friendship with Roberts, Roberts’ efforts at the capitol on behalf of Maricopans, and the toll those efforts took on him.

“The work he did, and the stress it caused, was probably part of the reason he left,” Manfredi said. “It’s an emotional time. You guys are losing a representative for LD 11 and so on, and I’m losing probably my best friend. With Bret leaving, I just wanted to take a moment to explain some of the stuff (he did). He’ll never take credit or toot his own horn for it and would just make fun of it, but the work that he did and the stress that was involved in getting that overpass over the 347 I’ve got to say it probably contributed to him saying, ‘It’s time to go.’ He won’t admit that, but it was a lot of work. A lot of stress, a lot of pressure, a lot of pushing.

“If you go up to the state legislature, it’s not a game. It’s a lot of hard work and it takes a toll.”

Manfredi also highlighted Roberts’ work in support of education issues, specifically the override election for the Maricopa Unified School District’s budget in 2016.

“He understood education and how important it is,” Manfredi said. “There is no way without him that we pass the override. There’s no way we get the extra money we needed from the school facilities board to make that high school we’re building today what it is. It was basically going to be a bare-bones high school until he fought to get more money.

“For me, it’s not just losing a guy that’s a legislator, it’s losing a very good friend, it’s losing a stalwart fighter for the city of Maricopa and making sure we got what we needed for education, transportation, and everything else he did up there.”

Roberts and his family are moving to South Carolina to pursue business and family interests there. They bought a home there recently and said that although he has family here in Arizona, they all agreed the move was a positive thing.