When Arizona state Sen. T.J. Shope started representing Maricopa earlier this year, he instantly fell in love with its residents and their community spirit.

The sixth-term state lawmaker from Coolidge long represented Legislative District 8, which covered Casa Grande and most of Pinal County but ended at Maricopa’s northern and eastern limits. After last year’s redistricting, he moved to District 16 and inherited Maricopa for the first time in his lengthy tenure in the state chambers.

“Frankly, I love the people,” Shope told InMaricopa. “There is a newness and positivity about the community.”

It’s that fresh idea of a young, burgeoning city — a stark contrast to others in the county — that he believes drives residents to move to Maricopa.

“I think that brings a spirit, a belief that we can shape the community into the way we want it to be,” he said. “I want to do everything I can to give the people in Maricopa the opportunity to decide that for themselves.”

How does he plan to do that?

Here’s what Shope has planned this year.

The legislative session starts Jan. 8.

Keep roads money
“I think the No. 1 goal for me is ensuring that the money we have been able to get for State Routes 347 and 238 are kept. I know that’s not a sexy item since we’re not talking about adding more money, but we don’t want to take from what we have just because we have another project that needs to move forward.”

I-10 expansion
“In budgets and bills I have sponsored with the help of my colleagues, we’ve been able to secure around $800 million for the expansion of Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Phoenix. I want to make sure not a dime from those funds is swept away. We have to get projects like this done because there are too many lives at stake here not to have it happen.”

Bring health care options
“As the chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, health care is always at the top of my mind, and I want to make sure options are available. Just because you’ve chosen to reside a little distance from the Phoenix metro area doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have access to good health care. I also want to ensure that our seniors, especially, have access to the specialty care that may be needed.”

Draw new business
“I think the business community in Maricopa today is surely different than it was 10 years ago. Any time a business or a large employer moves into Pinal County, it’s a net positive because people can find good, stable employment without having to take the 347 to Phoenix every day. Now, there are companies like Lucid Motors hiring people from Maricopa. That’s important because it’s bringing historically good-paying jobs that offer an opportunity for people to be home more often. We want to attract as much of that as we can because we want to have a family-friendly and positive place for people to live.”

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