Rizzi: Thank you Apache Junction mayor and council members

As this year comes to an end for the current Apache Junction City Council I’d like to say congratulations and welcome to our newly elected Councilmembers Kelly Gremmel, Braden Biggs and Tess Nesser.

Thank you for stepping up to serve the community in this capacity. Preparing and running for an elected position is no easy task, so thank you all for having the courage to run. I look forward to working with each of you along with our new Mayor Chip Wilson as a solid team in the years to come.

I’d also like to thank outgoing Councilmembers Jeff Struble and Robin Barker for their years of dedication and service to the community.

While many may think serving on the City Council means attending just a few meetings a month, Jeff and Robin well know how much time is spent behind the scenes attending various boards, meetings and city events in addition to the council meetings. There is always much to learn from working with others who see things differently and I have truly appreciated the insight and perspectives that Robin and Jeff shared as the council worked through various projects. I’m sure we will see you both continuing to serve the community.

Thank you Jeff Struble and Robin Barker for the time you gave and years of service on the City Council.

On a final note I’d like send a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing Mayor Jeff Serdy. He certainly shook things for Apache Junction up and took a different approach in leadership style.

Mayor Serdy had the courage to quite often step outside the box and do things differently not only as a mayor but also from other communities. Being a community with our own unique identity is something we cherish here in Apache Junction and so it’s important for local leaders to protect what it is that makes us stand out from neighboring communities and to ensure we remain unique.

Thank you Mayor Serdy for always being available and engaging with the community by phone, in-person and on social media like none we’ve seen before. Thank you for keeping your promises and doing what you said you would do. Thank you for spending endless hours in meetings and engaging with sister communities to build vital relationships on behalf of Apache Junction. Thank you for having the courage to stand out and stand up for personal freedoms, personal liberties and allowing individual citizens to choose what is best for them when times were uncertain. Thank you for always standing up for local businesses. Thank you for trying to bring new things and to accomplish what has not been done before. Thank you for working tirelessly to push our community from the back row into the forefront with our county and state leaders.

You’ve set the bar higher and laid a great pathway for future city councils and mayors to keep moving Apache Junction forward.

Mayor Serdy, you will truly be missed on the Apache Junction City Council; however I believe I speak for many in saying we are very excited for your new journey and look forward to seeing what you’ll accomplish as our new Pinal County supervisor.

Editor’s note: Christa Rizzi is a member of the Apache Junction City Council.