Name: Pete Garcia

Town/Neighborhood: Glendale

What I’m excited about & why: I am excited to see what the future holds for my family. My youngest just graduated from high school. My middle son is currently working and attending college. My oldest graduated from college and has given us two grandkids. Our family is growing and continuing with education that is career oriented.

What I like most about living here: What I like about living here is being close to family. We love our family get-togethers as we now have five generations to celebrate.

Changes I’d like to see in this area: Changes I’d like to see in this area would be to have more help for the transient population.

Favorite community cause & why: My favorite community cause is helping out our local churches. They go above and beyond in helping those in need.

When & why I moved here: I was hired by the City of Glendale in November of 2019. This job has given me the opportunity to work closer to home and spend more time with my family.

Where I lived before & why I left: I have lived in the West Valley all my life. Before accepting the position with the City of Glendale, I was working in Sedona. I moved my family to Cornville in 2015 but soon realized that my family missed the big city. In 2017, we moved back to the West Valley and I traveled to Sedona and back every day for work.

My family: My family consists of my wife, who I have been married to for 27 years. We have three boys, a daughter-in-law, and two grandkids.

What I do: I am currently the Interim Park Superintendent for the City of Glendale.

What I like most about what I do: I enjoy the people that I work with daily. The City of Glendale has welcomed me with open arms and the staff is terrific.

If I had picked a different occupation, it might have been: If I had picked a different occupation, it would have been manufacturing. When I graduated high school, I went to work for a manufacturing plant and worked there for 12 years. Unfortunately, the plant closed and that is when I decided to get my college degree. I graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.

My interests and hobbies: I love watching professional sports. Az Cardinals, Suns, D-Backs, and Coyotes are my favorites. Yes, I love all the home teams.

The best and/or worst time in my life: The best times in my life have been the births of my sons and grandkids. I love spending time with them and watching them grow.

My best/worst habits: I think my best habit is also my worst. I cave to my grandson’s wishes! I do pamper my grandkids and love the time I get to spend with them.

The trait(s) I admire in others: The traits I admire in others are compassion and friendliness. 

People who inspired me (and how): The people who inspired me have always been my parents. As the youngest of 11, I saw the struggles my parents had raising us. We didn’t have much growing up but we had more than enough love. Growing up made me appreciate the little things in life and taught me to work hard for what I wanted in life.

My guiding philosophy: My guiding philosophy is “God will get us through”

My advice to today’s youth: My advice for today’s youth is: Don’t let anyone hold you back from achieving your dreams.