By Julie Pace, councilmember and mayoral candidate | Guest Commentary
I proudly serve as your councilmember and former vice-mayor and respectfully request your vote to serve as your mayor to continue to fight for our quality of life in residential living and responsible resort development, public safety and fiscal responsibility.
My only agenda is to serve our town and preserve this special and unique place we are blessed to enjoy.
I was asked by a group of neighbors who came to my house on Sunday, May 1, 2016 — the day my grandson was born and I was heading to the hospital to greet him — to run for Town Council based partially on my prior two years of uniting residents and leading grassroots efforts to successfully stop over-development and scarring of Camelback Mountain.
Like many in PV, I have a busy life and never planned to run for office. The town was trending towards over-development if I and others with strong voices and compasses did not step up to donate our time to fight for our town’s unique quality of life. So I dug in 100%, and you can learn about my accomplishments at paceforpv.com.
Now is the right time for me to serve as mayor because of the upcoming six resort development projects and the attack by the Legislature and developers on our one-house-per-acre zoning. This is not a normal election cycle, and we are at a tipping point. The character of our town could change forever.
I was not on Town Council for Mountain Shadows or the Ritz projects. Some of the mistakes made on these projects would not have happened on my watch.
I am a fourth generation Arizonan, 20-year Paradise Valley resident, with seasoned experience and state-wide connections. I have the horsepower to help our town at the Legislature, as I am the only Republican running for mayor. I have a long track record for decades of working in a bi-partisan manner to accomplish goals. I have worked to pass 10 bills in the Legislature and helped kill many bad bills.
I will use my talents, skills and experience as a 30-year employment and construction lawyer representing companies to protect our iconic mountains, open space and scenic beauty.
Voting records matter. Two material examples that my opponent supported and I opposed are:
1. I voted against a resort proposal to build a five-unit wedding and party complex with 24-ft high rooftop bar adjacent to the home of a 50-year resident, Theresa Mao.
2. I led efforts to keep open space by opposing the Mayor’s efforts to reduce front yard setbacks from 20 feet to 10 feet for view and combo fences on 14 miles of town roads.
Resort development will look different based on who is elected mayor. I have the consistent and strong track record to protect private property rights of residents while keeping developers at the table. I am known for being a creative problem-solver.
It is clear which candidates are consistent preservationists: Julie Pace for mayor and Ellen Andeen and Christine Labelle for Town Council.
Our town is at risk with the pressure of developers pushing for higher density, the influx of party houses, commercialization of residences and increasing traffic congestion. What do you want for our town?
Arizona Business Magazine named me as one of the Top 10 most influential lawyers in Arizona. I have provided volunteer public service in leadership positions for over 30 years, including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Phoenix Symphony, Southwest Shakespeare Company, East Valley Partnership, and many other organizations.
I am a team leader for a 12-person legal team to troubleshoot and solve challenges for businesses. As a leader, I will not support orchestrated attacks on peers. Instead, my leadership style is to be inclusive, celebrate the talents of each team member and facilitate common goals to achieve success to benefit the town.
I do not surround myself with yes people. I prefer independent thinkers and transparent discussions in the public eye on the merits like used to occur under Mayor Collins. We have not had a council retreat in three years to set common goals and priorities.
A key role of the mayor is to set the agenda. The mayor has prevented agenda items such as term limits, reduction or elimination of fire fund fee and good governance initiatives. Andeen and I have repeatedly asked to have the fire fund fee tax placed on an agenda to evaluate whether we have sufficient revenues to help offset part or all of the annual fire fund fee charged to residents.
I support two-term limits. My opponent is seeking a third term and one council member is seeking a fourth term. People in office too long get too comfortable, become entrenched and teamwork suffers. We do not need career politicians.
Term limits bring fresh perspective and responsiveness, and voters should decide this issue.
We have a deep bench of talent in PV. We do not need the same people serving, election after election. We need to break the cycle of the good-old-boy network.
I see a bright future for our town and look forward to working with a refreshed council that will allow us to move forward without the distractions of the past. We can effectively and collaboratively serve the town we love.
I love Paradise Valley and have a passion for preserving our quality of life. You can count on me, so please vote for Julie Pace for mayor by Aug. 2.
