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A view from the dais: Mayor Carlat looks back at the last 20 years

Posted 10/1/19

I was first elected to represent the Mesquite District in 2005. It was the largest district in the city with almost double the population of any other district. Geographically, it was half the land …

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Guest commentary

A view from the dais: Mayor Carlat looks back at the last 20 years

Posted

I was first elected to represent the Mesquite District in 2005. It was the largest district in the city with almost double the population of any other district. Geographically, it was half the land mass of the entire city and it was exploding with new growth every day.

I ran for office for very specific reasons and I was determined to see them through.

I would do everything in my power to secure a strong future for Peoria, a future that would allow my kids to stay here, support their families here, and raise their children here. I wanted to retain the breathtaking beauty of our Sonoran Desert landscape, while also elevating our community in ways that made employers of choice and businesses want to open their doors in our city.

Stepping into office for the first time brought with it a steep learning curve. Looking back, it reminds me of watching a play unfold. In every storyline, there were new people and new scenes, all demanding their own individualized and careful attention.

The cast of characters included other elected officials, city leadership and staff, media, developers, business leaders, educators, and of course – the citizens. I had to learn all of the players and the backstories quickly because there was much work to be done to achieve the goals I had set for myself. That is, as soon as I found a way to represent the 40,000 Peoria residents in the Mesquite District that wanted and deserved my attention.

In 2005, the economy was thriving. The good news was that property values were high and increasing every day, residents were working and commerce was flourishing. The bad news was that the city had not been able to build roads fast enough or mitigate the negative effects of constant change for the existing residents.

Residents were looking to me to carry the weight of the challenges they faced.

This included issues like extreme truck traffic near their homes, managing expectations of residents about how, where, and when new development occurred, and how quality of life would be retrofitted into existing areas and required of new builds, like sidewalks, parks, trails and open space.

It was a time of very early mornings and late evenings as I learned how to balance the needs that individual residents were experiencing, alongside the responsibility and legal requirements that come with governing a large and growing city.

In those early years, I carefully fine-tuned my priorities, my values, and my focus. In spite of all the other characters in this play, my loyalty would always lie first with the residents of Peoria, and I would do everything in my power to ensure every decision brought value to current Peoria residents, as well as future generations whose wellbeing would depend on how well I did my job each day.

In 2008, the economy made a sharp turn south. After years of surplus throughout communities everywhere, the bubble burst.

As challenging as these times were, the economic downturn was a reprieve from the intense development that we were experiencing. We used the time well. The high fiscal standards that had always been a point of pride in Peoria became a tremendous strength that allowed us to maintain services and programs for residents, preserve employment, and build infrastructure to get ahead of the next growth curve.

Throughout my time in office, we’ve brought amazing projects to life. We completed roadway projects, such as the widening of 83rd Avenue, 91st Avenue, and Thunderbird Road, and the construction of Loop 303, Happy Valley Road, and the Tessmer Truck Reliever Road.

We improved well-used facilities like the Peoria Community Center and the top-rated Peoria Sports Complex. We also opened new facilities and amenities such as Rio Vista Community Park and Rio Vista Recreation Center, Pioneer Community Park, 11 neighborhood parks, six new and remodeled fire stations, a new police station, and completed a major expansion of our Veterans Memorial. This year, we also broke ground on the long-awaited Paloma Community Park.

Although Peoria is only 65 years young, some of our most visible and exciting changes have occurred over the past two decades – a time that brought Peoria into the modern economy as a deeply connected community enriched by a sense of culture and amazing amenities.

Many things have changed in Peoria since I first came on the set as one of the cast of characters. We grew in population, prioritized conservation and economic goals, and we expanded our vision for the future. But, equally as important are the things that did not change about Peoria. We are a city committed to integrity, responsibility to our citizens, safe neighborhoods, and high fiscal standards. Some things should never change.

Editor’s note: Ms. Carlat was elected the first female mayor of Peoria in 2015.