Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Town of Paradise Valley resident Jerry Bien-Willner has served as the elected mayor of his community for the last six years.
Trying to compile a list that represents his accomplishments, the Digital Free Press offers a rundown of select achievements by Mayor Bien-Willner from January 2018 through December 2024.
Quality of Life & Preserving Town Character:
- As mayor of the Town of Paradise Valley the town has been nationally recognized as a top-10 place to live in the U.S. Indeed, “Paradise Valley is the best place to live in Arizona if you care about home values, low crime, and a high quality of life,” the listing published states. Paradise Valley is the only place in Arizona to rank in the top 100 ZIP codes in the U.S. for highest home values — coming in at #50 in the nation.
- Mayor Bien-Willner led the fight to protect residents from the adverse impacts of short-term rentals by leading the strategy and execution of important legal reforms both at the local and state level. His efforts over the years with the Town Council, residents, and leaders across Arizona have gained statewide and national recognition. Mayor Bien-willner’s efforts have also included leading a bipartisan effort of 33 Arizona mayors to hold AirBnB accountable for unruly account holders. These positive actions for our community have been featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, a print product with international stature.
•Mayor Bien-Willner guided the town through its 2022 General Plan update, which passed with overwhelming public support, 7-0 Council and Planning Commission votes, and not a single public comment in opposition to the plan.
Proven Leadership:
- A key example of Mayor Bien-Willner’s leadership in resolving a high-dollar, high-risk legal dispute with Five Star Development on very favorable terms to the municiplaity, while allowing all parties to move forward productively and successfully.
- Mayor Bien-Willner is the first mayor in the Town of Paradise Valley history to win three consecutive direct-mayoral elections, and is also the first PV mayor to earn a position on the Executive Committee of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, a policy-setting and advocacy board comprised of a select group of Arizona mayors.
- Mayor Bien-willner succeeded in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and was highly proactive in making sure the town has stayed safe while not stifling business or educational opportunities for our community, while listening to experts and working directly with community stakeholders.
- During Mayor Bien-Willner’s leadership, in 2021 the Paradise Valley Police Department joined an elite group of departments in earning accreditation for the first time, due to PVPD’s high standards and professionalism.
- Paradise Valley maintained the Lowest Violent Crime Rate in Arizona over the past few years.
- Mayor Bien-Willner presented an initiative to the council to fund additional ‘beds’ to house those experiencing homelessness, keeping streets safe; this plan has been praised by bordering communities and has been re-adopted twice, earning Paradise Valley recognition as part of the common-sense solutions for keeping people off the street.
Sound Finances & Fiscal Responsibility:
- Mayor Bien-Willner was proud to serve as point person in twice defeating proposals to increase water rates for town residents, most recently saving town residents over $11 million over the next four years.
- Mayor Bien-Willner championed the creation of a town’s ‘Strategic Revenue Plan,’ which stress-tests the town’s finances to stay prepared for a variety of unexpected and unlikely impacts to town revenue. This innovative tool continues to be utilized in connection with town budgeting.
Mountain & Hillside Preservation:
- In 2018, Mayor Bien-Willner suggested rebranding the “Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust” to be called the “Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust” to emphasize the history and importance of town-wide efforts to preserve our mountain vistas. This idea was implemented with great enthusiasm and has helped the mission of the organization in preserving Paradise Valley’s natural beauty.
- Recently, with the PVPMT and the help of Vice Mayor Scott Moore and town Staff, the town placed an interactive monument to hillside land downers in Town Hall to show appreciation and increase.
Community, Families & Faith
- Upon his election, Mayor Bien-Willner started the first-ever youth recognition program to publicly acknowledge and congratulate our students for their achievements in community service, academics, and athletics.
- Mayor Bien-Willner developed and won Town Council approval for the Paradise Valley ‘Educators Forum,’ which periodically brings together leaders from all of PV’s schools and enhance communication and cooperation among the Town and these key community stakeholders, especially with the police department to share best practices and further enhance student, parent, and teacher/staff safety.
- Mayor Bien-Willner has chaired the Town’s Cell Phone Task force, which used innovative approaches to improve in-home and outdoor cell service in the Town. This work is ongoing, but the early heavy lifting has created a path for infrastructure improvement that has already borne fruit and is poised for further investment and improvement.
- Mayor Bien-Willner is a proud supporter of the arts and cultural events, including his support of Jazz Day, as well as the many other Town events that enrich our quality of life.
