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Eagle Society hosts Paradise Valley mayoral candidates for ‘Community Conversation’ at Town Hall

photo of paradise valley mayoral candidates
From left are Paradise Valley mayoral candidates Anna Thomasson, Mark Stanton and Mary Hamway. (Photo: Terrance Thornton/DigitalFreePress)

Paradise Valley mayoral candidates deliver campaign messages at April 29 forum

By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press

On Monday, April 29, about 100 Town of Paradise Valley residents, former elected leaders and community volunteers came to Town Hall, 6401 E. Lincoln Drive, to hear from three candidates vying for the mayor’s seat at the upcoming July primary election.

The candidate conversation was hosted by the Eagle Society of the Town of Paradise Valley — a coalition of local residents, civic leaders and community volunteers focused on serving the greater community — a group of seven members chaired by Marel Brady, who served as master of ceremonies for the April 29 event.

Community stewards Mary Hamway, Mark Stanton and Anna Thomasson are vying for the top elected position as three-term Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner has opted to not seek re-election to local office this cycle.

“Welcome to our community conversation,” Ms. Brady said at the onset of the April 29 candidate forum. “We are not politicians — we do not support politicians in any way. We are not commercial in any form. Our mission statement is to communicate on major items happening in the Town of Paradise Valley.”

Ms. Brady explained the format of the candidate forum that allowed each candidate a period of time to address the crowd, responded to submitted questions and offer closing remarks.

Each candidate was selected at random with the Ms. Thomasson drawing first, then Mr. Stanton and culminating with Ms. Hamway.

(Photo by Arianna Grainey/DigitalFreePress)
Anna Thomasson

Anna Thomasson is all in for the Town of Paradise Valley.

“I am Anna Thomasson and I running for mayor,” she said to the crowd as she began remarks for her address to residents in attendance. “I am running for mayor for each of you — I am committed to do the job for you.”

Ms. Thomasson offered crisp, concise and inviting commentary regarding her second consecutive term as an elected leader of the Town of Paradise Valley; meanwhile, she served in 2018 by appointment on the Board of Adjustment.

“I have walked this town,” she said of her routine walks around her neighborhood that she says helps keep her attune to local happenings of interest or concern for local residents. “My No. 1 priority is public safety.”

Ms. Thomasson has served as liaison to the Historical Advisory Committee where she helped author the town’s 60th Anniversary Commemorative magazine, chair of the ACOPS committee for public safety and has served as vice mayor, which is a vote of confidence from her Town Council colleagues.

“We prevailed, We have a healthy reserve fund and we are not afraid to use our funds to protect the quality of our community,” Ms. Thomasson said pointing out her efforts — in tandem with fellow members of Town Council and volunteers of the community — at the Arizona Legislature to gain better local control around unruly short-term rental operations within municipal bounds.

Today, Ms. Thomasson points out, the town has 100 registered STR operations within town limits with few complaints leveled in recent months.

“I was responsible for getting people into a room and encouraging people to get together,” she said pointing out the collaborative effort. “We were challenged by the industry; we were challenged by the legislature, but we prevailed.”

Ms. Thomasson offered those in attendance a brief rundown of her thoughts on resort development thanking her colleague — Paradise Valley Councilman Scott Moore — for recent work around the now-approved Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows development project eying longterm stays of VIP and celebrity clients. “It will be a lovely property … but again, because we were able to be collaborative.”

Ms. Thomasson spoke passionately about her support for the local police department, recalling a time she accompanied Mayor Bien-Willner and other Town Hall leaders to attend the ceremony honoring the life of a police dispatcher’s husband and a police officer who passed away.

“I wanted them to know they had a councilmember who cared,” she said. “We know we are all part of crime fighting.”

Ms. Thomasson offered a testimony of passion for volunteerism and pointed out a time recently at the Arizona Legislature advocating against one of myriad bills of concern drafted at the capitol.

“You guys are selfless volunteers, and I wanted you to know, ‘you were supported and that we have your back’ —- that’s why I spent my afternoon there with you,” she said in response to being asked by a member of the audience why she spends the time she does at the state capitol. “It is my privilege to be there, serving the town is a privilege. We want to keep Paradise Valley, Paradise Valley — that is my mantra if I am lucky enough to be your mayor.”

(Photo by Arianna Grainey/DigitalFreePress)
Mark Stanton

Mark Stanton grew up in the Town of Paradise Valley and has spent much of his adult life serving the public through community service at the state, region and neighborhood level.

Today Mr. Stanton serves as vice mayor of the Town of Paradise Valley — and president and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce.

“I am so grateful to be here with neighbors and friends,” he said at the onset of his remarks at the April 29 community conversation at Town Hall. “My goal is to become the mayor of Paradise Valley.”

In 2014, 2016, and 2020, Mr. Stanton was elected to serve on Paradise Valley Town Council. While serving on Town Council, Mr. Stanton was twice unanimously elected by his peers as vice mayor. He has served as the Town Council liaison to the Advisory Committee on Public Safety (ACOPS), Experience Scottsdale Board of Directors, Historical Committee, Paradise Valley Arts Board and HOA Forum, as well as many subcommittee roles.

“I have spent almost 55 years here in the Town of Paradise Valley,” Mr. Stanton told the audience recalling his time as a Kiva ‘Cougar’ then later a graduate of the high school football powerhouse, Saguaro High School. “Through all of this I have been a volunteer. Volunteerism is what this town is all about.”

Mr. Stanton outlined his accomplished career in public relations, state government, as an elected leader and local business advocate at the helm of the local chamber of commerce.

As a public servant, Mr. Stanton served as chief of staff for the Maricopa County Board Supervisors — District 3. Mr. Stanton says he was honored to be appointed by the governor to be deputy director for the Arizona Office of Tourism from 2009 to 2015.

“The jewel of that opportunity was always about Paradise Valley,” he said of his time in a leadership role at the Arizona Office of Tourism.

In tune with his fellow mayoral candidates, Mr. Stanton sees public safety as a key priority.

“I think without a doubt public safety is a top priority,” he said. “Public safety is such a critical component of our unified community. We do work together.”

Mr. Stanton lauded the staff of Town Hall pointing out the distinguished service of Town Clerk Duncan Miller.

“We have a very accomplished town manager and a very accomplished town staff — I mean who doesn’t love Duncan Miller?” he said pointing out he trusts local town staff do the job and to do it well. “Customer service is one of my priorities, and I trust them to do that job.”

Mr. Stanton went on to explain how a collaborative force atop the local dais can be a launchpad for positivity throughout all levels of the municipality.

“A lot of times people don’t even realize what all Public Works does especially right after a storm,” he said. “Working together with my colleagues, working to bring them together, our town is in great shape.”

But Mr. Stanton pointed out to the audience, Paradise Valley is susceptible to economic swings just like other small towns across the nation.

“You can’t tell me that it can’t happen, we just went through COVID — you can’t tell me it doesn’t happen,” he said. “We are the gem of the Southwest and a large part of that is our resorts, they are all remarkable. If we didn’t have the resorts we would be talking about a property tax.”

Mr. Stanton says he is proud of the hospitality options part of the community fabric that makes the Town of Paradise Valley whole.

“I am incredibly proud that those resort and hospitality opportunities are available here in town,” he said pointing out oftentimes when friends get together in the Town of Paradise Valley it is at a local resort property.

But while Mr. Stanton is approachable, kind and courteous — one should not mistake those traits for weakness, he reminds.

“Don’t mistake being affable for not having an edge. I am not the loudest voice in the room, I listen to residents,” he said of his leadership style. “I know how important it is to absorb what someone is telling you to find a sound value judgment. It is not my way or the highway.”

Mr. Stanton has served as past chair on the state of Arizona Personnel Board, graduated from Scottsdale Leadership Class XVII and is a life member and past patron of the Scottsdale Charros, a nonprofit group committed to youth and education causes.

(File Photos/DigitalFreePress)
Mary Hamway

Mary Hamway has an unparalleled knowledge of the institution that is the Town of Paradise Valley from years of community service as a volunteer and elected leader at Town Hall.

“One of the hardest things of running for public office is getting in front of people and sharing our ideas,” she said pointing out she took a break from public service recently. “I can say without a doubt serving the Town of Paradise Valley was the best job of my life.”

During her time on Town Council, Ms. Hamway was involved as a member of the Public Safety Task Force, chairperson for the Town Water Committee, leading the completion of undergrounding overhead utilities, raising awareness of stormwater management, serving on the board for Experience Scottsdale and renovating Kiva Elementary School’s sports field.

Calling the Town of Paradise Valley home for more than 30 years, Ms. Hamway played a critical role in defining the town’s vision statement and hopes to bring back the town water committee if elected mayor.

“The town was looking at a broader community vision at the time and we had created a visioning committee that had over 20 resident members and when that project was done we found out we liked who we are,” she said pointing out the Paradise Valley vision statement forged in collaboration with former Mayor Michael Collins still helps to define the General Plan today. It reads, in part:

Recognizing a proper balance between the powers of local government and individual property rights, our future will be defined by the continuation of our characteristic low-density, residential housing while understanding and appreciating the role of local government in providing quality public safety and other limited services, preserving natural open space and mountain views and ensuring neighborhood compatible land use decisions throughout the town.”

But looking at the amount of employees now at the Town of Paradise Valley, Ms. Hamway — who says she is open to understand better the new configuration of employees at Town Hall — says the amount of turnover has raised her eyebrows.

“Since the pandemic we have had 75% turnover — I am talking about the town manager, our legal department, as with the exception of Duncan Miller, there is very little institutional knowledge. “They know Apache Junction or they know Scottsdale or they know Tempe. Is this disastrous? No. But it is also not inconsequential.”

Ms. Hamway says she worries the bureaucracy of Town Hall has grown outside bounds of the limited government model but notes employee numbers do not solely dictate a limited government model.

“The town staff has grown by 50% since the recession and, quite frankly, we haven’t added any new services,” she said.

With fresh eyes, Ms. Hamway says the municipal website is due for an update, meanwhile water woes — real or imagined — need to be addressed and understood acutely, she said.

“I would also bring back the Paradise Valley Water Committee as we will have to have water in future years to sustain our population,” she pointed out. “In my case, what I think I bring is institutional knowledge and I know how to ask the right questions. I think the best thing I can bring is a set of fresh eyes.”

Ms. Hamway says if elected mayor she won’t hesitate to ask the hard questions.

“We are just growing and I would absolutely ask the question if we really need to do that,” she said of administration levels at the Town of Paradise Valley circa 2024. “You can’t shake a hand with a close fist. The mayor is one of seven and that is that way I think it ought to be.”

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