By Scott LeMarr | Point of View
Candidates often say they want to keep the Town of Paradise Valley just as it is, but I would say it’s too late and that ship has sailed.
What we need today is the proven leadership from Mary Hamway who has the experience and history with the town to help manage the absence of institutional knowledge, and who will rein in the growth in town government.
In seven years, Paradise Valley has seen a pandemic and four different town managers, so it’s no wonder we’ve changed. When a new town manager is hired, some staff turnover is expected. But where we find ourselves today is unprecedented. Within the past year,
75% of the staff at town hall is new, and the loss of institutional knowledge is staggering.
So, why does this matter so much?
When new managers and directors are hired, they bring good professional knowledge, but often lack awareness of what’s important to our residents or any history about our town on which to base their decisions. They use practices they know from larger communities and incorporate them into our processes, often times growing government. Growth in our local government must stop now, and a focus on developing our new staff has to be a priority.
There is one candidate that has the proven leadership, institutional knowledge and experience to right this ship. Mary Hamway, a mayor with a strong past, is my choice to lead us into the future.
Editor’s Note: Scott LeMarr is a resident of the Town of Paradise Valley and its former mayor