By Julie Pace, councilmember and mayoral candidate | Guest Commentary
Mary Hamway’s article accused me of fear mongering because I pointed out that our community is at a tipping point with six resorts poised to submit redevelopment proposals that could change the character of our town forever.
That is a fact.
My record is stronger than the mayor’s regarding adopting a policy to buffer one acre residences from resort redevelopment proposals. I voted to protect residents and the mayor did not. That is a fact.
I love and enjoy our world-class resorts and want them to succeed, but we cannot be afraid to talk about past mistakes so we can learn from them and so that voters understand voting for me for mayor in this critical elections can prevent mistakes repeating themselves.
And yes, Mary is right that I am a construction and employment lawyer and I do know our land-use rules and I have been involved in many development projects. My past experience includes serving as voluntary chair of redevelopment handling one-stop shopping for planning, zoning, design, and variances for 12 years.
The Rio Salado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects acknowledged me for my service with an award for “Best Contributions to the Built Environment.” As mayor, I will use my seasoned experience and knowledge to achieve successful and responsible resort development that fits the character of our town. That is a fact.
I was not on Town Council when the Mountain Shadows or Five-Star/Ritz was adopted. With all due respect, Mary, you were and you voted for the density of the Ritz and the problematic development agreement.
This is the key issue for voters: those who are more pro-development are supporting the mayor, and voters who want responsible resort development and preserving our town are voting for me.
We have to stand together to preserve the town we love. Vote for Julie Pace for mayor to preserve our quality of life for residential living and responsible resort development. Learn about my 8-point plan at www.paceforpv.com
