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Jack L. August, Jr., Ph.D.
Executive Director
Barry Goldwater Center for the Southwest
Buckeye, Arizona, for better or worse, is no
longer a small amalgam of farmers and ranchers
eating at the same diner in town every morning,
but instead an increasingly sophisticated and
diverse community that has drawn new population
from the cities and suburbs of California, Iowa,
Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, and every
corner of the country. This fast-growing portion
of the Valley is important to all of us and the
challenges and choices ahead require public
stewardship of the highest caliber.
I have had the opportunity to work with and
serve the Buckeye Water Conservation and
Drainage District as an expert witness and
historian. Water is the cornerstone for growth,
progress, and quality of life in Buckeye,
western Maricopa County, and the region. It has
been my privilege to work with Jackie Meck,
whose family, career, and experience, reflect
the essence of Buckeye's values and whose
professionalism and knowledge of water
resources--their development, use, and
conservation--is not only impressive, but also
prudent, rational, and visionary. His leadership
at BWCDD, along with countless years of
community service demonstrate the kind of
continuity and historical perspective that not
only will serve his constituents well but also
inform his decision making.
In addition to his grasp of water and natural
resource issues, Meck touts the value of higher
education in a changing and maturing economic
environment. Indeed he has vigorously supported
locating community college and four-year
university campuses in the City of Buckeye. He
was among the several valley leaders who
encouraged a private university, Franklin Pierce
University, to establish a western campus in
Goodyear. He supports a similar initiative for
Buckeye, thus allowing local citizens the choice
of a private four-year college. Meck's
innovative ideas on higher education should
become part of the public discussion in the
larger context of Buckeye's future economic
development.
On May 20, 2008, I urge the citizens of Buckeye
to vote for Jackie Meck for mayor.
Jack L. August, Jr., Ph.D.
Executive Director
Barry Goldwater Center for the Southwest
and Visiting Scholar in Legal History
Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.
One Arizona Center
Phoenix, Arizona
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