West Valley View - January 31, 2012
by Sara Clawson
staff writer
www.westvalleyview.com
After nearly 20 years of service to Buckeye, current Mayor Jackie Meck is not quite finished.
The native began his elected service in 1968 as a councilman but his upbringing introduced him
to service long before, he said.
Meck’s grandparents came to Buckeye in the early 1900s; his father, Bill Meck, was Buckeye’s justice of the peace for 30 years.
“This has always been a part of me and I want to see it grow,” Meck said. “I welcome residents coming in; I just want them to become part of the community.”
Creating more citizen advisory boards and commissions, along with workshops teaching residents about how government functions, will help the community grow, he said.
When Meck first took office in the late 1960s, Buckeye’s population was fewer than 2,000 residents. There are now 50,000 people scattered among more than 20 master-planned
communities.
“The circumstances have changed because of the population increase,” he said.
Challenges currently facing Buckeye include major infrastructure problems, along with water and sewer issues, Meck said. “What we had then, was not anything like we’re dealing with now,” he said.
Dis-connectivity hurts the future of the town, he said.
“Those issues we’re dealing with now need to be looked at today for the next 50 years, the next 100 years,” he said.
Meck’s re-election platform focuses on more than just roads. He said he seeks a second four-year term to continue efforts to bring jobs, education and better neighborhoods to communities.
“My concern now, that’s never been before, is jobs. That’s what I’m after,” he said. Since February 2011, Meck has pushed a “jobs initiative,” which includes setting up job fairs and sending out email blasts announcing job opportunities to some 6,000 email addresses.
He calculates more than 500 people have found jobs because of his efforts, though admits not all may be from the town because neighboring residents are welcome to participate.
“I want people to have jobs. I want people to live in Buckeye and love it as much as I do,” he said. “That’s why I spend my retired years doing everything I can to make it a better community for people to live in. If I can help people get jobs and keep their cars or their houses, that’s all I care about. My commitment is to my community.”
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