Mayor Meck endorsed by West Valley View

"Buckeye should re-elect Meck"
West Valley View - "Our Viewpoint"
February 21, 2012
www.westvalleyview.com

Buckeye’s Town Council all-mail primary election gets under way Wednesday, the day ballots will start to be sent to registered voters.

Only one seat is being contested in this election: the mayoral seat. Two candidates are running: incumbent Jackie Meck and challenger Tom Campanella. We’ve spoken to both candidates and they are both well-informed, competent individuals who care deeply about Buckeye.

This race may come down to a question of old vs. new. Meck is a third-generation Buckeye native. His grandparents settled in Buckeye in the early 1900s. Campanella, on the other hand, has lived in Buckeye since 2006.

Both men have extensive experience in public service. The first time Meck was elected to the Town Council was in 1968 and he’s been serving in one public capacity or another ever since then. Campanella served two terms on a city council as well as planning and zoning boards in Pennsylvania before moving to Arizona, and since moving to Buckeye, he’s been a member of the Buckeye Community Services Commission.

Campanella would probably do a pretty good job as mayor, but Meck has already proven he can do a good job in the position. Before he was elected mayor in 2008, the town government was in chaos. Since then, it has stabilized. That might be because of the economy — growth has slowed to a standstill giving town employees a chance to breathe — or it might be because Stephen Cleveland was hired as the town manager, bringing a level of professionalism to the position that Buckeye had not seen before. Or, it might have something to do with Meck, who was instrumental in bringing Cleveland on board.

Whatever the reason, Buckeye is a much better-run town than it was before Meck was elected. Voters should consider that when casting their ballots. We recommend Jackie Meck for another term as mayor of Buckeye.