Growth, transportation and economic development dominated the discussion Thursday as six candidates for Maricopa City Council took questions during InMaricopa‘s candidate forum at the Maricopa Library and Cultural Center.
Nearly 80 residents attended the forum, while the livestream received 13,000 views on Facebook.
“I’m interested to see the demeanor of everyone when they answer questions, and see what they’re about and what they’d change about Maricopa,” said Moonlight resident Amanda Coffee. “I want to get a better understanding of the character of someone I’m voting for.”
Candidates shared their views and visions for Maricopa, such as challenger James Singleton addressing what he sees as a gap in Maricopa’s economic infrastructure.
“Why can’t we attract a developer to build shell buildings where entrepreneurs can move in and start their businesses? We don’t have any shell buildings here in Maricopa right now.”
Incumbent AnnaMarie Knorr said she hopes State Route 347 is eventually dethroned as the city’s prime topic.
“I want to make the 347 less famous … I want people to be able to say, ‘Oh, there’s an accident on the 347, so today I’m taking a different road,’” she said.
Vice Mayor Vincent Manfredi announced this will be his final election..
“I’ve put in my own term limit, I’m not running again after this,” he said. “I want these next four years to make sure the 347 gets finished.”
The full forum is available on InMaricopa‘s Facebook page for voters who want to hear the complete discussion ahead of the July 21 primary.
Vincent Manfredi is the owner of InMaricopa.
