To the editor,

When the City of Maricopa joined the Maricopa Association of Governments, or MAG, more than a decade ago, some people questioned the decision. Some called it a waste of time. Some called it a waste of money.

They were wrong.

Regional decisions drive local results, especially in transportation. If Maricopa wanted a real voice in major corridor funding, we had to be in the room. Cities do not influence priorities by standing outside the door.

That is why joining MAG mattered, and why the recent movement on State Route 347 matters, too.

Years of work at the table

I have served on the MAG Transportation Policy Committee for years. During that time, I worked to keep the Maricopa County portion of SR 347, north of Riggs Road, in front of the people and agencies who shape regional transportation priorities.

That work is not glamorous. It does not always make headlines. But it is how progress happens.

With Proposition 479, the half-cent transportation sales tax in Maricopa County, we secured $90 million for lane expansion on the Maricopa County portion of SR 347. That funding was originally scheduled for 2030.

Today’s MAG Transportation Policy Committee meeting discussed accelerating the funds programmed for the SR 347 widening within Maricopa County to FY 2028. You can watch the meeting and my comments at the Think Link. 

Why moving the funding matters

This is not just a technical change buried in an agenda packet. It is real progress.

Moving this funding up helps align the Maricopa County segment with the broader corridor work already moving through ADOT’s Construction Manager at Risk process, along with the major commitments already made by the City of Maricopa and Pinal County on the southern segment.

Put simply, this brings the full corridor together.

Why SR 347 matters to Maricopa

SR 347 is not just another road on a map. It is the main route in and out of our city. It affects how people get to work, how emergency services respond, how businesses operate, and how residents live their daily lives in Maricopa. Any delay on that corridor affects real people, and leadership has to produce results.

Seats like the ones I hold on regional committees are not ceremonial and are not guaranteed to someone else from Maricopa.

For years, I have made sure Maricopa’s voice was heard in these rooms. I have pushed to make sure our city was not overlooked while larger communities moved their priorities forward.

At today’s MAG Transportation Policy Committee meeting, no one raised concerns about advancing the SR 347 funding component. I thanked the group for helping move it forward, because this is exactly the kind of result that comes from persistence, partnership, and staying engaged.

The bottom line

So, when people ask whether joining MAG was worth it, they should look at what is happening now.

Maricopa got a seat at the table. I have spent years making sure that seat produced results. Moving SR 347 funding from 2030 to 2028 is one more example of why that work mattered, and why it still does.