Feb 4th Speaker Jackie Craig, Councilmember of the Marana Town Council

Jackie Craig was born in Tucson, spending much of her childhood here & alternating between periods in Africa as her parents took volunteer assignments there. She graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in English Literature and later earned a Masters in National Security Strategy from the National War College in Washington, DC. Jackie served as a Foreign Service Officer in the Department of State for 25 years, with assignments in Asia, Africa, South America and Washington, DC. Since her retirement in 2013, Jackie and her husband have lived in The Highlands of Dove Mountain. Jackie was recently elected to be a Councilmember on the Marana Town Council, with her current term extending into 2024.

Jackie provided highlights of what it was like running for office a first time, discussed items of current focus for the Town Council, gave an overview of potential infrastructure projects, and highlighted future issues to be addressed.

Having never run for an elected office previously, Jackie utilized coffee events, significant social media, NextDoor for name recognition, and simple road signs to complete her successful campaign. She felt that the Dove Mountain community took her over the finish line and was thankful for that support.

Jackie discussed numerous topics, including the Town’s serious focus on COVID-19 protection for staff, the Master Plan for Parks & Recreation, interest in an Aquatic center, the Town’s revenue exceeding the forecast during the pandemic, a salary increase facilitated for Town employees, and the Town Manager Terry Rozema’s appointment recently changing to permanent. She also discussed two significant housing developments: Cascadia, near the Outlet Mall on both sides of Twin Peaks Rd (15,000 homes) and the Mandarina Development at Tangerine Road & I-10 (5,000 homes).

Infrastructure projects under consideration include: 2 water treatment plants, numerous roads, a Northwest water recharge & delivery system, a flood control channel into the Santa Cruz River, several parks, and an Aquatic center. A Town Council retreat will be held in March to discuss and prioritize these potential projects.

Other issues for potential focus include: students return to school after the pandemic, water use and the renewable water supply, housing affordability, and social needs & poverty in Marana.

Feb 4^th Inspirational Moment Quotes

The Feb 4^th meeting inspirational moments quotes were extracted from the book: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz, by Erik Larson. A #1 NY Times Best Seller and one of Erik Larson’s best books. A worthwhile read and definitely is recommended – FN