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Executive Committee Spotlight:
Rick Mueller, Mayor, City of Sierra Vista
Name, title & city/town:
Rick (Frederick W.) Mueller
Mayor
City of Sierra Vista
Year elected to office:
City Council 2001-2010
Mayor 2011
Years served on Executive Committee:
Less than one year.
Hometown:
Sierra Vista, born in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Why did you decide to serve in local government?
After attending Planning and Zoning and City Council meetings for a number of years, I felt I could make a positive contribution to
the future of my community by making needed changes in city policies and procedures. I served as a member of the city's Citizens'
Advisory Committee for a short period before being encouraged by respected community leaders to run for elected office.
What are the biggest challenges facing your city today?
The immediate challenges are fiscal. Our challenge is, like most cities, continuing to provide a high level of quality services to our citizens while resources
are diminished in the current economy. Long term the challenge is to continue to develop Sierra Vista as a regional center for commerce, medical services, higher
education, tourism and technology, while redeveloping the older parts of our home town.
What opportunities do you see for your community?
As a young city opportunities abound. Our community partner, Ft. Huachuca, will continue to provide a dependable economic base with its intelligence, testing,
cyber warfare and unmanned air systems missions. We will continue to diversify our local economy by taking advantage of the developing regional opportunities
enumerated above.
What are you most proud of during your tenure on the Executive Committee?
As a brand new member of the Executive Committee, I look forward to being able to point to an achievement of the committee for which I can rightfully claim pride.
Why is the League important to cities and towns in Arizona?
Apart from the League providing quality training to newly elected officials that makes them more effective in the performance of the service they provide to their
communities, the League provides great leadership in developing policy positions in areas of common interest to member municipalities. As one of a team of local
leaders who were successful in getting the legislature to fund an academic building on the University of Arizona south campus, I am very aware of the David and
Goliath like relationship between individual communities and the special interests that can and do influence government. I see the League as an organization of a
group of Davids, who have banded together to at least level the playing field on issues of importance to municipalities.
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League of Arizona Cities and Towns
1820 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-258-5786
Fax: 602-253-3874
http://www.azleague.org
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