On an absolutely beautiful Sunday afternoon, in front of more than 200 friends, family members, supporters, and other well-wishers, Harry Mitchell cut a ceremonial ribbon, marking the official opening of his district office in Scottsdale.
(Actually, the total attendance may have been a little higher - there was a constant stream of visitors touring the new office, and it was hard to keep track of the number.)
On the stage, and in the crowd, was a bipartisan cross-section of elected officials from the district. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard was there, as well as the mayor or vice mayor of each city or town in CD5 (Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills, Mesa, Chandler) and a significant number of city council members from each one, too. In addition, the legislators from LD17, Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill, Rep. David Schapira, and Rep. Ed Ableser, were present, as were some other state legislators.
Thankfully, the speeches were few and short. :)
After an honor guard from the Marcos de Niza High School JROTC program led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, Scottsdale's mayor Mary Manross opened with some brief remarks before giving way to AG Terry Goddard.
With a smile, Goddard noted that we were witnessing history in the making -
Harry Mitchell, the "personification of Tempe" was actually in Scottsdale.
After getting that hearty laugh, Terry was smart enough to give way to the guest of honor, the oldest freshman in Congress, Harry Mitchell.
Harry spoke of how he truly felt like a freshman, "oldest" or not, when he first visited the Capitol as a member of Congress. Going to work in a building that, in some ways, is an art and a historical museum, could be a little overwhelming at first. He quickly settled in, however, getting to work helping to pass Congress' 1st Hundred Hours agenda.
He thanked his family and supporters, noting that the only way anybody can be successful is with the help of others.
He called the location of his office at one of the most recognizable corners (Scottsdale and Camelback) in the middle of the district as a signal that he wants the office (and, by extension, he and his staff, too) to be accessible to the entire district, from Fountain Hills to Ahwatukee.
Again, the easiest directions to the office are: take Loop 101 to Indian School Rd., proceed west on Indian School to Scottsdale Rd, turn north on Scottsdale. Staying in the right lane, follow Scottsdale to Camelback, the office is on the southeast corner. Parking can be accessed from either Camelback or Scottsdale Roads. The office is in Suite 335, the phone number is 480.946.2411.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was seeing Lauren Kryder, formerly volunteer coordinator for Harry's campaign. She's moved to the Valley and is working with Kelly Ward at a new organization, The Project for Arizona's Future. The Project is a non-partisan non-profit group "dedicated to educating Arizona voters about key issues and increasing their participation in the political process."
Right now, their chosen issues of interest are effectively managing growth, strengthening education and improving access to health care, especially for kids.
According to Lauren, one of the ways the Project is setting about to achieve their goals is to let people know what the Legislature (and their legislators) is doing.
Sounds kind of like blogging, only organized and with a specific goal in mind. :))
The group's website, azfuture.org, is here.
Good night!
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