KARA KELTY | AZ Daily Sun | Posted: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 5:00 am

It is time for Mayoral leadership in Flagstaff that can advance job creation, strengthen our economy and revitalize our neighborhoods. We need a reliable, consistent and independent Mayor who can move Flagstaff forward. We need a Mayor who is committed to working collaboratively with the City Council to set priorities, to create meeting agendas that are reflective of those priorities and to make progress on goals. Of the three Mayoral candidates, I am the only one who has endorsements from current city council members, including our Vice-Mayor. I am running for Mayor of the City of Flagstaff because I have the best combination of experience, proven accomplishments and the judgment necessary to create progress on the critical issues facing Flagstaff.

As your Mayor, I will ensure that the City’s fiscal investments are prioritized to support job creation while maintaining support for existing businesses in our community. I will focus sustainability efforts into a large scale renewable energy project in our city such as negotiating a power purchase agreement city wide that will not require capital investment in infrastructure. I will ensure that our policies protect neighborhoods from crime, erosion and neglect.

I served honorably as a Flagstaff City Councilmember from 2002-2008 and during that time I earned a reputation for being fair, thorough and thoughtful. I led the Community Housing Policy Task Force that identified barriers to affordable homeownership and implemented solutions to solve the problem, and started the city’s Land Trust Program to provide affordable housing for Flagstaff’s workforce. I was successful in changing city management because it was unresponsive and disrespectful to our community.

My other significant accomplishments on council include development of the Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies, which has created over 80 quality jobs for Flagstaff residents, and continues to drive innovation every day. I also, among the many initiatives I fought for while on council, ensured that critical voter-approved bond projects were completed, including the Aquaplex, and substantial upgrades to the Adult Center and the fields in Thorpe Park.

Throughout my life in Flagstaff, I have committed myself to making the city more responsive to citizens’ needs, and to making our community a vibrant and prosperous place to call home. Please take a serious look at all the candidates for Mayor and ask which one will best represent you and not special interests. I have not accepted any money from political action committees because I will be a leader that serves all of Flagstaff.

Together we can get Flagstaff moving forward again. Mark and return your ballot for Kara Kelty by March 9 and send a message that we need real action for Flagstaff.

Kara Kelty is a candidate for Mayor and lives with her husband and two children in Flagstaff. She previously served on the Flagstaff City Council from 2002-2008. Currently, she is the Director of the Southwest Renewable Energy Conference.