(GILBERT, AZ.) – Joel Coen, another of Gilbert’s council candidates in the coming elections, interviewed with OpGov.News reporter Teri Tracy in regards to his candidacy for council and the current and future state of the town.
His campaign for transparent leadership echoes some current council sentiments, leaning into the impact of clear communication and facing infrastructure issues head-on to make informed decisions that will support a growing Gilbert in the future.
Coen talks about his first introduction to Gilbert when he relocated to the town 13 years ago.
“I was lucky enough to meet John Lewis right off the bat, who was the mayor at the time and he instantly got me connected into the town and helped me build my business here,” Coen recalls.
His love for Gilbert began when he felt a connection to the town, from the schools his son attended to the small-town feel and opportunities to be had here.
That connection is what drives Coen’s goals as a council candidate, and what inspires him to maintain the connection the community has as the last six to seven percent of buildout occurs.
To Coen, the ideal vision of Gilbert includes, “From an education standpoint, making sure that we are consistently in a space where our kids have the opportunity to go out and compete, and I think keeping that town feel while also being able to bring in industry perhaps that we haven't courted before.”
Said industry includes, in Coen’s opinion, tech companies and similar components in an effort to “grow appropriately.”
Photo Credit: Teri Tracy / Google Meet
According to Coen, what Gilbert needs is a “strong strategic plan for the next 5 to 10 years” as the town both finishes its buildout and continues to work on redevelopment.
Communication is key in Coen’s vision for the town, citing the importance of making information clear and concise to residents when it comes to informed decision making on matters ranging from water to infrastructure and beyond.
“I think that along with those components is how we communicate that to everybody in the town and making it very simple for people to grasp what it is that we are doing from an initiative perspective. Understanding the costs associated with it.”
Recurring revenue is crucial to Coen, especially once the town is no longer in an active growth state but rather in its redevelopment state.
“When you're out of growth mode and you're in redevelopment mode, things get to be a little bit more difficult,” he says.
Photo Credit: Teri Tracy / Google Meet
Coen’s opinion on being in a leadership role lends itself to the kind of self-observation he wishes to experience on the council.
“For myself, it's a matter of I know that it's not that I deserve what I have around me. It's a matter of I know that through my actions, and through the things that I do, that I sort of create
my own fate, if you will. So I'm not in a space in which it's a matter of do I feel like I really shouldn't be here,” he says, “ If I felt like I shouldn't be somewhere, I'm typically not there.”
The most important thing to remember for Coen, though, is to make the most of the time he has.
Sharing a personal story about his late father, he shares some of his father’s last words that continuously resonate with him: “So much wasted time.”
One of his personal goals is to ensure that he leaves a positive mark.
“I want to try to make sure that I'm making the most of what I have available to me. So, did I make the right decisions and did I position myself in a place where I'm creating a legacy that truly will be meaningful, and put me into a spot that as I get older, I feel good about what I've done?”
Coen offers a closing statement, reiterating his hopes for increased transparency and, as a result, an increased amount of understanding between residents and the town council that perpetuates a positive path forward.
His plans for the next few years have already begun taking shape.
“I’ve been working with the town for quite a while now,” he says, “Part of the Forge Committee assignment that I was given where I was able to start looking through all of our budgets and planning [...] have kind of helped me understand what is available to us and how we grow as best as possible.”
Coen continues, “I think that critically getting the communication out, making sure that that plan makes sense, [and] getting the most for our dollar as a town is going to be the absolute most important thing as we approach buildout.”
He hopes that doing so will help residents understand what the council is building towards, and that it will encourage them to be involved in the process and continue to ask questions.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at tracy.t@lead4earth.org.
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