Jan. 3, 2012

Caption royalblue:       Mayor Greg Stanton

Moments after being sworn in as the 52nd Mayor of Phoenix, Greg Stanton today announced a major new job-creating collaboration with Mayo Clinic in North Phoenix and the formation of a “Mayors’ Futures Forum,” with Tempe, Mesa and Flagstaff, to champion schools and education.

Stanton was sworn in by former Gov. Rose Mofford before a large crowd at the Orpheum Theater.  He asserted that Phoenix will be a strong regional partner under his administration, but won’t be afraid to step out and lead the way to be more competitive in the global economy.

“When I served on the Council, we did not wait for others to lead on a cutting-edge opportunity like TGen. We led,” Stanton said. “We didn’t wait for anyone’s permission to bring a university and a medical school to the center of our city. We led the way.”

With that, Stanton announced a new “Desert Ridge Bio-science and Technology Collaborative” to pursue the continued development of Mayo Clinic’s existing 210-acre campus in north Phoenix to its full capacity. Partnering with Mayo, Arizona State University and the private sector, Stanton said Phoenix will work to attract complementary uses around the Mayo Clinic on more than 400 acres of mostly State Trust land focusing on higher education, research and development and technology-based jobs.

Stanton added, “Mayo is the very best at what they do. Their campus in Rochester, Minnesota, has created 50,000 quality jobs. And so will ours.”

Stanton also announced during his inauguration speech a new “Mayors’ Futures Forum” on Education that, so far, includes Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Flagstaff Mayor Sara Presler and Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. The mayors in the group – as well as other mayors and school superintendents that join – will use the bully pulpit to champion and build support for Arizona students and schools.

“Some question whether it’s appropriate for the city to be involved in education,” Stanton said.  “Here’s my question: How can we not be involved in education?”

Following the inauguration, Stanton will finish his first day in office by making several stops around Phoenix to highlight medical education, outreach to homeless families and support for local small business and entrepreneurs. The stops include:

• 2:15 p.m., speaking with students, faculty and employees at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, 550 E. Van Buren St.
• 3:15 p.m., visiting with employees and residents at United Methodist Outreach Ministries (UMOM), 3333 E. Van Buren St.
• 4:15 p.m., meeting with small and local business entrepreneurs at Urban Beans Coffee Shop, 3508 N. 7th St., Suite 100.
  
  

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