Bruce Armitage to run for Superior Council

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Bruce Armitage

Bruce Armitage

  My name is Bruce Armitage and I am running in the Aug. 30, 2016 Primary Election for one of the three open seats on the Superior Town Council. 

  If you are anything like me, when you vote, you want to be up on the issues and knowledgeable about the people who are running, so that you can cast your vote wisely.  With that in mind, I would like to share some of my history and qualifications including some thoughts on issues that are important to all of us.

  The Armitage family moved to Superior in 1964 when my father, Clifford, hired on with Magma Copper Company as an underground Level Boss.  He spent many years developing his trade in the nickel mining industry.

  I graduated from Superior High School in 1966.  During those High School years I worked part time for O. C. Hing at the Save Money Market and for Roy McKee at the Atlantic Richfield Service Station.  The Armitage family has had a presence in the Town since then.

  I enlisted in the US Army in August of 1966 and served as a Flight Operations Specialist until 1969. After advanced individual training, I was stationed at Fort Ord, California and at Fort Richardson, Alaska.  In 1969, I married my best friend, Barbara (Tweedy) McKee whose family has had roots in Arizona since the1860s (Westfall Family) and in Superior since 1918 (Gorham Family).

  After leaving the US Army, I worked for Magma Copper Company as a laborer in the smelter before I was hired in 1970 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Air Traffic Controller Specialist (ATCS).  I was employed as a RADAR ATC Specialist at Los Angeles and Seattle Air Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC) and at Phoenix Terminal RADAR Approach Control (TRACON).  I became a Supervisor at the Phoenix TRACON and ended my FAA career in 1998 as the Manager of Falcon Field Air Traffic Control Tower in Mesa, AZ.  After a short break to do some volunteer work at a church in Montana, I took a position as an Aviation Consultant in Chandler, AZ for seven years before returning to Superior in early 2012.

  Since returning, I have become an active member of the community. I have been a Commissioner on the Planning and Zoning Commission since February 2014 and Chairman of the Superior Airport Advisory Committee since its inception in 2015.  I have memberships in the Superior Chamber of Commerce, the Superior Historical Society and recently became a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary Post 3584.  I worked on the Superior Beautification Project with Robert (Beto) Cervantes which built the stone wall at the Superior Historical Society Museum and am currently doing some ground work with Beto for a second beautification project at Besich Park.  I presently serve on the Board of Directors of the Community Action Human Resources Agency (CAHRA) which aids low income families and addresses poverty issues throughout Pinal County.

  Now, let me address what I consider two pressing issues for the residents and business owners of the Town of Superior.  These issues include: the need for Strategic Town Planning and secondly, the relationship between the Town of Superior and Resolution Copper Company (RCC).

  The first issue is the larger matter of Strategic Town Planning.  This issue encompasses the development of a new short and long term Strategic Town Plan, a Financial Plan of Action, and a plan for the Town’s Infrastructure.

  Without significant strategic Town planning, the Town is much like a ship without a rudder.  We are currently operating on an outdated 20-year plan.  We urgently need a fresh strategic Town plan, created with community involvement.  A growing successful community knows where it’s going and how it’s going to get there.  What do we want our Town to look like in the short, mid and long terms and what steps do we need to take to make that happen?  How do we finance these goals and objectives?  We need answers to these important questions in order to have a clear and realistic path into the future.  Likewise we must take a hands-on approach to identify current and future priorities.  Major concerns for our Town are business retention and expansion, and business attraction. Strategic planning does not merely identify Superior’s special resources but it decides how to develop and then promote these exceptional assets.

  An important aspect of a strategic plan is the need for a Financial Plan of Action.  A financial plan of action basically consists of projected expenditures, based upon the Strategic Plan and the Town’s potential to identify the income needed to cover those expenditures.  Financial sustainability won’t just fall into our lap.  Deliberate planning is required to help define the Town’s objectives as well as prioritize the actions needed to accomplish them.  Knowing how to manage our resources is essential to achieving financial sustainability.  We must judiciously administer the Towns finances so as to make the most of our resources while ensuring improved quality of life in Superior.

  As a part of Strategic Town Planning, we must address the Towns Infrastructure.  Infrastructure includes roads, public works and their equipment, schools, public buildings, airports, power supplies and sewer systems.  Let’s face it, Superior’s infrastructure is old and getting older by the day.  Because we currently don’t have sufficient funds to modernize our infrastructure, we must make the most of our existing assets until additional funds become available.  Basically we must do more with less and be smarter about how we spend our dollars.  As a community with limited resources, modernizing our infrastructure will require planning and vision as we move forward.

  Simply stated, as a Town we don’t have a current, viable plan for our future growth.  If we ever expect to have a bright and prosperous future we must map out a realistic strategic Town plan.  We must also strengthen our relationship with entities like the Chamber of Commerce, and other forward thinking small and large businesses.

  The second issue concerns the relationship between the Town of Superior and RCC.  There is no question that a large majority of the Town’s people support RCC.  I, unashamedly, am one of those people who is a strong supporter of the copper mining industry.  We are, after all, a community that was built primarily on that business.  That being said, I don’t believe that we should rubber stamp every RCC item that comes before the Town Council.  Every issue, no matter how minor, needs to be thoroughly vetted by the Town leadership to determine both intended and unintended consequences.  As your councilman, I commit to thoroughly reviewing every mining issue that comes before the Council to ensure that as we proceed, we are doing what is best for the Town of Superior.  I also commit to reestablishing a constructive and healthy business relationship with RCC.

  As your councilman, I will be committed to working for you, the people of Superior, with an eye towards bringing about a bright and prosperous future.  Superior is on the cusp of re-establishing itself on the road to significant prominence in the Copper Triangle. When the Town prospers, and I believe it will, the people who call Superior home will have an improved quality of life.  Together we can watch the Town of Superior become the next All American Town.

  I earnestly ask for your vote in the Aug. 30, 2016 Primary Election.

/s/ Bruce Armitage

Editor’s Note: Bruce and his wife were featured in the Valentine’s Day issue of the Superior Sun in 2014. Click here to read the story.

Staff (5795 Posts)

There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.


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