by 
By Sam Hosler, Mayor, Town of Kearny
Iam an optimist at heart, but I am not a Pollyanna who can see only good things. It is the good things of this town which brought me here nine years ago: tree-lined streets, good government (including twice-weekly garbage pickup), adequate medical services, a pharmacy and a grocery store; the busy swimming pool and the ball games across the street from my house; going to the Post Office to get the mail and seeing everyone; and good Mexican food and pizza (and this is not all I could list).
Small towns are my thing. Most of my life has been in small towns, including Seligman (pop. 600) where I was born.
Most of the good things are still here, but recent years have been hard on Kearny. For example, the booming economy of the 1990s lured many people to buy homes in the Valley of the Sun. Our school population dropped — and our state legislature is not a friend to small schools with declining populations. Copper town economies used to be recession-proof, but the recent recession hit us hard. While the metropolitan areas are recovering, the rural areas are not. Then, to crown it all, the Bank of the West closed in Kearny. The Ray Federal Credit Union has done its best to fill in the vacancy, but many bank out of town (and, as a result, increasingly shop out of town). The town revenue from the local sales tax, which is vital to town government, has dropped considerably. Our local businesses are doing their best. We welcome the new owners of the auto parts store who are making a real investment here. Still, this is not a thriving business climate.
We are not alone in having these concerns. Hayden and Winkelman share our cultural heritage and our problems. Working together, we can address the issues from a stronger position.
I’m still putting my bets on Kearny and the Copper Basin. In the next few weeks, I will write more about these things and seek your help in bringing about positive change.
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.
by by