THATCHER — The era of cooperation is underway.
During the most recent Thatcher Town Council meeting, Monday, Dec. 15, Safford Interim City Manager Eric Bejarano introduced himself to the council and Thatcher town staff.
“I’m excited for what the future holds, and I look forward to our continued collaboration as communities,” Bejarano said.
He also introduced the council to Safford’s new Utilities director, Jeff Low.
“We’re hoping for some regional discussions on wastewater treatment and overall projects, where we do aerial flights and things like that together, or drainage projects,” Low said.
Thatcher Mayor Jenny Howard said she was glad to see Bejarano and Low reach out to the town.
“We’re very excited about the future,” Jenny Howard said.
In May of this year, under former Safford City Manager John Cassella, Safford terminated its joint operating agreement with Thatcher for Mt. Graham Golf Course — a course owned by Safford but within Thatcher town limits.
It was also proposed by Cassella to terminate the agreement by all municipalities to use Graham County Sheriff’s law enforcement dispatch, and instead contract with Sierra Vista Police for dispatch services. That proposal was set aside following a June joint work session with representatives of Safford, Thatcher, Pima and Graham County, who said the cost of needed upgrades for the switch would be too great.
– Contributed Photo
On Thursday, a prepared release stated the vice mayors of Pima, Safford and Thatcher recently gathered for informal discussion and lunch.
“The three leaders shared conversation and expressed a mutual desire to renew and strengthen collaborative efforts between their municipalities in the coming year. They emphasized the value of cooperation in supporting the region’s shared economic vitality and community well-being,” the release said.
And Graham County Supervisor John Howard said the county is hoping to do something special for the Fourth of July in 2026, for America’s sesquicentennial.
“The county is really excited about our 250th year coming up, and want to do something big, we want to partner with all the entities and have a community-wide celebration,” John Howard said. “Something big; we’ve talked about a concert.”
