[CPEO-MEF] ENCROACHMENT: El Mirage and Luke Air Force Base (AZ)

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

El Mirage mayor airs objections to Luke Air Force Base

by Cecilia Chan
The Arizona Republic
October 22, 2009

El Mirage officials for the first time presented their case to residents 
regarding the city's much-criticized course of action with Luke Air 
Force Base.

"We are not interested in closing the base," Mayor Michele Kern said at 
an Arizona Republic editorial-board meeting earlier Wednesday. "I love 
the base. I love the state of Arizona. But at the end of the day, my 
responsibility is to the residents."

Later, roughly 150 people attended the forum at Riverview Elementary 
School. Kern said the meeting's purpose was to give a "fair picture" of 
what has led the city to its recent actions, and not to point fingers.

El Mirage has been criticized by its West Valley neighbors for blaming 
its inability to develop a tax base on development restrictions meant to 
protect the Glendale military installation. The city's clamor for 
economic sustainability comes as the Pentagon scouts for a secondary 
training base for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The new generation of 
fighter jets is considered vital by many to ensure the future of the 
base as it phases out its F-16s.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2009/10/22/20091022lukeafb1022.html

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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