Growing Goodyear
Growing Goodyear
Meet Your Newest City Councilmembers
Hear from the newest members of the Goodyear City Council, Benita Beckles and Trey Terry, as they share their priorities for the city and vision for the future of Goodyear.
And welcome into the Growing Goodyear podcast, from the city of Goodyear. I'm Jordan Byrd.
Host Tammy Vo:And hi everyone. I'm Tammy Vo.
Host Jordan Byrd:And Tammy, this is a special time right now because we recently had two brand new city council members inducted as the newest members of the Goodyear City Council.
Host Tammy Vo:Yeah, really exciting times for our city, with so much happening, and really it's been so fascinating and interesting to notonly hear about their lives, but how that's also played into where we are now in our city, and their thoughts for you know the years to come.
Host Jordan Byrd:Well, and it's interesting as we're going to get into this podcast episode to hear their different perspectives on things, and there are similarities between our two new council members, both are former military members, and their life experiences and their backgrounds really shape who they are and are going to have an impact on the lives of residents here in Goodyear with just kind of how they think about the future and the growth of the city of Goodyear.
Host Tammy Vo:And I know speaking for the both of us, Jordan, you and I really had a great experience sitting down and speaking in depth with both of them, and we hope that some of our listeners will today as well, too.
Host Jordan Byrd:So today on this episode, you're going to hear from both council member Benita Beckles and council member Trey Terry. So without further ado, let's get into our Fast Five with council member Beckles. What is your favorite food or type of cuisine?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:My favorite food is Mediterranean food.
Host Tammy Vo:What is the one thing you can't live without?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:At this point in my life, it would be my cell phone.
Host Jordan Byrd:I don't think you're alone. What was your first job?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:My first job was as a camp director for the Chicago Boys Club camp girls unit in a summer program.
Host Tammy Vo:What are your favorite hobbies?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Hobbies are kind of interesting, because right now, I've been so focused and into public service and community service that that's actually has been my hobby. My sorority, we do a lot of community service. So that's kind of been my thing.
Host Jordan Byrd:Why is it a great time to be in Goodyear?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:It's a great time to be in Goodyear because of the growth in Goodyear and all the wonderful things that are coming and surrounding the Goodyear area.
Host Jordan Byrd:Councilmember Beckles, thank you so much for joining us today on the growing Goodyear podcast.
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Thank you for having me.
Host Jordan Byrd:Let's tell our audience a little bit about yourself. Initially, what inspired you to want to run for Goodyear city council?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:So after I retired from my previous job, I was interested in volunteering somewhere, and a friend of mine said, you have a wonderful background to be on city council, something I never thought of but I am a retired Air Force colonel, so I have quite a bit of leadership experience, and I was in the Air Force Reserves, so I also had a full time job. So with that, I worked for the city of Detroit and the city of Phoenix, so I had over 20 years of city government experience, and she says, You're perfect, you're perfect, you're perfect. And I thought about it, and then decided I would try. You
Host Tammy Vo:You have such an interesting history in terms of your career. You know, we're really curious what made you want to join the military in the first place?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:So I had already had my bachelor's degree, so my goal was to go in as an officer, which I did, was to get my master's degree paid for and that was really my goal. And then I was going to leave, but I loved it so much that I stayed.
Host Jordan Byrd:Now being a member of the Goodyear City Council. You do have a background in the city of Goodyear, when it comes to committees and commissions. Tell us a little bit about that experience that you've had specific to Goodyear.
Councilmember Benita Beckles:I first was part of the Juneteenth program, the award winning Juneteenth programs, for the last couple of years, and working with the staff was just a wonderful and very endearing experience. And then I decided that I would get involved with Parks and Recs when they had an opening on their commission, and I interviewed for it, and initially was an alternate and then became a member of that committee, and it's been just my pleasure to be there. What
Host Jordan Byrd:What was that experience like for you, where you've had an experience in city government as a job, but now you're on committees and commissions, and your role is a little bit different when you're working within a city. What was that like when you're now on these committees, as opposed to being a employee of a city government?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Being on the boards and committees really gives you a broader insight into that particular department or what's going on, and gives you a little bit more insight into the planning of activities and the development of different programs and projects.
Host Tammy Vo:You have been a resident of Goodyear for many years, so now you are on the other side in the sense where you're on the council making these policy decisions, still a resident of course of Goodyear, which brings that unique perspective, but just wondering. When you look forward to the years ahead on the Goodyear city council, what are your priorities?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:My heart is with police and fire, having had a bad experience in a city that did not have enough police and fire, and so my heart is making sure that our residents have the quality police and fire that Goodyear has and having worked with parks and recs, I know that it is a wonderful department to raise our kids and making sure our kids continue to grow and be good citizens by being involved in the different parks and recs programs.
Host Jordan Byrd:You know, it's kind of an interesting time right now in Goodyear, because the city is growing. 117,000 people now is the population, but one of the things that we keep hearing from residents is that there still is kind of that small town hometown feel to it. So how is that balance? How do you try to keep that balance between growing as a city and bringing things to residents that they may want, while keeping that hometown feel?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:I believe that Goodyear has done a wonderful job already doing that, especially by having so many events in the city that specialize in the different interests that the residents have, and it pulls people in all the different communities come and experience it. And I really feel that that helps to keep that small town feel.
Host Jordan Byrd:You mentioned that public safety is near and dear to your heart, so when it comes to public safety and Goodyear, what are some of the priorities for you for public safety?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Making sure that the response times are helpful to our residents and that our police in our fire are on the job and get to an individual or a situation as quickly as possible.
Host Jordan Byrd:Now, earlier, you mentioned how, not necessarily for you personally, but you have lived in areas where there maybe wasn't that same level of commitment to public safety that the city of Goodyear has. How can that negatively impact a community when you may not have the resources that you need for public safety?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Personal experience, it can, I'm getting emotional. I'm sorry. Oh, that's okay. For personal experience, we lost the person who probably could have lived had the response time been much quicker.
Host Jordan Byrd:You've lived that type of situation?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Yes, yes, I did. I was at work, and I was a manager at work. We call 911 for a situation, and the response time was just too long, and we lost that person.
Host Tammy Vo:Those have got to be some really life changing experiences and moments that you've had in your past. How has that shaped, or will that shape your time on the Goodyear City Council?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:I'd say it makes me more sensitive to people's needs, the individual's needs, and individuals needs as it relates even to city and city government and what people are concerned about. It tugs at my heart that people are concerned about their own personal needs. It just makes me more sensitive.
Host Tammy Vo:It really is interesting, because I think sometimes, you know, our residents think of the Goodyear City Council as something very separate, right, something kind of possibly, you know, unrelatable. But when you think about it, the council are residents just like everyone else, and has that valuable perspective in terms of being able to share that on the dias at council meetings when making some of those big decisions.
Councilmember Benita Beckles:That is true, yes, and we experience different things. For example, I live in Estrella, in the last subdivision in Estrella and we were just happy as we could be when they put a fire station way up there where we are. And it warms our hearts that it's that close.
Host Jordan Byrd:Let's talk a little bit just about you personally. So besides being a member of the Goodyear city council, what are you passionate about?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Public service mostly, I've just been on that role all my life. Actually, I had a person tell me I was a public service junkie, just different activities where I get out and I can make a difference and help. I'm in an organization where we do a lot of public service. We go out and do different things in various communities in the West Valley. So that's really been my most important thing.
Host Tammy Vo:What really stands out is your time in the military. You mentioned you were a colonel in the military. You also spent some time, and you know, very notable moments in our in our country's history, 9/11, Desert Storm. What was that like for you?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Yes, it was quite a challenging time for me, especially as a reservist, because I had a full time job and a family. But it was challenging as we went through Desert Storm. As a person that stayed home, one of our things was making sure that the families were taken care of and their needs were being met as their spouses went off to war. Basically. That was very challenging. Then I was also part of 9/11 and had to go in and work at the command post during 9/11.
Host Tammy Vo:Oh wow. What was that like?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:It was, in one way, interesting and exciting, because we were talking directly to the Pentagon and taking our orders from the Pentagon at that time. And the other thing that it was eerie, because we knew this was real. This was a real thing that we were involved in as we watched our community, the planes were flying overhead to make sure that we didn't have any more situations like that.
Host Tammy Vo:So how many days after 9/11 were you there? How soon after?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Oh, I was there that day, that day. So I was at work at my civilian job and got a phone call. Come in. Come in. Now.
Host Jordan Byrd:Now that you've begun your term as a member of the Goodyear city council, you look ahead to the next four years. What excites you the most about being a Goodyear city council member?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Basically helping to shape the future and being able to see what's coming, and knowing that our citizens are just excited about the growth as we are, but just being able to see, especially the square and downtown, I'm just so excited about what the downtown could look like.
Host Jordan Byrd:So being a fan of what is happening at GSQ in downtown Goodyear. Do you so far have a favorite business or restaurant that has opened already at GSQ?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Yes, my favorite restaurant is the Spitz because I love Mediterranean food.
Host Jordan Byrd:So when you look to Goodyear in the next 5-10, years, what do you see for Goodyear?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:Obviously, we will have a developed and growing downtown area, but even some of the other areas in Goodyear will continue to grow, and we'll have a number of new businesses in the area that will make Goodyear attractive and exciting to those people from outside.
Host Jordan Byrd:Now we wouldn't be doing our job on a Goodyear podcast, unless we asked you about Buc-ee's. Are you familiar with Buc-ee's? Do you have a history with Buc-ee's? Or are you new, like me and some of the other people to Buc-ee's?
Councilmember Benita Beckles:I'm totally new to Buc-ee's, and what is that? But I have looked them up online. I tell all my friends, don't even live here about Buc-ee's, and I am totally excited about Buc-ee's coming and all that it will bring to Goodyear.
Host Jordan Byrd:Council member Beckles. Thank you so much for joining us here on the Growing Goodyear podcast. Congratulations on your recent induction, and just welcome to the Goodyear City Council. Thank you for your time.
Councilmember Benita Beckles:And thank you for having me. It's been my pleasure.
Host Jordan Byrd:Our thanks to Councilmember Beckles for sharing some great insight in her background and her experience and what her goals and visions are as now being a member of the Goodyear city council, let's now turn our attention to the other newest member of the Goodyear city council, Council Member Trey Terry, and before we get into our interview with him, it's time now for our Fast Five with Council member Terry. Where is your favorite place to travel to?
Councilmember Trey Terry:Well, as a family with three young boys, ages six, four and two, right now, my wife and I, we don't get to we don't get to travel as much. So I said my favorite place to travel to these days is the golf course on a weekend.
Host Tammy Vo:All right. Next question, what's the best piece of advice that you have ever gotten?
Councilmember Trey Terry:The one that sticks with me the most is just the saying was, things are never as good as they seem, and things are never as bad as they seem.
Host Jordan Byrd:When you get an opportunity to relax, are you reaching for a book or the TV remote?
Councilmember Trey Terry:Probably neither. A lot of times I will listen to a podcast, especially history related podcasts, maybe even audio book.
Host Tammy Vo:Next question, what is the first job you can recall having when you were younger?
Councilmember Trey Terry:I was either 15 or 16 years old. I was a janitor over the summer at my church, Trinity Lutheran, there on Indian School and Dysart. My four year old's actually pre K there right now. So it's kind of that's kind of funny that, you know, my kids go to the school where my first job was.
Host Jordan Byrd:Why is it a great time right now to be in Goodyear?
Councilmember Trey Terry:There's just so much happening, all the growth, all the potential that we still have. You know, we're seeing some very nice restaurants and shops. Buc-ee's is coming in this next year. With the growth of GSQ, there's so many new things that are still to come. I look forward to a lot more commercial options heading for residents further south. And Goodyear is. Well, so there's just so much growth and with that potential, and there's really not a limit to it.
Host Jordan Byrd:Councilmember Terry, thank you so much for taking the opportunity and joining us here on the Growing Goodyear podcast.
Councilmember Trey Terry:Absolutely. Thanks for the invitation.
Host Jordan Byrd:So let's just get in a little bit about your background. You kind of touched on it on the Fast Five that you know you're from Goodyear, explain a little bit about your background, and you know your roots here in Goodyear.
Councilmember Trey Terry:Sure. So I moved around a lot as a kid. I'd never spent more than two full years in the same school as a kid until I came out here for high school and graduated from Millennium High School.
Host Jordan Byrd:Military Family?
Councilmember Trey Terry:I was not a military family. My mom worked for Wells Fargo at the time, and there were banks that either bought Wells Fargo or that Wells Fargo bought them, and just the opportunities for expansion in that company and promotions led us to moving. I was born in rural Southwestern Michigan. Lived in Indiana as a kid, lived in many places, in Texas and Minnesota, and like I said, I never spent more than two years in the same school until I went to high school here. So this feels like home when people ask, where did you grow up? It was here, because I legitimately spent more time here than I did anywhere else. You know, most of the things here were dirt fields and, you know, everyone would talk about, no, there's going to be growth here someday.
Host Jordan Byrd:You probably didn't think that that growth would happen when you are now a member of the Goodyear City Council.
Councilmember Trey Terry:I didn't. So the last four years, I've spent as a governing board member for the Agua Fria High School District. And I graduated high school 20 years ago, but there are still a few teachers left. And I remember my 10th grade biology teacher when I first got on the board, and then I was board president, and she was just like, really out of all my kids, you? And I don't take offense to that, like I was a mediocre student. I did all that, but this wasn't on my radar for the longest time, and now I enjoy serving my community. I'm humbled for the opportunity to serve because you need to have the trust of those around you to be able to do it.
Host Tammy Vo:What is it about good year to where this is your place?
Councilmember Trey Terry:I've seen a lot of places around the world. So after I graduated high school, I joined the Army. I spent four and a half years active duty. Spent some time in Korea. I spent combat tour in Iraq. I was stationed in Texas, but around the time that I got engaged, my wife and I, we moved back to Goodyear. Just you know, I had friends here, I had family here. It was home. And of all the things that I've seen in the world nowhere that I would rather put down my own roots.
Host Jordan Byrd:So you talk a little bit about your military background when you make that transition of okay, my military career is done. I now want to continue that level of commitment and service to my community, what was kind of, maybe the driving force that got you initially into public service right after?
Councilmember Trey Terry:I got off of active duty, I had a friend of a friend of a friend that was actually running for Congress, and with that, I ended up working on a campaign. And from that perspective, it let me kind of see how things work, from the public policy side to the campaign and communications, and then just being involved in your community, just realizing, Oh, the people who are making these decisions, they're just normal people. They put their pants on, the same I do. And you know, there's nothing really special about me or about the folks I serve with, or the ones that will come after us. We have this humbling honor to fill a role.
Host Tammy Vo:You just starting your new term. Your first term as a Goodyear city council member. What are you looking forward to? You know, kind of bringing to the table from all of the history and experiences you've talked about today?
Councilmember Trey Terry:My most recent experience would be the four years on the Agua Fria High School District Governing Board. The growth out here is incredible, seeing those challenges of the growth and the growing pains that come with it. It's at the forefront of my mind when it comes to city services. As we grow as a city, there will be growing pains, but it's top of mind to make sure, especially when it comes to public safety, that we are not experiencing those growing pains where we just deal with it as it comes now. We need to be proactive as to the extent possible when it comes to those challenges. Same thing with your basic normal city services that our citizens not only expect, but they deserve. We need to be proactive with that, and I think it's just managing that growth, making sure we're not falling behind, making sure that we don't experience growing pains that start to frustrate our normal citizens to where they feel they're not getting the city services that they need.
Host Jordan Byrd:When you talk about growth, how do you balance that between a growing community while still kind of maintaining that real tight knit community? Feel?
Councilmember Trey Terry:I feel like I can rarely go to a The biggest challenge our city will
Host Jordan Byrd:You mentioned public safety as the city grows. grocery store without running into at least a few people I know. And actually, yesterday, I went to the store, and it ran ever face is what happens when a resident calls 911, it matters. through my mind as I was leaving that, oh, I didn't actually run into anyone that I knew or stopped what's going on? Yeah, What is the response time? How many responders are showing up? what's going on. And by the time I got to my car, I ran into three people. So when it comes to the growth out here, it's the reason so many people have moved to Goodyear. It's a great place to live, to work, especially raise a family. We have great schools, we have great parks, we have just safe communities and maintaining that is paramount to anything else. We're going to continue to grow, and it's going to require that same dedication to ensure that those city services are there to where we still maintain that that small town feel. How well trained are they? How well rested are they? How well How do you grow with them? When it comes to public safety? equipped are they? Not answering that challenge to a satisfactory level matters before anything else. For you personally, as you're entering into your first term here on the Goodyear city council, what excites you the most about being a Goodyear city council member?
Councilmember Trey Terry:I think just having that opportunity to be a part of what the city is doing, there's a lot of growth that's happening, a lot that's still to come, lot of exciting announcements I expect to hear within the next several months that hopefully our residents get really excited about and just being able to have a hand in the growth of the community that I grew up in my kids are growing up in. Hopefully at the end of the day, when my time is done, I can look back and say, You know what? That was, some really good things that we did.
Host Jordan Byrd:The growth in Goodyear ,in the West Valley in general has just been booming. There's no secret about that. And you know, if you go back 10 years, what Goodyear looked like then to what it looks like now, vastly different. So if you looked into your crystal ball right now, what do you think Goodyear looks like in the next 5-10 years, from where we sit today?
Councilmember Trey Terry:I think the biggest transformational thing in the next five to 10 years, which excites me, will be the extension of the 303 along with State Route 30, we are going to get another east west highway that will help with traffic, that will help with getting around the valley, as well as a 303 extending further south, just the way we commute around Goodyear will change.
Host Tammy Vo:And the topic of growth. We hear a lot of residents talking about just like you have been here for a long time, who are saying, hey, like, this is fast. This is a lot from your perspective, and it was here when it was even smaller. You feel those pain points. I'm sure. What would your message be to those individuals who are having a hard time with that?
Councilmember Trey Terry:When I was growing up going to Millennium High School, I was living in Palm Valley. I would drive on McDowell over to Bullard, which McDowell and Bullard were both two lane roads. That was a stop sign. Oh, my. And the next light I hit was Bullard up to Indian School, and that gets you almost right to the high school. You know, just to paint a picture there, I used to take the two lane roads and the stop signs because it was quicker. And right now, you know, that's a six lane roads, both ways, street lights, before a quarter mile away there are more street lights. And that just doesn't happen overnight. When it comes to growing pains, I'll use an example of a project that we actually Millennium High School will likely see remodeling some of the interior buildings, or, in some cases, demolishing a building to build something new. Where a school year may be a little rough because a building's gone and it takes a while to build that back up. But once it's done, the finished project is, at times, worth some of the pains and I and I get it, I see it, I'm frustrated at times by the construction. I drive through it, just as everyone else does, but it's going to take those growing pains, and all I can say is it will be top of mind to ensure that we are proactive with our infrastructure along with our growth, so that we don't have a neighborhood go up and then five years later decide we need to rip the road up because, you know, people need to drive there. Let's take care of as much of it as possible and as few iterations as possible to make it as seamless and smooth for our residents, and when it comes to housing, I know we've had quite a few apartments go in. We've had a lot of rentals go in. I think our general plan that just passed over 90% of it still single family detached in the planning phase to happen here in Goodyear, someone my age are younger, right? Now, if you think of a lot of folks renting, not many people want to stay in an apartment their entire life, being able to provide that gateway and that opportunity for younger families, or folks who don't want to live at home with mom and dad, that want to be a part of the community, that work in our communities, that we need them working in our communities to give them the opportunity to buy a home, build some net worth, build up that equity. Right now, where housing is, there are so many folks who can't afford a down payment on your average home that's for sale, and so allowing for that, I think, is really where my focus would be.
Host Jordan Byrd:Council member Terry, thank you so much for taking the time and sharing a little bit about yourself and your vision as a member of the Goodyear City Council. Welcome to the Goodyear city council and just thank you so much for joining us on this episode.
Councilmember Trey Terry:Yeah. Thank you. And again, for any resident out there, I pride myself on being as accessible as possible. If you're not running into me out in the community, feel free to find me around City Hall or my emails on the website. Get a hold of me. I'll make sure to respond and make sure your concerns or needs are being met.
Host Jordan Byrd:So as you can hear, it's an exciting time in Goodyear, and one of the things that really stuck out from me, Tammy in both of our interviews with our newest council members, was growth and how they are being very conscientious about that growth, bringing our residents the things they want, while trying to minimize the growing pains that come along with that kind of growth.
Host Tammy Vo:Absolutely, it's such an exciting time for Goodyear, and I really feel like they and the rest of our council very energized about our future in the years to come. And I think of our listeners word also to take something from this experience is really recognizing that each of our council members are different, and that is certainly a value to the city in terms of our leadership and where we go from here, each of our council members are very different and bring something very special to the table, which you see when they speak and Make decisions during some of our council meetings each month.
Host Jordan Byrd:And it really is interesting because both of the newest members, Council Member Beckles, Council Member Terry, they've been in Goodyear for a long period of time now, to their own extents and their backgrounds. You know, with council member Beckles being on committees and commissions and council member Terry and his previous experience on school boards, they're bringing to your point, all of these different experiences and personal histories that are only going to help the city be the city that we want it to be here in the future.
Host Tammy Vo:Also want to give a special shout out to two of our outgoing council members. Just this past year was their last term in office, Council Member Sherry Lauritano and Council Member Bill Stipp we thank them very much for their service to the city of Goodyear and the residents and their leadership.
Host Jordan Byrd:So we hope you enjoyed this episode of the Growing Goodyear podcast as we got to know our newest council members a little bit more. And remember, it's always a great time to be in Goodyear.
Close:That concludes this episode of Growing Goodyear. Make sure to leave us a review and subscribe on your favorite streaming or podcast player app. If you have any questions or comments, email us at communications at Goodyear, az.gov and don't forget to follow us on the city of Goodyear's social media pages.