Ben LaForge is seeking to retain his seat on the Douglas City Council.

Ben LaForge was born in Douglas to Hortencia and Edward LaForge, one of five college-educated children. He and his wife, Aida, recently celebrated their thirty-eighth wedding anniversary together with their two daughters, Celeste and Catrina Ann.

LaForge graduated from Douglas High School and attended Arizona State University. He was awarded the Most Successful Participant award from the Department of Commerce and Arizona State University for elected and appointed officials.

LaForge served on the School Board for fourteen years after being elected to five consecutive terms.

He served two terms as a candidate for Cochise College Board of Supervisors in 1996 and was endorsed by The Daily Dispatch for his knowledge and experience of governmental agencies.

He gives much credit to his loving wife Aida, whose encouragement has helped him throughout his career. In 1986 he was named Governmental Employee of the year and has served on numerous boards on both the county and state level.

Most recently he received an award from  Governor Janet Napolitano for involvement as a public servant for the past forty six years.

Why should I vote for you? One thing I learned in my career serving the people of Douglas is to show that you care about them and that they can make a difference. Without their support I would not have been so successful. For sixteen years I have served as a Public Works Director responsible for budget, and operation of the largest city department, I’ve served with four different city managers, on the board of adjustment, and planning zoning and this has given me insights as to what is needed to be a progressive city – the experience I have over the years is invaluable. I believe in long-term relationships and want to continue to give back to our city.

What is a primary goal you want accomplished during your four-year term, and how will you achieve that goal? I am not only an advocate of our city but of our youth as well. I have been involved with students including private schools, Cochise College, Arizona Public Service and the cities General Plan – all of which give strategies on needs for proper city growth. One amenity lacking is a multi-use community center. This center would keep conventional employee residential leakage at a minimum and provide supervised activities for our youth.

What primary goal should the council as a whole have over the next four years? We hosted a job fair. I attended with my wife the Saturday session. Without the volunteer interviewers from the city, the Department of Economic Security we would have been overwhelmed – 600 participants were there. We need to facilitate and provoke whatever means available to put these people to work. We have great expectations for our governmental downtown restoration project. The city should assume ownership of the Grand Theatre as other entities have done. We have the means to more than project forward – work with Cochise College and the University of Arizona who have expressed interest to build and be part of a partnership in locating in this area.

What unique characteristic do you bring to the Council?  I know how important it is to recognize people who want to contribute to and take part in improving and making Douglas better. I created a merit program for our employees, the Departmental Creative and Resourcefulness Award program that encourages creativity in the workforce.

One area facing all communities is the Economy. What are your plans for the Douglas Economy?

The mainstay of our operating budget comes from our sales tax, an estimated 60% comes from shoppers from Mexico – 5.8 million dollars is derived from the tax – border cities like San Luis have raised their tax one cent to help bolster their economy. Today we are under two consent orders to improve our water and “waste-water” infrastructure. These estimated cost are 4.5 million dollars. This burden will fall on Douglas residents will we impose higher water or sewer rates on our customers or should we act now before the state of Arizona or Cochise County decides to raise their sales tax all of which we contribute to?