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This Week
Deputy city manager retires BY PEORIA TIMES STAFF
D SPORTS..........14 Liberty and Centennial gear up for playoffs
FEATURES......18 Conscious Creations puts on second Art Market
OPINION..........................8 BUSINESS......................12 SPORTS..........................14 FEATURES......................18 CALENDAR....................22 RELIGION.......................27 YOUTH...........................29 CLASSIFIEDS..................32
November 24, 2022
Peoria’s Hometown Newspaper
eputy City Manager Erik Strunk announced his retirement after five years of service to the city of
Peoria. Strunk retires with more than 30 years of public service in Arizona local government. “Erik’s easygoing style is a clever disguise for his vast knowledge, sharp perception, and ability to move mountains,” Mayor Cathy Carlat said. “It has been an absolute pleasure working with him, and I appreciate everything he has done for the city of Peoria. I wish him well in his retirement.” In his time at Peoria, Strunk oversaw numerous outward facing operations and
departments. He led the reorganization of Peoria’s operating structure to create the Neighborhood and Human Services; Water Services; and the Arts, Culture and Library Services departments. Strunk also worked closely with department leaders to enhance many service-oriented operations, including Peoria’s solid waste and recycling divisions, pavement management functions, and parks and recreation. In addition, Strunk guided much of the city of Peoria’s operational response and adjustments to support community members during the pandemic. “Erik has been instrumental in positioning Peoria toward organizational excellence,” City Manager Jeff Tyne said. “He SEE STRUNK PAGE 6
Deputy City Manager Erik Strunk recently announced his retirement after five years with the city of Peoria and more than 30 years of public service in Arizona local government. (City of Peoria/Submitted)
Jason Beck to be ‘mayor for all’ for Peoria BY JORDAN ROGERS
Peoria Times Managing Editor
A
fter defeating former Councilmember Bridget Binsbacher in a contentious race for Peoria’s mayor, Jason Beck is ready to get to work, and he wants to be a mayor for all of Peoria. “I think you’re supposed to be the mayor of everybody,” Beck said. “In fact, I think that all of our politicians should look at it that way. I don’t think it should be party
driven. I think that we should be looking at how we can actually improve the lives of all citizens. “If you’re not out talking with people and finding out what their needs are, then we’re actually not making sure that all citizens are taken care of, and I think that’s really important.” On election night, Beck and his team knew they would fall behind early due to the early votes that had already come in. But after Beck took the lead, he felt com-
fortable he had won. “As soon as we went ahead, we knew that we would never go back,” he said. Beck feels he, his wife and kids did everything possible to win this election. This included walking home to home himself for seven or eight months in the middle of the summer. “If I want to be the mayor of Peoria, I want to get out and actually listen to citi-
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