By Ronald J. Hansen | The Republic | azcentral.com
Breaking days of silence on a potential multibillion-dollar deal in Arizona, a key Valley economic-development group has reached out to the head of Tesla Motors Inc. in an effort to sell him on selecting the state over three others for a electric-car battery factory.
In a letter from the Maricopa Association of Governments made public Thursday, the mayors of Mesa and Avondale invited Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, to visit Arizona “so that you can see firsthand Arizona’s outstanding business environment.”
The one-page letter is believed to be the first public acknowledgement by officials here that Tesla is considering Arizona for its proposed $5 billion “Gigafactory” that is expected to bring with it 6,500 jobs. It is signed by Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, who is running for governor, and by Marie Lopez-Rogers, the mayor of Avondale. Both chair committees within MAG.
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