By Kelcie Grega | Camp Verde Bugle
Jerome Mayor Alex Barber doesn’t mince words when it comes to stewardship of the Verde River.
“Officials really need to start thinking about what we are going to do to be able to make sure our children still have water and stewardship of the Verde River … The Verde River going dry in my lifetime is such a sad thing.”
Balancing growth and sustainability is a major issue facing Jerome, Barber said. After all, the former mining town of just under 500 people doesn’t have much more room to grow.
Barber was appointed mayor of Jerome by her council peers last November. Barber, now in her third term, was the top vote-getter in the August primary by just one vote. Town tradition typically dictates that the person with the most votes gets to be mayor.
We met at the Jerome Public Library on the Main Floor of Town Hall on Clark Street. We talked about vacation rentals, infrastructure, main issues facing the town, and quite a few other things.
