By Chamber Business News
As part of its ongoing examination of Arizona groundwater policy, Chamber Business News is visiting with water experts and policy leaders about their views on groundwater and what they believe are the defining issues for one of the state’s most pressing challenges.
Today CBN visits with Cheryl Lombard, president and CEO of Valley Partnership.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Chamber Business News: Cheryl, tell us about your job and what your organization does.
Cheryl Lombard: I’m president and CEO of Valley Partnership. We’re an advocacy organization for real estate development across the Valley and in Arizona. We have all types of real estate developers. We have masterplan developers, and we have industrial & commercial, which includes office, retail and multifamily. We advocate for responsible development, which we’ve defined in terms of certain policy outcomes, which includes working on water, infrastructure, transportation, and consistency across cities in terms of their regulations.
CBN: Let’s say you meet a new legislator, maybe you meet a new city councilperson, and they say, “Cheryl, I want to know more about water. I want to learn more, but it’s a daunting subject. Where do I start?” What are some of the guideposts that guide your work in the water space that you attempt to convey to elected officials and regulators?
