By Michael Gossie | AZ Big Media
Eric Orsborn never saw his future coming.
“I never thought I would be an elected official,” says the mayor of Buckeye. “Ever!”
But back in the day, Orsborn was a project manager for DMB Associates — which developed the game-changing master-planned community of Verrado in Buckeye — and DMB encouraged its associates to become ingrained in the community.
“They said, ‘We want you to get involved, get on a board, or run for council,’” Orsborn recalls. “And I said, ‘There is no way I’m running for council.’”
At that time, Buckeye was in the news a lot, but for the wrong reasons. The city was fiercely trying to find its footing and struggling to find the leadership needed to right the ship.
“When it came time for the elections in late 2009, I no longer worked for DMB,” Orsborn says. “Karrin Taylor Robson approached me and said, ‘Hey, have you ever thought of running for council?’ And I said, ‘There is no way I’m running for council.’”
Turning point for Eric Orsborn
Then, Orsborn met former Buckeye Mayor Jackie Meck.
“He said, ‘We have a fireman, a policeman, a veterinarian, a bookkeeper, and a couple of small businessmen on the council, but nobody that brings your big-budget experience,’” Orsborn remembers.
Orsborn’s background was in heavy civil construction, including water, wastewater treatment plants, bridges and infrastructure. And no one on the council at that time brought the development experience Orsborn possessed.
