Hectic times for new GVCCC president

Stan Riddle has been working on big plans since he was elected as the Green Valley Community Coordinating Council’s president last month.

But that’s not surprising, since he’s been involved with the community virtually since he and his wife moved here from Southern California in 1995.

“We were starting a homeowners’ association pretty much from scratch,” Riddle said of the San Ignacio Ridge Estates HOA that he served on from the very start, right after control of the neighborhood was handed over from the developers. “We were instrumental in putting together a pretty good program for the homeowners.”

Big projects

Now he’s setting his sights on some pretty big projects, including bringing a much-needed public transportation system to the area and working to solve the water supply problem.

Luckily, since Green Valley residents tend to vote about 95 percent of the time, the county and other government officials are paying attention, he said.

“We have no legal authority within the community, but we have a great deal of influence,” he said. “Elected officials are looking to respond to the needs of Green Valley, when they can.”

In July, while he was still the vice president of the GVCCC, Riddle gave a presentation at a town hall meeting organized by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. At the meeting, Riddle spoke on behalf of Green Valley residents and expressed concern over the diminishing aquifer, which is falling at a rate of six inches per year.

The council is still waiting for a response from that meeting.

“Words are fine,” he said. “But action is what we need to get this issue solved.”

Another goal for the council is getting some kind of public transportation system available for residents, potentially one that will go all the way to Tucson.

“We don’t have a system that you can get on and go from here to your doctor’s office, or shopping, or whatever you need,” Riddle said. “We want to provide public transportation on an ongoing basis. It’s a big task, but its something that’s being worked on very well with the county.”

Transit system crucial

Riddle said that having a viable transit system is crucial, especially since many residents don’t or shouldn’t be drive.

Getting more neighborhoods involved as members of the council is crucial to making these and other goals a reality, Riddle said. So he’s working on incorporating more neighborhoods into the council. Right now there are 66 neighborhoods participating, and Riddle guesses there are just over a dozen more HOAs that haven’t been incorporated into the council today.

Riddle spent 40 years working in real estate development in Southern California. He serves on three boards: Green Valley Recreation, the Green Valley Foundation, and the Desert Hills Golf Club, where he plays three to four times a week. Still, he and his wife find time to travel to California and Colorado to visit family, including their eight grandchildren, frequently.

He’s a busy man, and very active in the community.

“I wanted to do that because my prior years working all the time I didn’t have the opportunity to make much of a contribution to the community where I lived,” Riddle said. “Now that I was retired, I wanted to do something with my days. I didn’t want to play golf seven days a week.”

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