Jarvis Berry Shares Insight on Buckeye City Council District 3 Race

By: Cindy G. Castillo

Jarvis Berry’s passion and drive comes from helping others. Born and raised in Buckeye, Arizona, Berry became a natural leader throughout the years by being active in helping his community from a very young age. Now a father of four, Berry is leaving a legacy behind in Buckeye, having founded different organizations that help and mentor children. It is this personal connection with the community that gave him an insight into the issues that concern families on a day-to-day basis.

“I would always hear families complain about their cities,” he explains, “so many different things and it just was a passion for me to help people, but I wanted to do it at a greater scale.”

This gave him the push to throw in his hat in the race for Buckeye City Council District 3. “Politics is nothing that I wanted to be in, nothing that I was just like dying to do, but it’s something that I felt could help my city as a whole,” he said. “I have that personality where if we’re going to do it, let’s do it right and let’s be fair.”

Berry says he’s determined to create change in Buckeye by making it a better place for parents like himself to raise their kids; while at the same time, promote values, integration and economic development. Creating change is something that the candidate has been doing for years. In 2008, he launched the Greater Levels Youth Association to help low-income children become involved in sports. He is also the founder of the Healing Hope Mentoring Program for kids ages 10-17 and an adult self-help group that promotes spiritual guidance.

If elected to this position, Berry says he’ll root for more unity in the city. “I want to bring the community back together,” he says, “the city is really growing and I want to make everybody feel comfortable knowing that you have pride about living in Buckeye and that you are going to be heard and that you are a voice – I want to bring fairness back to the city.”

Berry says he feels as though there is a current disconnect from city council members and the community, and that the city and its people aren’t their first priority. That’s why when election day comes, he urges voters to do their research. “Get to know the candidates first. Call them. Talk to them,” he said, “find a person you can connect with when you talk to them, a person that’s not having something to gain by sitting on city council, someone that’s going to have your best interest and someone that is invested in the community.”

The City of Buckeye is holding its 2016 elections for Districts 1, 2, 3 and Mayor this fall. For more information regarding early voting, the candidates, or to find a polling place near you, please visit www.buckeyeaz.gov/elections