Members' 25-Year Reminiscences

Jim Cronk

Planning Department
Gilbert, Arizona

My first involvement with the national association was back in the old days with ASPO, as a student member from Colorado in the 1970s. My first job in planning was as a VISTA volunteer in Kansas. A few of us were brought in to establish a regional planning office to serve the rural 16 counties in the northwest corner of the state. It was like being thrown into hot boiling oil. No resources, no money, no zoning or master plan and no constituency! "Sink or swim." It turned out to be a great learning experience in terms of both planning and dealing with people. We were successful in gaining a fair amount of trust and getting a generalized Master Plan adopted. I knew then that I had found the profession I had been looking for.

A few years later, I was lucky enough to be hired as the Planning Director in Bowie, Maryland. I stayed in that job for 20 years. It was also very rewarding. Longevity has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. For better or worse, you are around to see and live with the results of your work. Near the end of my tenure there, a new outdoor mall was built that became the center of town and has been very well received.

While in Bowie, I got involved with APA. I helped form the International Division and edited its newsletter.

I am currently working with Gilbert, Arizona. As the fastest growing municipality in the country, in terms of percentage growth, processing new applications dominates our workweek.

Planning has continued to grow as a major part of the development process. The real day-to-day focus seems to have shifted more to processing applications and away from long-range planning. Both are critical to succeeding. It seems we are becoming more "reactive" to the development community and the world of politics.

APA has a done a good job with the continuing education that is a part of the national conferences as well as filing legal briefs in sensitive cases that impact our profession.

This is a great profession for getting involved in how your community progresses. If you haven't been to an APA or chapter conference, it's well worth your while. Our profession is on a continuous journey and we are the ones who need to continue to look forward at "what can be."