Surprise, AZ News blog

Former Mayor Joan Shafer dies

SURPRISE, AZ ( April 14, 2008 )

Recently retired Surprise Mayor Joan Shafer, the city’s first publicly elected mayor and only woman mayor, died this morning at approximately 7:15.

The 80-year-old had been admitted to Del E. Webb hospital in Sun City early last week.

Shafer was elected mayor in 1994 and served to the end of 2007. During her years in office Surprise transitioned from a small farming community of approximately 7,000 people to a bustling city of more than 100,000.

Major events during her terms included the construction of Surprise Stadium and the arrival of major league spring training in 2002, council approval of the Prasada regional mall in 2007, and hundreds of millions of dollars of public investment in parks, fire stations, police facilities and Surprise Center.

Shafer became the first woman elected official in Surprise when she won a city council seat in 1990. In 1994, she was elected mayor in a city-wide vote, becoming the city’s first mayor elected in that manner. Prior mayors had been selected by the city council.

After a string of two-year terms, she was re-elected to four year terms in 1999 and 2003. She announced her retirement last year and stepped down in December of 2007.

Shafer was known for her down-to-earth personality and personal touch, often on display at her popular “The Mayor is In” forums in local grocery stores.

During her years in office, Shafer worked as a medical records librarian at several Phoenix area hospitals. She was a US Navy veteran and for nearly 25 years, volunteered helping area youth. She considered Dreamcatcher Park, a park focusing on sports activities for disabled children that opened in 2007, one of her proudest achievements.

The widow of a Phoenix firefighter and arson investigator, Shafer is survived by two children and five grandchildren. No funeral arrangements have been announced.

May the Family of Mayor Joan Shafer have my condolence in her passing.

I had the honor and the privilege to serve with Mayor Joan Shafer for over three years on the city council, may the good Lord take care of you on your trip home.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.