By Al Litman
SSometimes it is difficult to find a topic to write about that will be of interest to the majority of readers, but as luck would have it, I was interviewed recently by Channel 5 Fox News about the growth in Mesquite.
Mayor Al Litman
As you may know, Mesquite is the fastest growing city in the state, at least percentage-wise. According to the state’s demographers, we are experiencing annual growth of about 3.9 percent.
Our current population is approximately 23,810. Most of the population growth is due to people moving in from other states. Our birth rate is quite low.
As soon as the interview came out, social media was full of comments saying we were too big or that we had run out of water or would soon run out of water.
Many businesses, albeit small ones, have announced that they will move away because they assumed Mesquite would remain small. We are small, and even if the prediction that our population would double came true, we would still be considered a small town.
Almost every day I get comments that we need another supermarket, a large restaurant or a large shopping center. None of this will happen until we reach a size that supports these companies.
For example, we will have a small 2-acre center on Falcon Ridge Parkway that will hopefully accommodate several dining establishments and possibly some retail stores.
There is no room for a large market here for several reasons. Supermarkets want to locate where there are already large buildings and large parking lots.
Some communities have empty K-Marts or other essential stores that have closed. They are usually part of a large shopping center and this is exactly what is sought when selecting locations for supermarkets. Parking spaces are particularly urgently needed.
However, before any of this is considered, the appropriate workforce must be in place. When I spoke to several long-term Smiths employees recently, they told me that they were unable to find staff in their current store and that they were paying quite well.
This is true throughout Mesquite, as there are many retirees who have no interest in working and not many young people. Our only high school graduates fewer than 200 students each year, and that will likely continue to be the case.
What I want to say with this article is that if we If growth stopped in Mesquite, our population would continue to age and we would reach a point where there would literally be no one left to provide the services that so many want and apparently need.
Yes, the lack of affordable housing for our workers is a serious problem, but the same problem exists in every other place that is attractive to live. I don’t want Mesquite to become another St. George, and it won’t. Someone recently wrote to me saying I wanted Mesquite to be the next Palm Springs.
I never said that. I don’t like anything about Palm Springs and I never have. We are Mesquite. Yes, we are growing, but at a very controlled pace, and it will continue to be that way in the future. Of course, there can be disruptions due to economic changes. Many have said before that a city that doesn’t grow dies, and we don’t need that for this beautiful city.
Al Litman is mayor of the city of Mesquite.
