BENSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The last time Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes held a town hall in Benson, the proposed recycling plant by Aluminum Dynamics was in the permitting process. Since then, the company halted the project and moved it elsewhere. On Thursday, Mayes was back in Benson for one final conversation about the topic.
The Benson Unified School District multipurpose room was packed with people. Several residents spoke and provided feedback on improvements to policies and procedures at state and local levels. Mayes asked for feedback since the residents' efforts to stop the project and recall elected officials were successful.
Benson resident Misty Bloom spoke at the last town hall in opposition to the recycling plant. On Thursday, she thanked the attorney general for helping stop the project.
"I really want to say thank you. And Chris Mays is the only one who turned around and heard our concerns at the last town hall and took notes and took action," Bloom said.
"She really seemed concerned when she listened to how this would impact people individually here, and that caught me off guard, honestly," Bloom said.
Mayes said she spoke with the CEO of Aluminum Dynamics, asking why the company chose a location inside Benson city limits.
"I was very blunt with him that we were doing the nuisance investigation, and I was very blunt with him that we would do that nuisance lawsuit if we had to," Mayes said.
Mayes' office dropped its investigation after the company announced it was stopping the project. Mayes used what happened in Benson as an example for local communities to speak up.
"You are the heroes of your own story," Mayes said.
Bloom echoed that sentiment, encouraging residents to stay engaged.
"Life is really busy. It's really hard to make time to see what's going on, but the world is changing fast. And it's important to have that engagement, I think, as community members," Bloom said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
----
——-
Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
