MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Marana’s late mayor, Ed Honea, was recently posthumously recognized as the Public Official of the Year for the State of Arizona by the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association.
Honea unexpectedly passed away in November of last year at age 77, but left a lasting legacy.
During his nearly four decades of service to the town, he was a strong supporter of parks and recreation.
“My lasting memory of Mayor Honea is that his motivation was always about improving the condition for residents, wherever it was, quality of life,” Parks and Recreation Director Jim Conroy said.
Arizona has over 90 municipalities and 15 counties.
“So you have over 100 governing bodies, so hundreds and hundreds of elected officials, and our mayor Ed Honea, our late Mayor Honea, of all those people was selected,” Conroy said.
His longtime friend and successor, Jon Post, said he is proud that people are realizing all the work Honea put into the town.
“He raised his family here in Marana, so he knew the value of having great recreation for families, and he made sure that we continued to provide that for our residents,” Mayor Post said.
Conroy highlighted projects Honea played a role in, like the Marana Aquatic and Recreation Center.
“Since we opened in May, we have seen over 125,000 visits, so the community has embraced it so well, and Ed was such a strong supporter of that project,” he said. “It was all about improving the quality of life for the residents in Marana – and that’s what Mayor Honea was all about.”
Conroy said he was also a supporter of trail connectivity.
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“We connected the Chuck Huckelberry Loop north into Marana, connecting alongside the Santa Cruz, we connected the Loop to 30,000 people in North Marana,” Conroy said.
He also said that when Honea’s son, Whit Honea, accepted the award, the 600 people in attendance gave a standing ovation.
“It was very gratifying, but it was also very emotional for I think, our whole team,” he said.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
