Virginia Korte, life-long Valley resident and career-long advocate for a better Scottsdale, announced today that she will seek another term on the Scottsdale City Council.
“I am proud of what we accomplished during my first term on City Council, but there is so much more that must get done for our community” the veteran leader said.
“Over the past four years, Scottsdale has made significant strides in ensuring that our roads are safe and the necessities that allow our city to be great are nurtured and protected,” Korte says. “At the council’s insistence, city staff reduced staffing levels by 13 percent, or 377 employees, eliminated unnecessary services, consolidated work spaces, and sold unneeded buildings.”
Korte said her goals during a second term are to sustain the qualities that make Scottsdale a great place to do business and create jobs, while ensuring that all residents have an opportunity to benefit from those amenities and participate in creating a great city. Korte also knows education is a critical tool for economic development and to enhance Scottsdale’s future. Korte chaired the 2014 successful “Yes to Children” campaign to renew Scottsdale Unified School District’s budget override and remains an advocate for Scottsdale’s schools.
Korte hails from a family that is tightly woven into the fabric of a city that ranks among the best places to live in the world.
She is a graduate of Xavier College Prep and Northern Arizona University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology. After helping to manage her family’s car dealership, Ray Korte Chevrolet in Southern Scottsdale, she became a professor of biology at Scottsdale Community College where she developed and managed the Center for Native and Urban Wildlife.
She was a board member, then President and CEO, of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, from 1996 to 2003. Additionally, she served as President and CEO of Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services (STARS), Scottsdale’s premier provider of programs and employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.
Enhancing the quality of life and nurturing the city’s economic sustainability are her highest priorities. “Our downtown has become a center of employment,” she said. “In addition, Southern Scottsdale and the McDowell Road Corridor are finally experiencing a rebirth of economic vitality. The private sector has taken the lead in initiating the revitalization of McDowell Road, and I believe we have a solid start with new investments and marketing initiatives.”
Please consider supporting Korte through contributions and volunteering. You can click on the donate button below, or go to www.kortescottsdale.com to learn more.