Arizona Illustrated 931 - Sierra Vista’s New Mayor, Beaver River, UArizona at Sierra Vista

Clea McCaa, Sierra Vista’s New Mayor
Clea McCaa can now add Mayor of the city of Sierra Vista to his long list of responsibilities. McCaa made history after being elected the city’s first Black mayor and doing so as a Democratic in a city that has long been a GOP stronghold. For years, he has given back to the city he was born in, from starting an after-school youth program called Sierra Vista Dream Center to handing out food boxes once a month in Fry Town. When he started his campaign for Mayor he began “Walking on Wednesdays” to hear from residents about the issues going on in Sierra Vista. He will now begin perhaps his most challenging assignment: Guiding Sierra Vista into a new era of change.

Beaver River
At first glance, beavers might seem like cute rodents to some or a nuisance to others. But these industrious mammals have the capacity to solve water and climate-related issues by transforming creeks and rivers. They can act as a tool to fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and climate change. In this story, we look at beaver reintroduction efforts on the San Pedro River in Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora. Before they were trapped to extinction, there were so many beavers on the San Pedro that it was called the Beaver River. Meet the people trying to bring them back.

UA at Sierra Vista
The University of Arizona’s College of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) is the primary department centered at the UA extension campus in Sierra Vista, AZ. The college focuses on training the future workforce to be adaptable to the “4th Industrial Revolution,” or the convergence of human and machine teaming - which involves robotics, VR, and AR human integration. It also runs one of the nation’s top - if not the top - cyber intelligence operations programs through the Cyber Convergence Center, which partners with the local military community at Fort Huachuca to train the next generation of cyber professionals. The college also partners with the Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce and is an economic driver within the community and keeps Sierra Vista growing.

Sierra Vista’s Germany – The German Cafe
Sierra Vista, Arizona has three German restaurants even though the city has an official population of fewer than 50,000 residents according to 2020 US Census data. One connection is the Fort Huachuca US Army base, which has brought in many soldiers and their spouses over the years. We visit Angelika’s German Imports Market & Deli, The Angry German, and The German Cafe.