Operate Intelligently Podcast

This week on the Gov Gab series, Brian speaks with Mayor Jim Lane of the City of Scottsdale, AZ about making changes, leadership and more.

Mayor W. J. “Jim” Lane served for four years on the Scottsdale City Council beginning in June 2004, and began his first term as Mayor in January 2009. He was re-elected to the Mayor’s Office in 2012 and began his third term in January 2017.

Mayor Lane served on the 2002 Scottsdale Fire & EMS Advisory Committee, which was convened to evaluate and make recommendations to the city regarding the desired level of fire and emergency medical services relative to cost.

His community service also includes six years on the Scottsdale Paradise Valley YMCA Board of Management. He chaired the 1999 Kids Campaign annual fundraising effort and is currently an emeritus board member.

Mayor Lane currently represents the city as a member of the Flinn Foundation Arizona Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee. He is the current President of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, a member of the Governor’s Arizona Workforce Committee, member of the Executive Committee of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, and a Chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments Economic Development Committee. He is a former Chairman of the MAG Regional Council and former President of the MAG Executive Board. Mayor Lane also serves on the Scottsdale Leadership Advisory Board, Arizona Game and Fish Appointment Recommendation Board, he is a member of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations and an Honorary Member of the Taliesin West Board of Stewards. Mayor Lane is also a member of the Municipal Tax Code commission.

He came to Scottsdale from New Jersey in 1973 to take a position with KPMG (Peat Marwick), an international CPA firm. He worked as an Arizona CPA for 20 years with five of those years in public accounting as a financial statement auditor.

Mayor Lane has owned and operated businesses in construction, mining, computer technology, telecommunications, regional aviation and financial consulting. Mayor Lane is also a former Adjunct professor of Business and Accounting at Scottsdale Community College.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He and his wife Joanne have three adult children (Bill, Scott and Nancy) along with seven grandchildren (Megan, Aislinn, Madison, Carson, Caleb, Brooklynn and Cole).