Former Mohave County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) executive director Don Van Brunt died early Saturday. Details were unavailable and there’s no word of services for Van Brunt, 94.
Van Brunt made newspaper headlines for years as either he and/or MCEDA were embroiled in various political, business and legal controversies.
Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson noted a labor union history made Van Brunt tough and gruff.
And if public relations skills were a shortcoming, Johnson said Van Brunt was both talented and tireless in his dedication to economic development.
“He wore me out,” Johnson recalled of an out of state economic development visit with Van Brunt. “He had so much energy.”
Johnson said Van Brunt should be credited for bringing a number of industries to the county over the years—North Star Steel, Griffith Energy and the private prison—to name a few.
“He brought in hundreds of millions of dollars of development in the 90’s,” Johnson said, expanding tax base and employment opportunity. “He truly wanted good paying jobs with benefits so our young people wouldn’t have to leave for employment.”
Van Brunt was terminated as executive director, and MCEDA was dissolved in 2000, less than a year following media exposure that he was convicted in a counterfeiting case in 1982.
