(Photo by Matthew Casey, KJZZ)

El Mirage's new City Hall cost $7.6 million.

(Photo by Matthew Casey, KJZZ)

Crews put the finishing touches on the new El Mirage City Hall.

(Photo by Matthew Casey, KJZZ)

Lana Mook, mayor of El Mirage

(Photo by Matthew Casey, KJZZ)

Sharon Antes, El Mirage city clerk

El Mirage's new City Hall has sleek and modern design, which is a big change from the strip mall that served as city headquarters for more than a decade.

“We joked when we first moved in here about having to wear sunglasses because it’s so much glass, and windows, and bright and airy and open,” said Sharon Antes, city clerk. “And it truly has lifted everybody's spirits.”

The original City Hall burned in the early 2000s, Antes said. The new City Hall cost $7.6 million and is a symbol of El Mirage’s growth.

“We’ve always sort of been the stepchild in the West Valley, been ignored, and I think this makes us equal,” Antes said.

El Mirage’s once-rocky relationship with Luke Air Force Base added to the stepchild image. When federal officials announced the West Valley would be home to F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, former city leaders opposed the plan.

Lana Mook thought that was wrong, and a cornerstone of her 2010 campaign for mayor was repairing the relationship.

“We didn’t believe that most of the people in El Mirage were wanting the F-35 to not come,” Mook said.

When Mook took office, she quickly learned there were other problems.

“Pretty much nothing was going on in El Mirage when we came on,” Mook said.

El Mirage has since built fire and police stations, a YMCA, and launched road improvement projects. The new City Hall will help increase economic development, Mook said.

“I feel it puts us on an even plane where we are able to be more competitive in encouraging businesses to come,” Mook said.

The mayor declined to discuss whether companies have shown interest since staff moved into the new building in December.

“I can’t tell you about certain commitments,” Mook said. “But we’re very encouraged that things are going to open up very quickly.”