Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell will deliver his State of the City speech next week - and he says the state of Tempe is excellent.
"Since I was elected mayor in 2012, we have announced over 16,000 new jobs and over $1 billion in capital investment. Tourism is strong, and we are one of the strongest tech markets in the state. And, the future is bright here in Tempe," he said.
Mitchell said his land-locked city is being creative and innovative in its growth, saying what was sustainable decades ago is not necessarily anymore. Mitchell, who also serves as president of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, said Tempe has a great relationship with its neighbors.
"By working together, we’re attracting great companies to our Valley, to our region. And one of the things I think our competition’s not so much the other cities around us. Our competition is Texas, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, California and some overseas. That’s our big competition," he said.
Mitchell said the Valley is a regional economy, so he’s just as happy when employers locate to Phoenix or Chandler as he is when they come to Tempe. He said the entire region benefits by growing individual city’s economies.
Mitchell will deliver his State of the City address Tuesday morning.