The city of Phoenix uses a council-manager form of government with three main positions: mayor, councilmember and city manager. The mayor and council members set policies and budgets and hire the city manager, who oversees daily operations.
About District 1
Located in northwest Phoenix, District 1 shares western boundaries with the cities of Glendale and Peoria and runs east to Interstate 17. The district includes Anthem, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, known as TSMC, and the former Metrocenter Mall, which is being redeveloped into a mixed-use urban village.
About the candidate
Ann O’Brien was elected to the City Council in 2020. Previously, she served on the Deer Valley Unified School District Governing Board. An advocate for Phoenix police officers and firefighters and economic development, she is running unopposed.
Candidate questionnaire
KJZZ News sent each candidate the same questions addressing various issues, including homelessness, public safety and potential tax increases and program cuts. Responses appear unedited and in their entirety.
Why do you want to be a council member?
O'BRIEN: My advocacy work began with my two children as a stay-at-home mom. Gradually I began advocating for their entire class and eventually at the school level. Before I knew it, I was running for the Deer Valley Unified School District School Board where I was representing more than 32,000 children and nearly 4,000 staff members. When the opportunity to run for Phoenix City Council came in 2020, I knew it was the next step in continuing to work with and help my community. Next to being a mom, being District 1’s councilwoman is the best job I have had! Helping my community members is incredibly gratifying, and I am dedicated to ensuring my District and the City continue to be a great place to live, work, and play.
What are your priorities specific to your district? How would you address them?
O'BRIEN: The issues that District 1 face are not unique to just my District, these are issues the entire City faces – and addressing them requires a big picture approach. Among the main ones are homelessness and housing issues.
On the issue of homelessness, after a year’s long study of the root cause of homelessness and meeting with stakeholders from the private sector, religious sector, nonprofit sector, and fellow municipalities across the country, my office released a homeless solutions plan with 53 policy ideas and proposals. I am proud to say we have already implemented or are in the process of implementing over 50 percent of what I proposed. Among them includes Community Court, a newly designed court system which offers an alternative to the traditional judicial system for our homeless population. I plan to continue advocating for the rest of these policy initiatives – like the ASU legal clinic that will help to provide education and possible representation to those facing eviction in an effort to prevent people from becoming homeless.
Related to housing, I have called for a stakeholder group of builders and developers to better understand why in our denser areas the average height of our apartments tends to stop at four stories, while communities across the country average six to seven stories. I will also be working with a pro-housing coalition to tackle some existing state regulations that are preventing the first-time homebuyer product from being built. We cannot spend our way out of the existing housing crisis, but we can work to deregulate the system that created the housing crisis and work to build more of that missing middle and first-time homebuyer product. When nurses and firefighters can’t afford to live in the neighborhoods they serve, there’s a problem.
What do you consider to be a significant challenge citywide? How would you work with other council members to address it?
O'BRIEN: I think the most significant challenge citywide is housing. However, there’s more to the problem than just the lack of available units. With housing comes the need for infrastructure. We need wastewater treatment plants to collect and clean the sewage; water treatment plants to make the water we get from the CAP and SRP canals safe to drink; roads and bridges to drive on; and parks and public facilities to provide recreation to our citizens. All of this comes with increasing housing availabilities, but the ability and cost to build them overtime have created concerns.
In North Phoenix, as a result of the Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, we’re going to experience an explosion of growth! Already, large swaths of land have begun developing for future single-family communities – some as large as 1,400 homes! In just one area of my district, over the next ten years, we are projecting over 12,000 housing units to be developed. This has caused an urgent need to ensure the City has the infrastructure available for these future residents. We can’t expect to place the burden entirely onto the developer and expect these homes to remain affordable and attainable to the next generation of homebuyers. This will require partnerships on behalf of the Council and the private sector to properly get this done.
Look, I’ve always been clear with people when they come to meet with me – no matter their party affiliation or ideology. I would rather focus on being 30 percent your friend than 70 percent your enemy. Because in that 30 percent where we can agree, we can create a difference and make real change to policy that will impact peoples’ lives for the better. At the end of the day, Republicans don’t fill your potholes and Democrats don’t keep your park’s grass trimmed – your non-partisan City Councilmembers do. I pledge to work with whoever walks through my office door, if it means making a positive difference to the lives of current and future citizens.
New state policies are impacting city budgets, including the change from a graduated income tax scale to a flat tax and the elimination of sales tax on residential rentals. Over the next two fiscal years, Phoenix projects baseline shortfalls of $92 million and $31 million. If faced with a deficit, will you support raising taxes or cutting programs or services? Which taxes, programs or services would you consider increasing or decreasing and why?
O'BRIEN: The City of Phoenix did an excellent job of navigating the COVID years and keeping a balanced budget. The projected shortfalls were not created by this Council. However, each department will evaluate its budget and look for areas we can cut.
New revenue sources may need to be identified in order to help stop the bleeding created by state legislators. I’m committed to understanding all the different streams of revenue the City currently takes in to find that right balance between potential new revenue sources and necessary department budget cuts.
Homelessness continues to be a top concern among residents. In 2020, the city council adopted the Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan, and in 2022, Phoenix launched an Office of Homeless Solutions. The city spends tens of millions of dollars annually on outreach, behavioral and mental health services, workforce development, shelters, encampment cleanups, rental assistance and eviction prevention efforts, and new housing for low-to-moderate income residents. When addressing homelessness, what areas do you think the city should invest more or less in and why?
O'BRIEN: As mentioned earlier, in June 2023, my office published a Homelessness Plan after talking with many stakeholders for over a year. More than 50 percent of the plan has been or is being implemented. One of the items I most excited about is Community Court. Unhoused people who are cited or arrested for low level crimes are evaluated for participation in the court. If they accept to have their case heard in Community Court, they receive assistance with housing, getting identifications, substance abuse, education, and/or securing a job. Once they successfully complete the program, they may graduate with fines waived and possibly a clear record.
In the research, we identified three main buckets of homeless individuals: those who have addiction issues, those with mental health needs, and those who simply fell through the cracks of our existing safety nets. I believe by investing in common sense solutions to help prevent homelessness from the start, we will save so much money in the long run. It’s cheaper to create programs to keep someone in their home than it is to work to find them a home and get them back on their feet after they’ve been unhoused.
I’m committed to working through the rest of my proposed solutions and prioritizing those which work to prevent homelessness while also working towards helping guide existing homeless individuals into accepting services.
After a 34-month investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Phoenix Police have engaged in a “pattern or practice” of violating constitutional and civil rights. The DOJ has said it expects to work constructively with the city and the police department to ensure reforms are timely and fully implemented, but no agreement between the DOJ and Phoenix has been announced. Have you read the DOJ report? If so, how do you think the city and police department should respond?
O'BRIEN: I read the report, multiple times, and have gone back to review the additional information, which includes reports and body worn camera video, of each incident referenced by the DOJ that the City made available to the public. The City Council Members and Mayor have been and will continue to work diligently to implement best practices and create accountability measures for the Phoenix Police Department.
A court-ordered consent decree is not the best option for Phoenix families and businesses. On June 13, 2024 in a press conference regarding the City of Phoenix Police Department, Kristen Clarke, the United States Assistant Attorney General, stated, “We are committed to working collaboratively with the police department, city officials and the public to institute reform and remedy the violations we identified in our investigation.” I look forward to working towards finding a solution that provides reform and maintains local control of our police department and City Budget.
What does the city do well and what can be done to improve on it?
O'BRIEN: The City has a unique ability to attract top rated companies and investments while continuing to maintain existing relationships with business partners, both small and large. Our Economic Development team is one of envy to government agencies across the Country. And why is that? It’s simple. The Mayor and Council have built a pro-business environment as a result of direct partnerships with our private and educational communities.
When Phoenix landed this nation’s largest foreign direct investment in history, the Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (located in my district), we agreed to approve foreign trade zones over North Phoenix and the nearby Deer Valley Airport to make it easier for their suppliers and secondary users to move into the area. We partnered with the Deer Valley Unified School District to ensure an educational program was offered that welcomed our future Taiwanese residents. ASU West Valley shifted their campus into offering more business and engineering degrees to prepare the necessary workforce of tomorrow for TSMC. The private housing development community jumped to action, working to entitle and build the necessary housing units of all affordability to house the incoming workers.
And, even in the midst of redefining North Phoenix, the City never stopped focusing on how we can foster and diversify our economy and workforce. The Great Recession was scary for Phoenix – and all of Arizona. We were one of the last areas in the country to crawl out of the effects of the Great Recession. By continuing to improve on being pro-business, Phoenix can ensure the upcoming generations of citizens and employees won’t have to fear the next Great Recession.
How will you engage with residents and get them involved with the decision-making process?
O'BRIEN: Resident input is important to me. I host a monthly community September through June to provide community members, business owners, and visitors information about what is going on in the City of Phoenix and get their feedback on what is going on in their neighborhoods.
In addition, I publish a weekly newsletter with City of Phoenix, Deer Valley Unified School District, Glendale Union High School District, Washington Elementary School District, County, and State updates. This allows me to share survey opportunities as well.
Finally, each council member has the opportunity to appoint community members to a variety of committees, boards and commissions. I enjoy getting to know community members and finding them a place to volunteer in the City.
What area of your district do you live in and why?
O'BRIEN: I live in the middle of my District not far from The Norterra Shops and Happy Valley Town Center. My entire family lives in the area. We wanted to raise our children close to their grandparents and my sister’s family.
Do you believe Arizona elections are fairly executed? Will you trust the results and abide by them? Why or why not?
O'BRIEN: I do believe Arizona elections are fairly executed. I do trust the results and will abide by them.
