Voters in Phoenix will decide whether to keep the current mayor or elect a city hall outsider.
After years of being flush with federal funds tied to COVID-19 relief, Phoenix expects to be short around $100 million over the next two fiscal years. The shortfall is mostly due to Arizona moving to a flat income tax, which reduces revenue for the city, and banning cities from collecting sales tax on residential rents. The mayor and City Council will have to cut spending or find new money.
“We can always be smarter and more efficient,” said Mayor Kate Gallego.
Right now, she said, three areas remain off limits for cuts: public safety, heat relief and mitigation and housing.
“Some of the things that we can do to improve the budget are bringing in new resources that help offset that tax environment. I have been very aggressive about making sure we get our fair share of federal dollars, which hasn't always been the case in Arizona,” Gallego said.
As a councilmember in 2016, Gallego voted against a property tax hike. Her opponent, Matt Evans, who unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 2022, said he would never support higher taxes.
“Six months ago, I had no clue I was going to run for mayor, so I'm not going to give you some fake answer and tell you that I'm this expert on the budget, but I do believe I have the aptitude and I have the right intentions to make the right decisions,” he said. “I will seek help from experts that are more knowledgeable than me I’m not afraid to admit what I don’t know because at the end of the day I don’t want to be right or wrong, I want to make a difference.”
Evans, who works as a software engineer, said taking a second job with Uber spurred him to get involved.
“As I was driving around picking people up, I would run into neighborhoods that literally looked like a third world country,” he said. “The drug epidemic is one of the primary root causes to our homelessness crisis in the city of Phoenix.”
Along with more housing, Evans said more law enforcement is needed when it comes to illegal drug use, public camping, and loitering and panhandling in the median on streets. He supports a new California law that makes it easier for authorities to force people with mental health and addiction issues into treatment.
“One argument people tell me when I talk about involuntary treatment is that's inhumane. How can you force someone off the streets? Well, what I say to them is, I think it's more inhumane to allow them to continue to stay on the streets and dwindle their life away than to take them off the streets and give them a second chance at life,” Evans said. “I know what it's like to be lost. February 2024, I'm 10 years sober from opiates. So I am a recovering addict, and I know that sometimes you are so lost, you need someone to bring you out of that, and you need that mental reset so you can move forward.”
Gallego said being homeless is not a crime and the city enforces laws against anyone who commits crimes, including illegal drug use.
“It's important that the city of Phoenix leads with services. We want to get long term solutions, arresting people for petty crimes and then having them go back out on the streets without helping them address the cause, just causes high level expenses,” she said. “I'm the mayor who's worked with the city council to create the office of homeless solutions and to invest in the Community Assistance Program, which gets people with a social service fence responding to calls around homelessness. I am focused on solutions."
One area of agreement involves the U.S. Department of Justice. In June, the DOJ announced results of a nearly three year investigation in which it found the Phoenix Police Department has violated constitutional and civil rights. Other cities have agreed to federal oversight that lasts years and costs millions. Neither candidate wants that.
“Our tax dollars go to a lot of things, but I'll be more than happy to spend my money fighting the federal government and their oversight. We can fix this issue without their help. It's the leaders of our city that are to blame,” Evans said.
“I have a different perspective than my opponent,” Gallego said. “I want to learn as much as possible from the Department of Justice while maintaining local control. So I think I would love to have a more collaborative path forward, and we'll see what's possible.”
Gallego said she wants to continue as mayor to help navigate water issues and attract more companies and jobs in health care, biosciences and advanced manufacturing.
Evans said Gallego has failed when it comes to the homeless crisis and he’ll work with county and state leaders to present a united front focused on enforcing laws and advocating for safe and clean neighborhoods.
Phoenix voters will elect the next mayor on Nov. 5.
On climate change and heat
MATT EVANS: The reality is, I think a lot of people, including myself, have just lost trust in our leaders. And so when we hear these things, we don't believe them. And so you have to kind of find out for yourself. And when I get into that position, I will have the conversations with the people that want to, you know, have me listen to them, and I will objectively come to a conclusion once I analyze all the data that they're giving me. But everything that I've seen now is just pushed to—it’s a political agenda, and it's very politicized right now. I think, as it sits today, Phoenix, we're in the desert and it is a hot city. It will always be hot in the summer. And so, I don't think that we need to waste hundreds of millions of dollars right now on trying to lower the temperature of Phoenix by two or three degrees over the next 20 to 30 years.
KATE GALLEGO: I've created the first office focused on heat that's a permanent part of government anywhere in the country, so that we can plan for heat year round. Better architecture can create more comfortable living environments. Planting trees and creating shade can make a difference in how comfortable we are. We can choose building materials that are black and dark and maintain heat, or we can design for our Southwestern climate, in many ways, returning to the design principles that Native American communities used. So, with good leadership, we can make a significant difference in how comfortable and sustainable the city of Phoenix is. We also need to do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I have led the way in making sure we have a cleaner fleet, more solar on city facilities, and that we help our residents reduce their energy bill, which also then reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and I'll continue delivering on that in four more years.
On election integrity and outcomes
EVANS: I think that if you look at the lawsuits that have happened again, no matter what side you're on, there shouldn't have to be any lawsuits. Election Day shouldn't turn into election week. We should have our ducks in a row, and, as I said, they should go off without a hitch, without issues, without controversy. And until that happens, I can't sit in front of you and honestly tell the people of Phoenix that I believe our elections are fair. So we have to see that happen in front of our eyes, and we've had too many failures and too many controversies over the past years. Now, will I accept the results of the election? Yes, because I don't come from money. I work two jobs, and if there was a controversy, I wouldn't have the money to fight it for a lawsuit. So a regular working class person like me has no choice but to accept the results, and that's the unfortunate reality we live with today.
GALLEGO: I do believe that Arizona does a great job administering the elections, and I will abide by them regardless of what voters decide.
