Arlene Chin Wants to Continue to Serve the Community on the Tempe City Council

Arlene Chin, the first Asian American Woman to serve on the Tempe City Council wants the opportunity to serve the people and community she loves for another term.

If re-elected, she will work on fostering smart growth, ensuring safe neighborhoods, and advancing Tempe’s Sustainability Agenda. 

Councilwoman Chin graciously interviewed with Blog for Arizona to discuss her re-election campaign for the Tempe City Council.

The questions and her responses are below. 

Please tell the readers two reasons you would like to run again for the Tempe City Council.

“The first one is I care about our community. It’s been an honor to serve. Tempe is my home. I grew up here. Tempe shaped me. When it was time to decide where I would plant roots for the rest of my life it was Tempe, a community that gave my family and I so much. For years I volunteered on boards, commissions, and at events. And for the last four plus years, serving on the council. This is my chance to continue to give back.

The second reason is our city is dealing with some unprecedented challenges. We’re getting federal funds but those funds seem to have more and more strings attached and we want to make sure those strings do not affect the culture and the values that we have as a community. We also have to be mindful about what it means to be in a leadership role. The state’s general fund data shows we’re down 2.5 percent. That represents about $146 million, which is significant to cities like Tempe, so we have to be aware of that. We must look at state shared revenue. We need leaders who know how to protect, guide, and lead our city so that we can remain stable. We need to be prepared for change, especially unexpected change in this tumultuous time, and be mindful of what we hold as important to us as a community. I think most Tempeans take for granted the day-to-day stuff because I think the city is well run and it has been for years – every resident satisfaction survey tells us that. I mean, we turn on the faucet and clean water comes out. We incorporate sustainable practices when we’re redoing roads or infrastructure. Fire, Medical, and Police work quickly and efficiently. However, we are always, always looking for ways to improve.”

If re-elected, what are at least two issues you will focus on as a member of the Tempe City Council? 

“One issue would be smart growth. We need to grow in a way that does not leave behind the qualities that make Tempe special. Having lived here for so long and being a part of many different stakeholder populations, I understand the culture of Tempe and preserving our values is a priority for me. Here’s an example of how that relates to growth – there is demand for new high quality and diverse types of housing in Tempe, which is incredibly important. That said, while it is necessary for our future we must grow in ways that do not sacrifice who we are – that means historic preservation, great greenspaces, and a commitment to community. 

Another issue is protecting our communities and supporting our neighborhoods. Neighborhoods have different personalities, and our neighbors are great in that they will tell you, “Hey, this is who we are”. They will explain the character of who they are and the culture of their particular neighborhood. I believe that we can protect our neighborhoods while also caring for our most vulnerable residents. So, being safe and compassionate, I think are tied into that first part by making smart investments to help all residents, whether it’s moving people off streets into services that they need or investing in the quality of life infrastructure (parks and rec) and public safety. We are always working to build a city in a community that looks out for everyone, not just a few neighborhoods, but all neighborhoods and all residents.”

Please explain at least two reasons voters should re-elect you to the Tempe City Council. 

“One is my pragmatic approach to leadership, especially now. Stability matters and experience on how people operate in Tempe, not just City government, but how neighborhoods operate and how we engage with one another. Understanding how to be able to move an idea to implementation is more vital than ever. It is important to me when approaching a project, an event or a role to try to build consensus, which importantly does not mean complete agreement. I don’t know that we would ever have that, but we must always work towards consensus and compromise. I think that’s especially important now when external forces are also sowing chaos. I described this to a friend the other day. They asked how the council was and what it’s like. I said I don’t play the piano, but there are songs where you play different things with each hand, right? On one hand council is helping to lead and helping the team of the city manager and all of the city staff run the day-to-day operations so that water is on, the city is safe, streets are paved, the trash is picked up, and we have public safety ready. On the other hand, the council is leadership and trying to look ahead. Like I said earlier, I was looking at the budget and trying to anticipate how we make sure that we have the budget to run the city, not cut services, and make sure that our residents have the quality of life they’re paying for. 

Lastly, I’m not a spotlight seeker. I tend to work on things that you might not see as much. Maybe this makes me a bad politician, but I do think that I’m focused and I have a results-oriented style of leadership that generally takes the approach of ‘What do we need to resolve this – let’s do that.’”

Can you share with us how you will reach out to voters and convince them that you’re one of the right candidates for the Tempe City Council?

“Already on my campaign, we’ve been actively engaging the community. We’ve been canvassing. I’ve been knocking on many, many doors in many, many neighborhoods. I speak with the residents, the neighbors. We have a website for information and communication. If somebody wants to talk to me about attending and being present at events they can do that through the website. The campaign also has a weekly email where people can learn about me, about campaign events, and connect with me. We also send information out over social media like Facebook and Instagram.”

Is there anything not covered in the first four questions that you like the readers to know about your tenure on the Tempe City Council and why they should re-elect you?

“I think as a community, Tempe is seen as a leader on many fronts and one area of importance to me is sustainability. We are a national leader. We belong to the National League of Cities. I sit on the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Committee where, this won’t surprise you given what I said earlier, I don’t need to speak to hear myself talk but I’m always listening and paying attention to see if there are other best practices I can bring back. But in the end, my main concern is always on the needs of Tempe. It is my home and my community, and that’s why I want to serve.”

Please click here to find out more information about Arlene Chin and her campaign for re-election to the City of Tempe City Council.  www.arlenefortempe.com