Corey Bowen believes in the power of the people and he wants to bring that belief and the perspective of a small businessman to the Glendale City Council.
Three of the six Glendale City Council seats up for election in 2020 and Mr. Bowen is running for the Yucca District seat currently occupied by Joyce Clark, Glendale’s Vice Mayor.
Mr. Bowen wants to help bring the Glendale City Government into the Twenty-First Century economic mainstream by promoting the industries and high paying jobs of the future. He also wants to champion affordable housing and Glendale’s diverse community.
He was gracious to discuss the reasons he is running for the City Council and the issues he would advocate for if he prevails against Ms. Clark.
The questions and his responses are below.
- Please tell the reader what are at least two qualifications that make you ideal for the Glendale City Council.
“I am a lifelong resident and passionate about Glendale and Arizona in general. I am not a politician or a lawyer or a doctor, but that’s a good thing. We need more diversity in the background of our elected officials, what I bring to the table is a unique perspective and the more of those we have better solutions we can come up within the more representative of our community we will be. I come from humble beginnings growing up in a low-income family, and now I run my own business (car insurance). We need regular people to serve and not people who do not understand what it is like to struggle. We need people who understand everyday lives.”
- In your opinion, what are the three strengths of the City of Glendale?
“ (Glendale) is almost the largest city (landmass) of Arizona and soon will be the center of the Phoenix metropolitan area. We need to bring people together. We have a lot of opportunities. We have a very diverse and colorful community that unfortunately is not being represented in our politics. Glendale overall is a nice place to live and a great place to raise your families.”
- In your opinion, what are three areas that warrant improvement in the City of Glendale?
“ We need to pay attention to providing high paying jobs in other nontourism or non-snow bird industries. The economies and industries of the future need to be the focus as we transition from a 20th century Arizona to a Twenty-First Century One. We need to focus on housing costs. It is hard for people to afford to live in Glendale. We need to restore funds to community programs like Glendale Glitters. They want to sell the cemetery. We need to keep traditions intact. We should not have the attitude that saves us a penny today but costs a dollar tomorrow.”
- As a councilmember, what are the three most important issues that you would want the Glendale City Council and Mayoral staff to address?
“ Some of the issues were expressed above. We also need to expand light rail into the west valley after the people of Glendale voiced support and City Council moved against it. Light rail expansion is one of the most important things Glendale could do to move its economy into the future. Also, the BNSF train track needs to change its drop off point in downtown Glendale or drop off schedule so it does not disrupt traffic.”
- What are at least three (one each) plans you would like to implement to make Glendale a better place for:
- Glendale’s Residents: “ We need to bring down housing costs by providing at least ten to 20 percent of housing to low-income families. We need to address the issues of snowbirds buying houses and not living in them raising the costs of houses as a result. They need to be taxed more so they contribute more to our economy.”
- Glendale’s Commercial Interests: “They’re doing pretty well there. We need to advocate for low-income people/middle class and small business owners.
- Glendale’s Cultural and Educational Centers: “We want to make sure all aspects of society are being represented and need to focus education on all those kinds of things and community events.”
- Is there anything you would like the voter to know about you that was not addressed in the first five questions?
“ I am a 30-year-old, multiracial, gay man, who has spent his entire life trying to contribute to his community in one way or another. I am a regular person that has the same struggles as everyone else. We need more diversity, in age, economic background, and race on the City Council instead of a bunch of elderly white retirees. Glendale residents are majority people of color under 45 and our city leadership should reflect that”
Mr. Bowen is right that all levels of government need public servants that can relate to the plight of people in the middle and lower classes. Otherwise, the government cannot properly serve the people.
Voters in Glendale should examine Corey Bowen’s experience and stand on the issues to see how he would work for all the people and move Glendale forward.
For more information on Mr. Bowen and his candidacy, please check on his webpage here and Facebook page here.