Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego Delivers a State of the City Address Focusing on Gratitude, Achievement, and Unleashed Potential

In a speech that went on for about 35 minutes, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego delivered her annual State of the City Address before an audience at the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce that focused on the themes of gratitude, achievement, and unleashed potential for the Grand Canyon State’s Capitol City.

From the first moments of her speech, Mayor Gallego expressed gratitude and appreciation for everyone and the organizations that have made her leadership of the nation’s fifth largest city a largely positive one.

In her opening remarks, the Mayor conveyed her thanks to many people including:

“Thanks to City Manager Jeff Barton, the City leadership team, and every City employee,we live in one of the most cared-for cities in the country. We are likewise fortunate to have the peace of mind that our first responders offer us all. Let’s give our city staff, our police officers, and our firefighters a big hand. I am incredibly fortunate to serve as Mayor of Phoenix, a city filled with extraordinary people on the rise. Brilliant doctors and researchers. Spirited small business owners. Dedicated teachers and public servants. Hard-working apprentices. The happiest kids. Warm families. Phoenix is my home, and home wouldn’t be complete without the people who make me feel whole. My Dad, my son – I’m talking about you. Thank you for making every day meaningful . . . and for pushing me to grow, not only as a mom, but as a mayor.”

In terms of what the city has achieved during her tenure, the Mayor drew a contrast with the current MAGA federal government led by Mr. Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, remarking:

“We’re seeing more chaos and confusion coming from our government in Washington than ever before. Markets swing with every whim, and that constant uncertainty . . . it affects our economy and throws wrenches into our daily lives. I’m glad that’s not the case in our city. Here in Phoenix, we’re showing how governmentis supposed to work. Amid the chaos and confusion, we’re leading with competence and collaboration. And it’s delivering results.”

The Mayor then recited a laundry list of achievements during her and her fellow Council members tenure including:

• Seven billion dollars in capital investment toward Phoenix’s bioscience sector including the city’s first medical school and the expansion of the Mayo Clinic.
• The $165 billion investment (the largest foreign investment in American History) of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in Phoenix along with apprenticeship programs like talent accelerator Innovation 27 to train the best workers to produce the computer chips of the future.
• Sky Harbor Airport expanding flight service to 21 new destinations including Taipei.
• Water Conservation Projects like “meeting our goal to reduce per capita use to 155 gallons a day—five years early” and the creation of the Coalition for Protecting Arizona’s Lifeline, a program with the Central Arizona Project to protect the city’s water supply from the Colorado River.
• Repaving, resurfacing, and sealing 21,000 miles of Phoenix’s streets.
• Violent crime is down and homicides at the lowest level in five years with a new 911 calling center and a dedication to an alternative response system for people with “mental health issues.”
• The opening of a 24 hour cooling center and expansion of a chilled drinking water program that helped cause “Heat-related 911 calls dropping by 20 percent. And at the heat respite centers, Phoenix teams helped move more than 900 people into stable shelter, nearly 100 of whom were children.”
• Declining pollutant emissions due to “Phoenix transitioning our bus fleet to near-zero emission engines, installing solar arrays on major city facilities, and the city has nearly cut in half the amount of waste we send to the landfill over the last dozen years.”
• A million dollar revolving fund for new, safe, and fiscally responsible clean energy projects with the Mayor saying “Now that’s some “government efficiency” we can all get behind.”
• The creation of the Office of Homeless Solutions and affordable housing options that “has helped more than 12,000 people end their homelessness.”
• Surpassing the Housing Phoenix Plan goal of 50,000 affordable units by three thousand and five years ahead of schedule.

In charting a course for the future in tapping Phoenix’s remaining untapped potential, Mayor Gallego called for several new initiatives, including:

• A new training program (the second west of the Mississippi River) to train pathologists with the Mayor commenting that “The road to cures will run through Phoenix!”
• The development of the “Sonoran Oasis Science and Technology Park, a premier research and development destination” that could result in the creation of 60,000 jobs.
• Reimagining the Rio Salado area that borders Tempe with recently opened light rail extensions, new biking and walking pathways, and “purchasing a site at Seventh Street and the Rio, just east of the Audubon Center. Currently an asphalt facility, we envision this site to become a community amenity with dining, walking paths, and spaces for residents to enjoy.”
• Rolling back tax incentives for data centers.
• Implementing the provisions of Proposition 479.
• The addition of another 24 hour cooling center for downtown Phoenix.
• 27,000 new shade trees and 550 new shade structures to go along with the 8,000 already planted and 50 playgrounds with shade structures already constructed.
• Purchasing land from school districts and using those and city owned properties to create more opportunities for affordable housing.
• Creating a Phoenix Housing Trust Fund.

In her concluding remarks, the Mayor again expressed her gratitude for everyone’s on the City Council’s commitment to “making Phoenix a community that works for everyone.”

She also thanked everyone that gave her a chance to be Phoenix’s Chief Executive and ended her address on an optimistic note, saying:

“I can’t help but be filled with gratitude. Gratitude for the people who took a chance on a new mom to lead the city she loves. Gratitude for those who supported me as I navigated a political campaign with an infant. Gratitude for our small business owners, community leaders, neighborhood groups, and the many people who continue to work with their local government to bring forward real results.”

“Phoenix, we have achieved so much. And we’ve done that by working together. We are showing the rest of the country how cities can lead even—and especially—in times of uncertainty. You know by now my staunch belief in Phoenix, a place where potential is nurtured and unleashed. And a place where dreams turn into successes with hard work. A Phoenix for everyone. A city worthy of the amazing people who call it home.”