2023 has been another momentous and transformational year for Phoenix. From hosting the Superbowl to making advances and inroads in sustainability and affordable housing to further attracting high-wage positions in the semiconductor, environmental, and bioscience sectors to becoming a cultural hub, the fifth-largest city in the country has continued to become a beacon for the industries and jobs of the Twenty-First Century.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego graciously took time to respond to the progress made in Phoenix in 2023, the challenges that lie ahead, and what forward policies she would like to pursue going into 2024.
The questions and her responses are below.
- Madam Mayor, please tell us your overall feelings about how 2023 went for you, the City Council, and the people of Phoenix.
“We had a very productive year. It is never dull in America’s largest city, and we waded through challenges like most cities, but we got a lot done for Phoenicians and I am excited to chat with you about those.”
- What are at least three achievements you are proudest of seeing through during 2023?
“Our voters passed a General Obligation Bond at the $500 million level. That will help us bring a new ASU Medical School. We will be able to improve response times for public safety and invest in our libraries, parks, and more without raising the tax rate. That was a big win. We spent a lot of time on water policy this year. We passed sustainable desert development guidelines. We kicked off the process for an advanced water recycling project. We worked with cities and tribes to protect Lake Mead. We adopted technology to detect water leaks. Sky Harbor was ranked number one in the Wall Street Journal’s annual rankings. We’ve also been very focused on housing, and we surpassed 34,000 units in Phoenix which gets us more than halfway to our 2030 Housing Phoenix Plan Goal of 50,000 units. We know we have more work to do, but that was exciting. We did a lot of work to bring high-wage jobs in areas like climate technology and semiconductors.”
- What have at least two most pleasant surprises during your term this year?
“I was honored to be named to the Biden/Harris National Advisory Board. President Biden’s Administration has been making major investments in the City of Phoenix and I am looking forward to the opportunity to talk about how people’s lives are better in that area. I loved Phoenix Rising winning the National Championship — that was a lot of fun. There were a bunch of youth league teams that came out to celebrate and it really felt like a community moment.”
- What have been at least two continuing or unexpected challenges during 2023 that you and the Council had to handle and may continue dealing with in 2024?
“I will focus on two continuing challenges, and I think neither are unexpected. We have a real challenge with air quality in the region. I work together with Mayors and Tribal Leaders through the Maricopa Association Governments to try to come up with ways we can collaborate on these issues. I am currently serving as the Chair of that organization. We are also looking at leveraging federal funding and focusing towards our areas of excellence, such as electric vehicles. We are already a hub of that industry. We’re moving forward with regional plans to leverage a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant effort that has a $5 billion pot. We can win up to $500 million of that. You can make a lot of progress with that kind of funding. We could do anything and everything from improving transit ridership to reducing emissions from more traditional sources and investing in electric vehicles. That was a challenge that will continue and will get even more attention in 2024.”
“We continue to think a lot about the housing shortage. We want everyone in Phoenix to be able to have a safe place to call home. Phoenix is building more than 800 shelter beds in the coming year which is the vast majority of the new beds in our entire region. We have the vast majority of the population and we have tried to step up. We have invested in and approved a lot of new housing. We’re trying to get creative with incentives for people who own housing or putting our own land up. We created a Housing Trust Fund, too, but as you know, every day have more work to do in this area. People talk to me all the time about their troubles with their rent and mortgages, which went up faster than salaries.”
- Looking ahead to your reelection campaign in 2024, what are at least two policies you will ask voters to let you continue in 2025? What are at least two new goals you would like voter support to pursue in 2025? Please explain.
“Next year, we will, as Maricopa County Residents, vote on Proposition 479. That is the regional transportation plan. It will give us a chance to continue our great bus system and invest in more upgrades to roads and freeways. We’ll be able to have projects that will make us a more sustainable region and get people to have better commutes than the disaster we would have without it. I’ll be talking a lot about what is in that plan and trying to make sure voters go to the polls in November with the understanding of what is at stake there.”
“Phoenix is at the forefront of climate change. I want to do a lot more work around heat readiness and just what can the city do to make the impact of summer not as difficult, particularly for people who work outdoors or are experiencing homelessness. We also want to do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lead in that area.”
“I am very passionate about attracting high-wage jobs to Phoenix but really want to focus that they are jobs for people who are here right now. That sometimes means investing in training for people who are already in the workforce, but it also means inspiring our young people, many of whom do not really know what a semiconductor job is today.”
- Is there anyone at your office you would like to recognize for their contributions to making 2023 successful?
“I would like to recognize David Drennon. He is my leader in Economic Development and Arts and Culture. It was an amazing year for arts and culture where we saw strong voter support for our institutions, and they had incredible milestones. It is clear we have cemented ourselves as an Arts and Culture City. David has been so passionate about partnerships with education institutes, and community colleges and the great achievements there. He’s done a lot of work to make us more globally connected. Thank you, David, for being such a strong member of our team.”
- Is there anything not covered in the first six questions that you would like to let the readers know about your experiences during 2023 as Phoenix Mayor? Please explain.
“I would just love to encourage people in Phoenix to discover the amazing gems that are in our community. I just spent time at the Japanese Friendship Garden which is one of the most beautiful places in Downtown. I also want to encourage people to go out and explore our local restaurants. We have everything from amazing Peruvian food to Somali food. That’s a real point of pride for me, but I know so many of us get into habits and don’t try new things. I would suggest for everyone’s list for 2024, they should try a restaurant in Phoenix that they have never been to.”