“The Future is Phoenix.”
With another year of progress and positive transformation across the fifth largest city in the United States, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, fresh off her election to a second four-year term, graciously discussed the achievements the leaders and people of Arizona’s Capitol City made in 2024, the challenges that lie ahead, and the positive goals to work towards in 2025.
The questions and Mayor Gallego’s responses are below.
Madam Mayor, please tell us your overall feelings about how 2024 went for you, the City Council, and the People of Phoenix.
2024 was a great year for Phoenix! We made progress on many of our goals, from opening brand-new heat relief options this summer to releasing our first Climate Action Progress Report. We welcomed new businesses and celebrated long-standing ones. We attended community events in every part of our city and achieved important milestones together. I’m looking forward to 2025!
What are at least three achievements you are proudest of seeing through during 2024?
We appointed our Civilian Review Board this year, a diverse group of citizens dedicated to police reform and improvements. This has been a long-time goal of mine, and I’m glad that the Council and I took action to see it through. I’m looking forward to their productive discussions and input in the near future.
I’m proud of Phoenix and County voters for extending Prop 479, which will improve our great and growing transportation and transit system. The bus system will improve and broaden, and you’ll see more improvements to roads and freeways. Thanks to the voters, we’ll also be able to invest in projects that will make our commutes more sustainable in the long run.
We also released our first-ever Climate Action progress report. We have invested strategically in many areas such as circular economy initiatives, electrification, and lowering emissions across the city. We are making real positive forward strides on our climate goals, and I’m grateful to our committed staff for helping make this happen.
What have at least two most pleasant surprises during your term this year?
I’m so proud of Chef Rene Andrade for winning the city a James Beard Award this year. This comes at a time when we are actively trying to showcase more of our talented chefs, mixologists, and restaurateurs.
We were also privileged to win an award from the National Institute for Innovation and Technology for our work to grow the semiconductor workforce pipeline. Phoenix was the first city in the nation to sponsor a Registered Apprenticeship Program for Semiconductor Technicians. We were proud to work with TSMC on this program, which the company recently expanded.
What have been at least two continuing or unexpected challenges during 2024 that you and the Council had to handle and may continue dealing with in 2025?
The State Legislature continues to undercut the important work that cities are doing to tackle the housing shortage. Phoenix has not shied away from pulling its weight to address the housing crisis in our state and region. We’re a nationwide leader in expanding multifamily housing, which is critical to addressing our affordability crisis in a sustainable way. Compared to other cities with populations of 75,000+ in Maricopa County, Phoenix has 40 percent of the population but 57 percent of zoned acres allowing for multifamily housing. In Phoenix, 20 percent of its zoned acres allow multifamily housing compared to an average of only 6 percent in the other cities.
We are on track to complete nearly 7,400 homes in large multifamily buildings (those with 50 or more units) by the end of the year—the most in our region. Yet, the State Legislature is unwilling to collaborate with Phoenix to support our efforts. Rather, the Legislature has unfairly targeted Phoenix and other big cities, forcing us into restrictive mandates and preemptions. To add insult to injury, this misguided approach carves out the cities doing the least to address our shared challenges.
Another challenge is that state lawmakers continue to cut our revenue, while they ask us to do more. For example, the state is doing less for emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness, but they are also cutting the funds we use to support this type of service.
What are the names of two current policy goals you would like to continue and expand upon in 2025?
I’m excited to build on our goal to create a more connected, denser city via public transportation options. Soon, the South/Central Light Rail Extension will open, connecting the area south of downtown to the rest of our city. This project has been a long time coming, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity that the new light rail route will bring to so many of our residents.
We are also making significant progress in our efforts to expand shade coverage in Phoenix. In the hottest months, shade can make up to a 30-degree difference. Our new Shade Phoenix Plan, passed by the Council a few weeks ago, prioritizes increasing shade coverage throughout the city as a strategy to improve health and quality of life, with a focus on areas that need it most. The goals outlined in the Plan complement years of intentional policymaking that puts resilience at the forefront. From implementing our Walkable Urban Code that increases shade in high-volume pedestrian areas to curbing our emissions through efficiency improvements and renewable energy expansion, we are well on our way to becoming the most sustainable desert city in the world—a goal set thanks to the will of Phoenix voters in 2015 and again in the most recent election. The plan is ambitious, with a goal of planting 27,000 trees and building 550 new shade structures – and as 2025 gets started, I am looking forward to making progress on this goal. This year alone, we planted more than 5,000 trees in parks, schools, and in public and private spaces.
What are the names of two new policy goals you would like to advance in 2025?
I am hoping to do more to support our small businesses, which are so important to making Phoenix a great place to call home. I want to make it easier for small businesses to do business with the city and provide them more support to navigate the city. Whether you are shopping at Sky Harbor or visiting city-owned buildings in downtown, I hope you will have great opportunities to shop at Phoenix-owned local businesses. We will highlight them throughout the year, including on “602 Day,” the day named after our area code that celebrates all things local.
Another area of focus will be our accessibility working group and moving forward with their recommendations. In my State of the City this year, I announced my ambition for Phoenix to become the most accessible city in the country – and there’s a lot of work to do on that front, whether it’s for individuals using mobility aids or moms and dads pushing baby strollers. We remain focused on areas across Phoenix where revamping our accessibility procedures is necessary and feasible, and I’m excited to continue making progress on this goal.
To what extent are you worried that the incoming Trump/Vance Administration may work to undo the achievements of the Biden/Harris one that has helped the development of Phoenix and the Valley over the last four years? Please explain.
We have made so much important progress on climate and sustainability in particular in the last four years, and I want to keep going, regardless of who is in the White House—our future truly depends on it. My hope is to build even more fruitful partnerships with the private sector, academia, and the philanthropic community to reach some of our most ambitious climate goals.
Is there anyone at your office you would like to recognize for their contributions to making 2024 successful?
A huge thanks to my Communications Director, Arielle Devorah. She quarterbacked really important policy announcements including work on climate change and semiconductors that got international attention. Arielle is smart and hardworking. She is helping Phoenix and our residents tell our story more effectively. She effectively goes from sharing information on a complex topic such as water rights to helping celebrate the retirement of a community leader who deserves recognition.
Please click here to watch the Mayor’s video summary of 2024.
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