Mayor Kate Gallego has been very busy since winning a special election in 2019 to succeed Greg Stanton as the mayor of the fifth largest city of the country.
Since taking office, she and the majority of the Phoenix City Council have worked to:
- Defeat moves to curtail Light Rail Expansion and cut the budgets of vital city services.
- Work with the community to provide agreeable oversight of Phoenix Police.
- Implement a new minimum wage increase for City Employees.
- Humanely and compassionately address the growing homeless situation in Phoenix.
- Combat and get rid of Dark Money Interests.
- Champion LGBTQ Rights.
- Protect the people during both the Coronavirus Pandemic and the unrest resulting from the deaths of George Floyd and Dion Johnson.
It has been during this COVID 19 Pandemic that the Phoenix Mayor has brought positive national acclaim for her handling of the health emergency.
Along with Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Gallego was among the local leaders calling for the wearing of masks, greater resources to combat the pandemic, and not to prematurely reopen the state’s economy.
Her continual requests for more testing centers in South Phoenix on CNN, MSNBC, and The Washington Post, probably (despite irking some in the White House and Governor Ducey’s office) paved the way to get the extra assistance the residents in that area needed in the early summer.
Ms. Gallego is eager to build on the experiences from the last year and a half as she runs to secure a full four year term as Phoenix’s Mayor.
Mayor Gallego graciously took the time to respond to questions regarding her time in office and her goals for 2021 should she win reelection this November.
The questions and her responses are below.
1) Please tell the voters at least two reasons why they should reelect you this November.
“We have more work to do to build a Phoenix that works for everyone. I was elected in March of 2019 to fill then-mayor Greg Stanton’s term. Right now, there is no bigger issue than finding a way to navigate through COVID-19 and recover from it. I plan to spend the coming months to not only earn every last vote for re-election but to also work on recovery policies that help our residents and employees. While Arizona has been hit hard by COVID-19, early and decisive action to slow the spread of the virus saved lives. Phoenix can reemerge from the pandemic stronger than before. It is important to me that Phoenix remains in the strong economic position we were in prior to the economic downturn.”
2) Please tell the voters at least two policy achievements since becoming Mayor you are proudest of.
“The defeat of Propositions 105 and 106 in the summer of 2019 made sure light rail expansion was protected and prevented drastic cuts to critical city services such as senior centers, libraries, and parks. I was proud to lead the ‘no’ campaign with Councilwomen Pastor and Stark. With the ongoing pandemic, Proposition 106 in particular would have devastated the city budget.”
“I am very proud of the city’s Coronavirus Response Plan. We put together a plan that responded to our community needs such as providing testing, supporting small businesses, and delivering food aid.”
3) Please tell the voters at least two policy challenges, in addition to COVID 19, you have learned from since becoming Mayor?
“I am proud that Phoenix has a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign and a strong non-discrimination ordinance. Unfortunately, a conservative advocacy organization challenged our ordinance in court, and the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a wedding invitation company could refuse to service our LGBT residents.”
“The city council voted to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for our city employees who work so hard throughout the year. The city council worked closely with LIUNA, which represents many of the impacted employees, on this policy. It was a great process that was data-driven but also gave our employees the chance to tell their stories.”
4) If re-elected this November, what are two policy issues you would like to pursue for the next four years?
“Recovering from COVID will remain a top priority. We must stay vigilant in ensuring Phoenicians mask up and take guidelines seriously. We must also ensure we have adequate testing supplies and provide support for our small businesses, non-profits, and residents who are navigating through an uncertain economic climate.”
5) With regards to COVID 19, to what extent have you and the Phoenix City Council handled the pandemic well?
“The city has been a strong voice for public health and making science-based decisions. We worked to ensure that no city employee was laid off so residents could count on the city to provide essential services. Throughout the pandemic, Phoenicians could count on everyday needs being met.”
“In working with the city council, we have:
-Provided 914,600 library materials to residents. The Kid’s Cafe has also served 13,000 meals and 1,000 activity kits for families.
-Procured 1.3M pieces of PPE for 29 school districts/300 schools— including 1,136,000 masks, 1,500 gallons of hand sanitizer, and 38,000 isolation gowns
-Committed nearly $5.5M in utility, rent, & mortgage assistance helping more than 1,400 households.
-Held 64 testing events across the city and conducted more than 26,000 tests with community partners.
-Served 65,588 meals to homebound seniors.”
6) Is there anything not covered in the first five questions you would like the voters to know about you as they consider your Mayoral candidacy for November.
“The last decade has been transformative for Phoenix. Our city rose from the Great Recession with a strong foundation— high wage growth, low unemployment, and a rising national profile. Phoenix accomplished this by making smart choices to break away from economic models of the past and chart a new course.”
“During my years on the Phoenix City Council — and now as Mayor— I have strived to come together on bipartisan solutions that make Phoenix work better for everyone. More jobs, safer neighborhoods, and investments in infrastructure remain top priorities.”
“But our job is far from done. To remain a strong and prosperous city, Phoenix needs to work to ensure these economic gains are benefitting every Phoenix family and continue forward with a plan to fully recover from COVID’s impact on the economy.”
For more information on Mayor Gallego and her candidacy, please click on her government webpage here, her candidate webpage here, her Facebook Page here, and previous Blog for Arizona articles here.
Please remember:
- The General Election Day is on November 3. 2020. Please see the below graphic for all-important voting dates.
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