Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego Discusses the First Six Months of 2023

This has been a busy first six months of 2023 for Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, the City Council, and everyone else that works everyday to make the fifth largest city in the nation what the Mayor calls “the future and city to watch.”

From Phoenix hosting the Super Bowl to working on providing affordable housing to welcoming new Twenty First Century industries like Taiwan Semiconductor and Blue Origin to taking steps to combat extreme heat and maintain the city’s water supply to fostering community development, Mayor Gallego, the council, and their teams have worked tirelessly to make Phoenix a Mecca for the future and the envy of the country.

Mayor Gallego graciously took the time to answer questions about what has happened in Phoenix under her leadership during the first six months of 2023.

The questions and her responses are below.

Please tell the readers, at least three policy accomplishments you are proudest of from the first six months of 2023. Please explain.

“I’m very excited that we are making forward progress on hiring for the Community Assistance Program.The city’s Community Assistance Program is another example of how we’re working to make sure the right care is given at the right time by enabling our police and fire departments to focus on incidents directly in their wheelhouse while enabling those in crisis to get the professional care they need.

Additionally, on top our announcement about the development of an Advanced Water Purification Facility, City Council and I also unanimously passed the Sustainable Desert Development Policy, a water conservation policy for the city that includes regulations on non-functional turf, a mandate to meet EPA WaterSense, planting of drought-tolerant and native plants, outdoor irrigation standards, enhanced standards for swimming pools, and more. As we continue confronting a historic drought in the West, Phoenix is leading the way on water smart policies that encourage conservation and smart use of this precious resource.

We also passed a city budget that invests in our city employees, among many other important items. Our city employees are some of the hardest working people around, and they go above and beyond to make our city run smoothly. I am eternally grateful for their efforts and I’m proud that they will see an increase in compensation this year.”

What has been your best highlight so far from the first six months of this year? Please explain.

“I have loved getting out into the community this year — those memories are by far my favorite. I’d say a highlight is the Laveen Community Parade. My team worked to get a large white balloon for the parade with our office logo on it, and it ended up being quite the logistical journey…only to then have national news coverage of a *very different* large balloon that very same week.”

What has been one area or incident in 2023 that has been the most challenging and you wish you could have a do-over? Please explain.

“At the city, we are constantly advancing, building, and approving affordable housing projects as well as expanding initiatives to help shelter those experiencing homelessness. We must do a better job moving forward of communicating our ongoing work and successes to the State Legislature and more broadly to the community.” 

Is there anyone on your staff/team you would like to salute for their positive contributions to advancing your and the council’s goals this year? Please explain. 

“I would like to shout out my Deputy Chief of Staff, Willa Kaough, who has been instrumental for years on all things climate and sustainability. She led on standing up our Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, which is the first publicly funded heat office in the country. Willa works hard every single day and has made our team stronger. Thank you, Willa!”

What are at least policy goals you have for the remainder of 2023?

“We have a lot of work left ahead of us, from getting the General Obligation Bond to voters, tackling the homelessness crisis, seating the City of Phoenix Ethics Commission, and investing in our transportation system through the passage of prop 400.  I will be focusing my time in those areas for the remainder of the year because these issues are very important to the future of our growing city.”