Half of Phoenix's City Council seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 8 election, with at least one new face a given as Sal DiCiccio is term limited.
"First and foremost, Phoenix is a world-class city and we must provide world-class training and professional development. City Hall needs to move into the 21st century, with forward-thinking leadership, innovative approaches and ideas, and a positive environment to nurture and incubate the best young talent.
"As our city has moved from an agricultural hub to more of an urban center we have become more efficient in our water use — but that efficiency does not account for new industrial growth in water intensive industries like semiconductors and electric vehicle manufacturing. "Three, we need to commit to bringing a new supply of freshwater to Arizona via desalination and pipelining for our long-term water security.""Arizona’s well-documented water crisis is so much more severe than just adding xeriscape gardens or removing turf. We must get innovative with our approach to conservation and reclamation.
"The city also owns several lots of land and vacant buildings that we can convert into housing. We should be looking at incentives that we can offer landlords to stop from unnecessarily increasing rent. "We must immediately change the narrative around public safety. We should honor, respect and reward those who put their lives at risk for our safety. And we must address the systemic issues that are the root of these problems. Our City Council spends far too much time kicking the can down the road, bickering over politics and philosophy, and too little time working on positive solutions." "I am always supportive of transparency and accountability, especially in government.
"We need to fight them off like San Antonio did years ago, or like every other city police department under DOJ investigation, the persecution of Phoenix Police Department and forced diversion of public funds to anti-police protest groups which the DOJ dictates under Consent Decrees will continue forever.""I wholeheartedly support transparency and accountability. And, I recognize how difficult an officer’s job is.
"We also know that community policing is one of the most effective forms of public safety — so how do we find ways to recruit officers from specific communities where relationships and trust have frayed or offer incentive programs to keep our officers in the community. Again — many officers cannot afford to live in Phoenix and so come on duty from surrounding communities. We can tie recruiting efforts to housing incentives to encourage more local hiring.
"I think the city can reduce the friction in the disbursement of rental relief funds and protect housing voucher holders from discrimination. I believe the city should be prioritizing individuals who are working but can’t afford housing or are newly homeless. "We could lead by having a regional task force led by the city instead of relying on other government entities. You can read my full plan at"While the recent opening of a 200 bed shelter was a nice gesture, I feel Phoenix has failed in its response to the homelessness crisis. Phoenix should be establishing more rehabilitation programs, expanding the amount of beds in shelters and establishing more workshop programs to help those in need find skills to get jobs.
"I am a person of my word, I stick by my principles, and I care deeply and passionately about the future of our city. I simply want to contribute the betterment our community.""I am a Phoenix native and have lived in District 6 for most of my life. I am a business owner since 1987, an animal rescue advocate and I am fiscally responsible.
"The city is changing quickly and while hyper local issues will always be important — I think it’s necessary to provide some visionary leadership to council so that we can start imagining the Phoenix of the future." "The perspective and voice that I bring to the City Council is one of a lived experience that none of my opponents have. I was fortunate to serve with the Phoenix Police Department for 36-1/2 years, including 13 as an assistant chief.
"I’ll be fighting back against the city paying 50% more for everything we do as the public sector can pay for the exact same work performed by the exact same contractors. The one who asks why a four-pack of Bic pens costs $7.99 at city hall, but $2 in any office supply store. In the process, I’ll free up money for the programs and services the more liberal members of the council want.
"I decided to run for Council to bring urgency and energy to these issues and to work hard for all Phoenix families." "… I will work to ensure the money that’s coming from the federal government is invested to improve areas of south Phoenix and our city that have been historically overlooked. We must use the federal funding to complete road improvements including for cyclists and pedestrians, improve flood control plans and create more green spaces.
"We need new, innovative ideas to help with this public health crisis and the affordable housing needs of our community. I am the candidate that has experience in these areas and a caring heart that desires to help those in need.""Housing Insecurity: To respond to the homelessness crisis, the city must accelerate affordable/workforce housing through public/private partnerships, direct acquisitions and incentives.
"By upgrading our systems and using new technologies, we can be organized, streamlined, and more efficient. I’m the candidate with experience in program administration and creation of new departments. I care about city employees; they should make good pay and love their careers. Reorganization will help with employee retention while saving taxpayer dollars and creating a transformative work environment will lead to greater job satisfaction.
"With this being said, because of the growth of Phoenix, we need to come up with new ideas and plans on how to secure more water, research new technologies to treat wastewater, replace old infrastructure and educate the populace on water conservation. "The city could also reexamine zoning requirements allowing certain structures to be converted into supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness. This would be a cost-saving measure as opposed to challenges that arise with new construction.
"I also believe the City Council should look at the source of income discrimination in our city to prevent voucher holders, including veterans, from getting access to housing.""There are several factors that led to the rent increases and rise in housing costs in the city of Phoenix. The pandemic, national economic conditions, lack of available housing, buyers from out of state, etc., are just some of the reasons why this is our current reality.
"I would also support programs where landlords voluntarily agree to rent increase limitations in exchange for tax benefits or other incentives. I would also advocate for the use of ARPA funds by the city in conjunction with private partnerships to acquire properties that can be rent controlled."The city has so far spent $2 million on the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into the Phoenix Police Department.
"Community policing, outreach to neighborhoods and increasing positive interactions with the youth are needed as well. I want to be a councilman that cultivates a culture of honor and respect for all Phoenicians, and this includes our first responders.""The nearly $2 million was spent on full-time staff , consultants and tools to review years of data.
"We should invest more in the youth program and look at creating more types of schools like Franklin Police and Fire High School. This will help create a culture where young people learn about police careers and officers get to know more of the youth. This will help with community policing and give opportunities for young people to have positive interactions with police.
“… The vast majority of those living on the streets are addicted to some form of opioid. Many of our homeless aren’t even from the community or from Arizona. They know that the city will not … remove them. It has become a lifestyle choice for many. "One idea is that we should implement a citywide triage of the unsheltered so that we can figure out what a person truly needs and then get that person help in an organized, humane manner.
“I have served so many of our at-risk youth. I have helped women in domestic abuse situations. … I have … lived a life of serving those in need. I do not divide our community into groups. Our community needs our officers, and our officers need our community.”"During the first election, I ran on putting people first and bringing access to City Council in a way that wasn’t seen before.
"My goal will always be to act in the best interests of our community and the city. To that end, I would maintain an “open door” relationship, where all members of the community feel that their voice is welcomed, heard and respected." “We must have policies that support a strong economy. We have been on an economic roll in Phoenix , but that won’t continue if we don’t have enough officers or water.
“We now have hundreds of vacancies in departments … which we have not been able to fill because of labor shortages and lack of interest. For example, the city has more vacancies in the department that cleans our streets than we have current employees doing the actual work.
“New technologies and an emphasis on conservation have greatly decreased per capita consumption over the last few decades without city mandates or burdensome regulations. Home builders in District 2 know the expectation … is to meet or exceed the highest of water efficiency ratings, and they are doing it in their projects.
"In Phoenix, we are restricted by laws that are passed in the state Legislature and United States Congress such as the ban on inclusionary zoning, and the chronic underfunding of housing subsidies. We need to organize residents to help them understand the implications of these laws on housing affordability and work to ensure that government at all levels supports affordable housing.
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