Wednesday’s special council meeting, where the results of six community meetings will be presented, is critical for the South Phoenix Light Rail Expansion’s future.
In response, one day before the session, the Build South Central Coalition held a final rally outside City Hall to advocate for the project.
Former Mayor Greg Stanton, mayoral candidates Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela as well as other community activists were in attendance.
Proposition 104, passed in 2014, raised sales taxes in order to fund expanding transportation services to the Phoenix community. Light rail supporters called for the city council to remember their prior commitment to the project.
Stanton was the first to bring up Proposition 104 while addressing the crowd.
“That vote righted a historical wrong,” he said. “South Phoenix should have been included in the original light rail plan.”
Stanton emphasized the correlation between the light rail and educational prosperity across Phoenix, and how it is attractive for tourism purposes like the Super Bowl.
Rosie Lopez is a South Phoenix resident who previously served on the South Phoenix Citizens committee. She believes the area is in dire need of the light rail.
“There are people who have no mode of transportation. There are people who are disabled,” she said.
According to the coalition’s press release, nearly 21 percent of South Phoenix households do not own a car, compared to only six percent of Tempe households.
As a former educator, Lopez also believes the extension is necessary to make college available to South Phoenix youth.
“Our community has been ignored for far too long,” she said during her speech. “We need to put this issue to bed and move forward with the project.”
Some of the resistance against previous light rail extensions stemmed from business leaders concerned about the construction the projects would cause and how it would impact their companies. Former District 8 Councilwoman Kate Gallego acknowledged this concern. She spoke about the intentional design of the project, and the efforts to minimize the impact of construction on buildings surrounding the extension.
Gallego said the influence larger external communities were having on the decision worried her most.
“The concern is some of the national interest,” she said. “The New York Times wrote about the Koch brothers network targeting a few cities including Phoenix. That’s very disconcerting.”
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The anti-light rail groups have been accused of taking funds from the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, which is aligned with the Koch Brothers and Americans for Prosperity. On the other hand, pro-light rail groups face similar charges of being organized by Valley Metro or Phoenix city employees, according to The Arizona Republic.
Both sides maintain they are grassroots organizations.
Regardless, the city council received over 1,000 letters from citizens encouraging them to move the light rail extension party forward. The large stack of papers sat next to the podium.
Perry Ealim currently collaborates with small business leaders in South Phoenix through Black Wall Street Arizona. He was born and raised in the area.
Ealim said he believed the progression of the light rail extension could improve the relationship between the South Phoenix community and the City Council.
“I grew up in a community that for so long seemed to be the bastard child of Phoenix,” he said in his speech. “But not we have a chance to change that direction.”
The special City Council meeting will be held Wednesday, September 26 at 2:30 p.m.
Contact the reporter at ajcutler@asu.edu.
