To Phoenix City Councilman Daniel Valenzuela, fighting fires and governing a city have a lot in common.
Valenzuela, who has served in the Glendale Fire Department for about 15 years, announced his candidacy for mayor of Phoenix in October. He now faces three other candidates: Councilwoman Kate Gallego, a Democrat; Republican Moses Sanchez; and Libertarian Party Chairman Nicholas Sarwark. Valenzuela, a Democrat, said his background in public safety makes him stand out.
“I don’t pick and choose who I serve when I get on a fire truck and I respond to an emergency, and I’ve taken that same mentality to local government,” he said. “We serve everyone.”
Part of that, he says, is strengthening neighborhoods.
Valenzuela was born and raised in Phoenix, the youngest of six children. Struggling with financial issues, the family was constantly moving — Valenzuela attended 13 public schools, and “lived in more neighborhoods than schools attended.” He said this gave him a window, early on, into the problems faced by underserved communities around the city.
“I just know that we are a collection of neighborhoods, and we have to think of every single neighborhood,” he said. “If you have a strong South Phoenix, you have a strong Phoenix. If you have a strong downtown, if you have a strong Kierland, and so on and so forth.”
As chair of the Downtown, Aviation and Innovation Subcommittee, Valenzuela has demonstrated support for historic preservation funding in downtown Phoenix. He opposed the demolition of the Dud R. Day Motor Company building at Fourth Avenue and Van Buren Street, and the subcommittee later cleared a $250,000 grant for the building’s preservation.
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In 2016, Valenzuela supported a 30-day demolition delay policy in response to the partial demolition of the Circles Records building, which sparked community outcry.
In addition to public safety and strengthening neighborhoods, Valenzuela said his top priorities include economic development, especially through education.
He cited the ASU Downtown campus and light rail as the two major “catalysts” for downtown’s resurgence.
“Our education is absolutely part of economic development,” Valenzuela said. “So when you hear me say jobs I’m not just talking about somehow pulling jobs out of a hat. There needs to be a method…We all have to understand that it starts with education.”
Valenzuela also expressed his desire to bring more companies to downtown Phoenix, naming educational tech space Galvanize and the Translational Genomics Research Institute as important influencers.
Valenzuela has backed Government Property Lease Excise Tax agreements, or GPLETs, for several developments downtown. These agreements allow the city to take over the rights to a piece of land and lease it back to a developer at a lower property tax rate than would traditionally be assessed.
“It’s something that should be used as a tool when necessary,” he said. “There are some GPLETs in downtown Phoenix that I have not supported.”
In 2016, Valenzuela voted to approve a GPLET for a multi-use high-rise development that will include apartments, parking, a grocery store and more commercial space. The development, Block 23, is under construction at First and Washington streets.
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Other GPLET agreements Valenzuela has backed include the Clark Street Holdings mixed-use project at Third and Pierce streets and the Derby Roosevelt Row micro-apartments at Second and McKinley streets. A lawsuit filed by the Goldwater Institute on behalf of local businesses seeks to block the city’s $8-million tax break for the Derby project.
Nicholas Sarwark, chair of the Libertarian National Committee and the most recent candidate to join the Phoenix mayoral race, said he thought Valenzuela’s record on GPLETs presented problems.
“Valenzuela comes from the school of the idea that the council and the mayor can focus just on these major out-of-town projects,” Sarwark said. “The problem with doing that is that then that raises the tax burden on homeowners and small business owners who aren’t connected with the council.”
J. David Smith, former development director for Central Arizona Shelter Services, spoke in support of Valenzuela at a campaign event Wednesday, recalling Valenzuela’s support during a bottled water initiative for the homeless.
“I think he has the experience, first of all, the conviction, and the passion,” said Smith, who is now development officer at the Arizona Humane Society. “I know from working with Daniel personally that he really puts all of that into action.”
Valenzuela’s colleague, District 8 Councilwoman Kate Gallego, is also a familiar left-leaning figure in Phoenix politics. Valenzuela referred to Gallego with respect, saying that he’d had “nothing but positive experiences” working with her on City Council.
“I wish her nothing but the best,” Valenzuela said in November. “I look forward to the opportunity to have robust conversations on the issues, and just exchanging ideas of how we will each move our city forward.”
Valenzuela said he made the decision to run for mayor because of his love for Phoenix and his desire to stay involved, to “continue to see the momentum moving forward.”
“Our mayor’s done a very good job,” Valenzuela said. “There are some things that I’d like to advance in my own ways, and go a little deeper on some of these things, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Correction Feb. 6: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Councilman Valenzuela “previously served in the Phoenix Fire Department.” It has been updated to accurately reflect that he still serves with the Glendale Fire Department, and has done so for about 15 years.
Contact the reporter at Faith.Anne.Miller@asu.edu.
