Michael Langley first became enamored with the people of Phoenix when he participated in the Fiesta Bowl as an undergraduate at the University of Miami. After moving to the state to complete his EMBA at the University of Arizona, he officially settled in the city.
Now the deputy director of Global Chamber Phoenix is leveraging his background in business and trade to campaign for the District 8 Phoenix City Council seat.
Langley joined the race after Councilwoman Kate Gallego stepped down last month to campaign for the position of mayor of Phoenix. The city council appointed Felicita Mendoza, Councilman Michael Nowakowski’s former chief of staff, as the interim council member. A special election will be held in March to fill the position until Gallego’s term expires in January 2020.
On the issues
Langley is a supporter of the Valley Metro’s light rail system.
“I see Phoenix as the next truly global city,” Langley said, describing the future of Phoenix as a growing and desirable destination. He says the city must invest in its infrastructure to accommodate growth.
“One thing I’m big on is robust transportation infrastructure,” he said, but acknowledged some residents’ concerns about the impact the light rail has on their neighborhood.
He said he would work to ensure that security be made a priority, referring to concerns about crime along the line’s route.
The Department of Economic Security reported 22,092 homeless individuals in Maricopa County in a survey conducted from July 2016 through June 2017. The same survey reports that 2,059 of those individuals are unsheltered.
Langley said affordable housing is key to addressing homelessness and would advocate for partnering with businesses that can provide alternatives to traditional construction.
He mentioned the city should consider building smaller homes and shared-living spaces with alternative materials, which would also benefit lower income communities.
A self-declared history buff, Langley said he is invested in historic preservation to protect the “character” of certain neighborhoods. He said artists and the arts district are part of what makes Phoenix’s culture appealing.
His background
Langley is the deputy director of Global Chamber Phoenix, an organization that promotes global business. As a councilman, Phoenix’s economic development would be at the top of his priority list.
And he said he is invested in addressing social issues within the community as a current member of the Phoenix Community Alliance, a nonprofit community development group founded in 1983.
“I have a background in trade and workforce development, but I’ve also worked on policy in terms of education and criminal justice reform,” Langley said. “I’ve also worked on infrastructure and combatting human trafficking.”
Sean Sweat, chair of a PAC dedicated to electing urbanists into office, didn’t comment specifically on Langley as a candidate because the organization is still deciding on endorsements.
More generally, he said a successful candidate should focus less on “mega projects” and adopt a “finer grain” approach.
“Personally, not speaking for [Urban Phoenix Project PAC], I want to see City Hall think of downtown as a neighborhood, not a profit center,” Sweat said.
Langley has never held public office, but has worked closely with public officials in addressing issues like global poverty. He is currently the regional director of the Borgen Project, an organization that works to improve the U.S.’s response to global poverty.
He also worked on the Arizona Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, led by U.S. Senator Jon Kyl.
Langley said addressing global poverty not only helps those communities but also creates more consumers which benefits local business looking to expand across borders, and that doing so is one of the only ways to make a business recession proof.
Contact the reporter at jicazare@asu.edu.
