From the tight corridors of the 1960s-built State Capitol to the great open hall at the 1994 completed City Hall, the world of politics often involves equal parts spectacle and speed. Learning the language of politics and scaling the eighth wonder of the world, government bureaucracy, is an acquired taste that few practitioners will ever admit to enjoying.
My name is Ryan Boyd and I may be one of the few who will admit to enjoying the exercise from time to time. I scanned through thousand-page packets, frantically took photos of graphs off of presentations, and cobbled together speeches, marches, and legislation before governments of all types. I served in the Undergraduate Student Government Downtown, trying to reform it to be more accountable to students, and represented students before the State Legislature and other agencies in our ongoing efforts to keep education at the front of the state’s agenda.
Now I am headed toward the conclusion of my undergraduate career here in downtown Phoenix, and am honored to be working with a publication that seeks to bring discussions about the future of our community to the forefront.
We live in the midst of massive changes. New developments pop up all around us at rates I couldn’t imagine when I started living downtown three years ago, nor in my childhood when I would come down to places like the Arizona Science Center and still see the Patriots Square Park.
With this, there are a lot of questions and a lot of them involve deep histories and thick government binders. What I hope to provide to you, and what I encourage you to call me out on, are simple explanations of complex topics.
You may not always agree with my take. In fact, I’d hope so because that’s how democracy is supposed to work. But what I pledge to you is to bring as many of the facts as I can find so that when we disagree at least we will move forward with a better understanding of the world.
For in this hyper-partisan election cycle, we should take heart this city has survived a lot. Much like the mythical bird it is named after, it has risen time and time again. Utilizing the very same canal routes the Hohokam community used so long ago, downtown Phoenix has developed to include the treasures of the Warehouse District, Roosevelt Row, and so much more.
Now it is up to us, as together we will decide the future of this community and how Phoenix will rise.
Contact the columnist at raboyd2@asu.edu.
