Mayoral candidates Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela covered a lot of policy ground in a civil debate at Burton Barr Central Library on Tuesday.
The public forum was moderated by KJZZ hosts Christina Estes and Mark Brodie. The candidates were asked a mix of questions from the audience and moderators.
Talking Stick Renovations
Gallego and Valenzuela expressed many of the same priorities for the city of Phoenix, including homelessness, affordable housing, sustainability and innovation.
But one key point of contention was the controversial Talking Stick Arena renovations, a $230 million deal approved last month by the Phoenix City Council.
Gallego, who is strongly against the plan, said the city has “bigger priorities than spending 150 million dollars … to build a building for professional sports, which are among the most lucrative enterprises out there.”
Instead, she wants to privatize the arena and believes that the teams using the arena for games should pay for renovations themselves.
Valenzuela said the right choice was made in respect to the arena, saying it “adds to our tax base” and believes the arena contributes to the city’s revenue.
Affordable Housing
Another key point of discussion was affordable housing. Both candidates supported measures to make the city of Phoenix, especially the downtown area, more affordable.
Gallego cited her record in partnership with nonprofit Trellis which built affordable housing on vacant lots around the Garfield neighborhood.
Gallego supports diversity in terms of property pricing in the downtown area. Some of her ideas include asking the federal government for a tax credit for affordable housing and implementing a historic preservation tax credit, which would impact downtown Phoenix especially.
She also wants to make it easier for the private sector to build housing without the involvement of the city.
“This is something that we have to approach as a community,” said Valenzuela, who called for better job training in conjunction with affordable housing. He brought up his efforts in Code Phoenix, a program which offers free coding lessons to young people as an example for efforts in skilled job training.
Water Conservation
Gallego pointed to her record at the Salt River Project (SRP) and reaffirmed her commitment to water conservation.
“We need to secure our water supply, invest in conservation and I do support going forward in that area,” Gallego said. She opposes a water rate increase, but said the city should instead make “smarter investments.”
Valenzuela said he wants to invest in technology to aid in conservation and to prevent costly leaks.
“It’s important to have a smarter city,” said Valenzuela, referencing technological advances he hopes to make.
Public Safety
Valenzuela has made public safety a key point in his campaign, citing his nearly 16 years as a firefighter for the city of Glendale. He said police and fire understaffing are one of his top concerns, blaming hiring freezes after the recession in 2008. Gallego agreed that first responders are understaffed.
The Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona’s Committee to Move Phoenix Forward, which has endorsed Valenzuela, released an ad late January attacking Gallego’s record on public safety.
The ad referenced a 2016 property tax increase that Gallego voted against. The measure would have helped pay off debts and supported the city’s general fund, according to the Arizona Republic.
Gallego addressed the negative ads at the forum, stating: “I’m trying to run a very positive campaign that will make everyone proud … all my television advertising has talked about what I’ve done … it’s focused on me and my vision.”
The crowd seemed relatively split between the two candidates.
Talyne Corlyn, an artist and new resident of Phoenix, relocated last September from Alaska. She made up her mind at the forum to support Gallego because of her emphasis on water conservation, although Corlyn does not think either candidate went far enough.
“I’m kind of disappointed that both candidates did not have [water conservation] as their number one issue,” said Corlyn.
Cynthia Malicki, a retired nurse, said she relates to Valenzuela on a personal level.
“He knows what it’s like to struggle,” said Malicki. “I was half a paycheck away from being homeless … you don’t know what it’s like until you’re there.”
At the forum, Valenzuela talked about nights spent in a homeless shelter with his mother during his childhood.
In the mayoral election last November, Gallego led by 19 points and secured 45 percent of the vote. City regulations require a candidate to gain at least 50 percent of the vote plus one more vote to win the seat without triggering a run-off.
Valenzuela, Gallego’s closest competitor, earned 26 percent of the vote.
Thelda Williams is the current interim mayor of Phoenix, appointed after former Mayor of Phoenix Greg Stanton resigned to run for Congress.
The special election between Gallego and Valenzuela will be held March 12.
Contact the reporter at Madeline.Ackley@asu.edu.
Madeline is the community editor for Downtown Devil and is a senior studying at the Walter Cronkite School. She is a local freelance journalist who primarily covers politics, policing, immigration and business. In 2019, she won first place in her category in the national SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards for her reporting on deported veterans in Tijuana, Mexico with Cronkite News.
