Candidates disagree on homeless, transit solutions

May 20—The Mesa Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum last week for those running for mayor and three council seats in the July 30 Primary Election.

A majority of the city council is on the line at a time when Mesa seems to be at a crossroads: companies are increasingly eyeing the Valley as a destination for manufacturing and technology, and the region is poised to see a flood of new residents in the coming years at a time when affordable housing is in short supply.

Yet, parts of Mesa are still struggling with blight and lack of investment. Brokers of high-end retail and dining still seem to shun Mesa in favor of neighboring cities and towns, to the dismay of residents.

These issues provided the backdrop to the Chamber's business-oriented questions.

Mesa resident Kevin Smith said he attended the forum because the mayor and council members are "the ones that do the work."

"Your congressmen and those kinds of guys are so far away," he said. "They don't change your life everyday" like city leaders.

Linda Brady, government relations manager for event sponsor Salt River Project, added, "Your local elected officials are what make Mesa a great place to live and work. They have input on your libraries, your parks, your streets, your public safety."

Despite the high stakes in local elections this year, attendance was underwhelming last week — as it was with the mayoral forum hosted by the Encore Conservative Club in Eastmark on April 30,

Less than half the Council Chambers seats were filled and many in attendance seemed to be connected with one candidate or another.

"You would think it should be filled up," Smith said.

The event was also streamed live on Mesa Channel 11. A spokeswoman said a maximum of 36 tuned in online.

"I think it went well, but had hoped for more attendees," Chamber of Commerce President Sally Harrison said.

All five candidates for mayor showed up to answer questions and most of the council candidates also were on hand.

District 3 candidate Marc Lavender and District 2 candidate Melody Whetstone were not on the dais. The moderator, KTAR radio host Mike Broomfield, explained that Lavender and Whetstone were not eligible to participate because they did not interview with the Chamber the week prior.

The chamber's Q&A-style event was generally friendly.

District 1 candidate Rich Adams complimented his opponents, saying "these are the kinds of folks that I like to work with."

Toward the end of the forum, mayoral candidate Scott Neely gestured to opponent Ryan Winkle and said, "I'm willing to work with Ryan Winkle. This is a good gentleman right here."

The mayoral election is open to all Mesa residents, but only voters who within the geographic boundaries of the respective council districts can vote in those races.

Highlights of mayoral candidate responses to select questions are below. A recording is now available on the city's YouTube page.

Transportation

The first question was one of the most divisive: How important is regional transportation and how should it be funded?

The current half-cent transportation sales tax in Maricopa County is set to expire if voters don't renew it on the ballot this November.

The funding is needed to complete SR24 in southeast Mesa.

The question became largely a referendum on public transportation in Mesa.

Councilman Mark Freeman said that there was sufficient public transit available for the current level of ridership in Mesa. "It's underutilized," he said. "I'm finding people in our city choose to drive. They don't choose to use public transportation."

Winkle said ridership is lacking because the current transit system is inadequate and that buses don't come frequently enough for people to rely on them.

While offering broad support for improving transit, he said the options should be tailored to fit the different character areas of Mesa.

Former mayor and retired Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith said currently "we don't satisfy our public transportation needs," and pointed to gaps in bus service in East Mesa.

"I think most people in the city of Mesa don't realize that there's no public transportation east of Power Road," he said.

Neely and candidate Carey Davis both said that light rail brings homeless people to Mesa.

Neely said light rail was "the past," but he would support commuter rail using the existing rail line that currently carries freight.

Planners are currently studying a proposal to extend Tempe's existing streetcar system into West Mesa. Davis opposed that idea, saying Mesa can't afford it.

Homelessness

Neely said he would discourage unhoused people from being in Mesa using ordinances against panhandling and camping. He also said he would sell the recently purchased shelter hotel in Main Street if a nonprofit could not be found to take over the costs.

"We are attracting the wrong elements to Mesa," he said.

"I wish that a solution for homelessness was as easy as the rhetoric on homelessness," Candidate Smith said later.

He said the issue is complex because people experience homelessness for different reasons. There are also laws restricting what the city can do in regards to enforcing camping bans, he said.

But Smith said Mesa could be more "aggressive." He said the city should be "human yet make homeless (people) accountable... There's a balance."

Davis said the city's Off the Streets emergency shelter and recovery program have been successful, but Mesa is carrying the shelter burden for the rest of the East Valley, which brings more homeless to Mesa.

He said he would work with neighboring cities and towns to encourage them to add services so Mesa isn't alone.

Winkle and Freeman emphasized compassion. Winkle said Mesa should handle homelessness in a "housing first" way, referring to the strategy of getting people into shelter first then focusing on treatment and other interventions. "Some of them just need help," he said.

Winkle also said he would try to prevent people from falling into homelessness by helping residents "build wealth."

Freeman said there needed to be "human kindness" in Mesa's response and many unhoused people need "specific help" to get off the streets. But he said he didn't support the city purchasing the hotel last year to use as a shelter. He prefers Mesa have a "flexible plan" to address homelessness.

Housing

On the question about how they would maintain employment land in Mesa amid the rush to build new housing, many focused on housing strategy instead of the question about preserving commercial land.

Davis criticized the 2050 General Plan that the council is poised to send to the ballot in November, saying it is too focused on multifamily housing and mixed-uses.

"We need more single-family homes," he said, adding that the city should also work to limit the share of housing that is for rent vs. for sale. Too high a percentage of rental units leads to crime, he said. He also opposes "high-density apartments."

Neely said Mesa should loosen rules on backyard casitas in order to help with the housing shortage. Earlier this year, city planners department introduced such a measure.

Freeman said Mesa needed to be mindful of keeping industrial and residential land uses separated. As mayor, he would ensure that infill development is compatible with neighboring properties.

Smith said that Mesa has "ample opportunities" on older properties and underutilized land to grow housing stock.

But, he said, "I don't think government should be in the business of building houses or dictating them."

Instead, Smith said he would sit down with developers and "get creative" on development agreements to build desirable housing inventory. He would use non-monetary incentives like zoning changes to entice construction in underutilized areas.