Meet Carlos Garcia, Kesha Hodge Washington: Phoenix City Council District 8 candidates
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Two candidates for Phoenix City Council will face off on March 14 in a runoff election to represent south Phoenix, parts of downtown and an area just east of downtown.
Carlos Garcia, the incumbent, is an activist-turned-politician elected in 2019 to finish out the term of Kate Gallego, who vacated the seat to run for mayor. Kesha Hodge Washington, his challenger, is an attorney who came out swinging in November, walking away with 40% of the vote. She and Garcia tied, leaving two other candidates trailing.
The winner will join the city's seven other council members, plus the mayor, in overseeing the nation's fifth most populous city.
Carlos Garcia
Carlos Garcia migrated to the U.S. when he was 5 from Cananea, Sonora, Mexico and was later naturalized. A migrant rights activist who garnered Valleywide recognition following the passage of SB 1070, the "show me your papers" law, Garcia joined City Council in 2019. His candidacy came at a moment when tensions between police departments and communities across the country were on the rise. His victory, as someone who led protests against former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Phoenix Police Department and City Hall, was seen as a pivotal moment in Phoenix politics.
During his first meeting as a sitting City Council member, hundreds of protesters swarmed downtown and the council chambers to protest the Phoenix police after a viral video showed officers aggressively arresting young parents in front of their children. He called for a civilian review board — a move that would eventually lodge a wedge between him and Gallego. She proposed a different police oversight concept but then voted for Garcia's plan after conceding hers did not have the votes.
Four years later, Garcia maintains his reputation for being unapologetically critical of police misconduct and vocal in calls for increased oversight of law enforcement. He has also, controversially, called for redirecting savings from vacancies in the Police Department to other city departments — a move he thinks could lead to a healthier and safer city, he told The Arizona Republic.
But he and his supporters say he's focused on more than policing. Garcia touts accomplishments like direct financial assistance to families during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hiring of Phoenix's first public health officer, and the new Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Funding:Phoenix council races raise over $1M, more than half to one candidate
Some moments from his years in office:
Garcia pushed unsuccessfully to set higher wage standards for city construction workers.
Garcia partnered with a south Phoenix art gallery to transform Circle K Park.
Garcia led community outreach to revitalize a city-owned lot at 24th and Broadway streets, the site of a former grocery store the city demolished in 1999.
Garcia likely violated campaign finance laws when accepting union donations, according to a municipal investigator's report. He refunded contributions and faced no penalties.
Garcia, among other council members, attended concerts and Suns games in the city-owned skybox at the Footprint Center. Usage of the suite is allowed for economic development purposes, but some questioned the ethics of the practice. Mayor Gallego used it as an opportunity to promote the city's ethics commission, which the council has failed to assemble. In mid-February, Garcia and other council members vented frustration at a council meeting over people questioning their ethics, accused the mayor of hypocrisy and said the issue was merely political fodder related to the election.
Criticism of Garcia largely revolves around his approaches to policing and homelessness. Some constituents in District 8 say his scrutiny of the police is out of step with what they want: more policing, particularly to deal with homelessness. Other critical voters say Garcia's interest in aiding those experiencing homelessness, while admirable, blinds him to the needs of constituents concerned about the safety and upward mobility of their neighborhoods.
Kesha Hodge Washington
Hodge Washington is a civil and commercial litigator mainly dealing with insurance fraud cases, although she's dabbled in zoning issues, too, she said. Born and raised in the Virgin Islands, she came to Arizona in 1999 to attend law school at Arizona State University. A "three-year plan turned into 24 years" after she fell in love with the city and the opportunity it provides, she told a group of voters in January.
She formerly worked as an assistant attorney general and clerked for the Arizona Court of Appeals.
Hodge Washington told The Arizona Republic that she'd long thought about holding elected office. A nudge from a friend she respected pushed her to attempt a run.
Hodge Washington started watching council meetings. She said that a February 2022 meeting was her breaking point. West Phoenix residents asked council members to increase police presence to deter crime in their area. Garcia was the lone council member to vote 'no.' Policing isn't the solution, he said.
Hodge Washington has repeatedly told voters and the media she is wary of over-policing communities and criminalizing homelessness. But Garcia's stalwart stance against police was "tone deaf" at that moment, Hodge Washington said. "I can't be the only one who feels this way," she recalled thinking.
Her policy proposals focus on turning south Phoenix into a high-wage job hub and establishing free or low-cost career training programs. "I believe in teaching a man to fish," she told The Republic. The way she sees it, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company factory under construction in north Phoenix will bring plenty of associated businesses to the city, which means a chance for upward mobility.
For residents of District 8, an area with less investment historically and some of the city's lowest income and education levels, Hodge Washington said grabbing onto new economic opportunities could mean the difference between feeling stuck or achieving prosperity.
To address Phoenix's homelessness and housing challenges, Hodge Washington says on her campaign website that she would like to accelerate the process for affordable and workforce housing development, change zoning rules to allow for accessory dwelling units and incentivize the development of affordable housing units, and ensure "specific pathways" exist to help people experiencing homelessness who have severe mental health or substance abuse issues.
Reach out to reporter Taylor Seely at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @taylorseely95.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Meet Carlos Garcia, Kesha Hodge Washington: Phoenix District 8 candidates
