The reporter made sure to interview Mayor John Giles, quoting him many times, at the same time making sure to strike a balance with different points of view.
Noting, however, "officials" led by Giles, want to develop the downtown area into a hotbed of technology startups, called an "Innovation District." Giles envisions ASU as the anchor of the district.
Recent years have seen schemes to fill it in - all of which have failed [see below]
You can see who contributed in a required disclosure form available online at the City Clerk's office
They've had two years to get their act together - and two years to buy up downtown properties and re-package it all to sell the schemes to voters in November's General Election.
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His political career is at risk.
He's a goofy guy who just doesn't "get it" when it comes to open, transparent and accountable government. . .He's goofy and foolish when he just doesn't it that Innovation Districts need to work for everyone - not just the FOG.
Education is NOT THE ISSUE in the mayor's pitch - he's throwing a bunch of "foul balls" to the electorate whom he admits in public that he's failed to engage the community at-large in government.
In his first State-Of-The-City speech Giles stated he needs to hear and listen to ideas at the same time appearing to be tone-deaf to what anyone says outside of his close "friends-and-family". Giles is goofy, foolish and all boxed-in to an ideological bias he can't shake-off.
"If we decide that we don’t value education, we don’t think it’s important for us to continue to be competitive, to attract technology companies to our downtown, I think we’re being foolish," he said.
"This is our play at having a 21st century economy."
Whose Play???????? This is serious
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Mesa City Council approves initial agreement to bring ASU downtown
"The Mesa City Council approved the first step in bringing Arizona State University downtown during a packed meeting Monday night that drew opponents worried about what it will cost the city.
The intergovernmental agreement, which passed on a 5-2 vote, plunges Mesa into a familiar debate over whether ASU is the missing piece in reviving its downtown or a financial burden on a city grappling with ballooning public-safety pension costs.
More than a dozen people spoke at the two-hour meeting, rare for a Mesa council meeting.
"Our city is undereducated and we’re trending in a negative way in terms of higher-education attainment, school readiness," Mesa Mayor John Giles said in an interview after the meeting. "I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but I truly believe that’s at risk here."
This is the second time Mesa has approved such an agreement. The first time city officials gave the project the green light in 2016, voters later nixed a sales tax hike that would have provided funding for an ASU campus . . .
Giles has said that this time around, the project will not impose an onerous cost to taxpayers. Instead, the city will pay for it with existing revenue sources.
Councilman Kevin Thompson opposed the resolution, adding that such an expense should go to voters.
Several other public speakers said the issue had already gone to voters and failed.
"To me this is like Captain Ahab chasing Moby Dick and we all know how that ended," Thompson said.
Councilman Jeremy Whittaker also voted against the agreement.
Mesa officials and ASU still need to hammer out a budget and lease agreement, requiring council approval. _________________________________________________________________________
Bob Worsley, businessman and state senator, supports the project. He, along with developer Habitat Metro and other firms, have already invested $20 million into downtown, he said during the meeting. . .
Blogger's Note: Worsley is double-dealing here mixing up his public life as an elected official in the Arizona State House with his schemes as a private real estate speculator - that's the worst case scenario to get accused of conflicts-of-interest. He's also involved in a recent revenge-sex porn scandal along his business partner in this Mesa gamble.
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| Mayor John Giles, center left with developers |
Worsley is a part of a group that recently bought eight historic buildings along Main Street with hopes to redevelop them.
Habitat Metro, known for its role in reviving downtown Phoenix, is also planning a 15-story hotel and apartment complex along with a sustainable apartment development downtown.
"Every 15 years or so, a city has a transformative moment," Worsley said. "Our downtown is ready for that next moment."
At least three developers, including Worsley, Tim Sprague of Habitat Metro, and Tony Wall of 3W Management spoke in support of ASU.
__________________________________________________________________________________Is Mesa giving ASU preferential treatment?
Paula Norby, dean of Mesa's Benedictine University campus, said her university supports the growth of higher-education downtown. However, she raised questions about whether ASU would get discounts Benedictine did not receive.
Blogger Note: another member of the FOG, Revolving-Door former AZ Congressman Matt Salmon was hired by ASU as Vice-President for Government Affairs
__________________________________________________________________________The nuts and bolts of the agreement
The creation of a budget is the next step in the process.
A cost estimate is not yet available.
The previously proposed ASU downtown Mesa campus was estimated to cost $102 million. At an earlier council meeting, a city official said the updated proposal is considerably scaled down: About half the size of the 2016 development.
__________________________________________________________________________PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION AND DETAILS FROM LILY ALTAVENA'S REPORTING by going to this link
AZ Central PART OF THE USA TODAY NEWTWORK
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