Same Day - 25 May 2021 - Two Very Different Opinions

Two Opinion Pieces on the pages of The Mesa Tribune https://www.themesatribune.com/opinion/

1  Bryan Jeffries

Bryan Jeffries has been a firefighter for 28 years. He is a former Phoenix City Council member and is president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona.

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Mesa ‘shell game’ impairs citizens’ safety

By Bryan Jeffries, Tribune Guest Writer

May 25, 2021        

Shell games involving subterfuge, confusion, and separating people from their money. That’s exactly what’s happening right now in the City of Mesa – a massive shell game being used to pay for a new $100 million ASU campus at the expense of public safety.

The culprits? Mesa Mayor Giles, city manager Chris Brady and a complicit City Council.

A quick history lesson is in order. In 2016, Giles personally led the effort to pass sales tax increase to pay for a downtown ASU campus. Despite the city tying the ASU spending to increasing resources for police and fire services, conservative Mesa voters said “absolutely not.”

Two years later, those same voters did say “yes” to a public safety measure – one that didn’t include $100 million for the ASU Taj Mahal. That’s when Giles and Brady went to work do the municipal equivalent of “find the pea under the moving shells.”

Somehow, some way, the city managed to find the money to build ASU campus despite that resounding no vote. The bill to date? About $100 million.

Given that public safety is the biggest portion of Mesa’s annual budget, it will come as no surprise that the Mesa Fire Department and Mesa Police have suffered major reductions to pay for Giles’ and Brady’s spending spree. . ."

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2 John Giles

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We will capitalize on Mesa’s momentum              

• By Mayor John Giles, Tribune Guest Writer
• May 25, 2021

 

Insert > "Serving as mayor of Mesa for the last six years has been a humbling and inspiring experience.

Our fast-growing city has accomplished great things, but there is still much more to do. My guideposts as we move forward can be summed up with 5Es: Economic Growth, Education, Environment, Emergency Response and Equality & Compassion.

Despite the daunting challenges of COVID-19, Mesa experienced Economic Growth. Anchored by a vibrant arts and culture scene and invigorated by ASU @ Mesa City Center, our downtown continued to welcome exciting new restaurants and retail.

This urban rebirth is driven by a unique combination of education, innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity and history.

Economic growth is not just isolated to downtown