Joker-Guest Host Mesa Mayor John Giles & His Mystery Guest?

The person featured in this short segment is the recently appointed Co-Chair of the Mayor's IMAGINEMESA digital online campaign to 'engage the community' John Giles now realizes that after 2 years in-office he has failed to engage the community ---- apparently taxpayer-funded and city-owned Mesa Channel 11 cannot even get this MBA's name correct!
He is Levi Leyba
Published on Jul 18, 2017
Views: 5
Listen to John Giles as guest host with the video upload attracting 5 viewers : Hello! Mesa!
We have a problem when the mayor admits he has no ideas of his own, and marches to the tune of what other people TELL HIM TO DO 

Follow The Money > Mesa City Council Election Campaigns 2016

Campaign Finance Reports are available online here
Current mayor John Giles is playing the hand he was dealt to get elected in 2014, apparently with no issues in front of the voters here according to his campaign website and oftentimes making public statements that "Everything is great".
It's a no-contest.
Three seats [half] up for grabs in Districts 1, 2 and 3.
What's it gonna be? More diversity or more of the same political machine that's controlled Mesa for generations?

There's a certain demographic group here, now after 135 years after Mesa's founding, less than 10% of the population, who have dominated and monopolized both elective and appointed offices inside City Hall and city government with just a few things in common, one of them being their religion that directly informs public service when they get elected by a system organized by LDS connections in meeting houses, stakes and wards. This is evident not only in local Mesa government but in Arizona state government as well, holding onto top positions in the state senate and state legislature.

Overwhelmingly they graduated from BYU in Provo, Utah, or through inter-marriage have "family connections" in religion and government, or make claims to office based on heritage of successive generations with extensive land holdings held in family or suburban land trusts and - most importantly - at the same time frequently tapping into a machine that delivers votes to chosen hand-selected candidates who usually say they got "a calling" [or a call from a crony] for public service whereby incumbents in elected office pass their positions on to those who get called time and time again. . . Call it "rigged" if you want with one minority group controlling what's supposed to be a democratic process. 

It is the reason why so many residents and voters here in Mesa choose not to get involved in city governance, rarely show up at public City Council sessions or citizen advisory board meetings and are effectively not engaged in government for the people.

While most conservatives condemn the so-called East coast "liberal elite" who attended Ivy League universities [Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Princeton] those with other progressive political perspectives tend to not question the politics of a private religion-run university except in the public sphere where assertions of religion into politics has constitutionally-mandated limits for good reasons - a product of The Age of Enlightenment.
So, let's throw some light into the arena of politics here in Mesa - you, dear readers NEED TO DO THE WORK

• Follow the money for contributions and expenditures
• Are there some underlying business relationships?
• Who gave what to who
• Why are certain individuals and groups giving money to certain candidates
• Keep an eye out for amounts over $100, $250, $500 or $1,000 and higher
• What about PACs - political action committees?

Just  a couple of examples:
1. Why has a union of public employees - Firefighters - getting paid salaries and other benefits like insurance and pension/retirement costs [that have escalated by 35%] by the city, established a PAC that contributed $2500 to District 3 candidate Jerry Lewis?
2. Why has a suburban mall developer contributed over $6500 to the same candidate?
3. Looking back to the 2014 John Giles for Mayor campaign, why was over $25,000 paid to just one company for copies of campaign materials?

Candidates
The underlined links open in another window to access the reports provided by the Mesa City Clerk's office.
There are other links for City Council Election campaigns going back to 2008 if you want to trace donations and expenditures that might have influenced actions of City Councilmembers once they got elected.

Mayor
John Giles for Mayor 2016

Council District 1
Guinn for Mesa
Mark Freeman for District 1
Pat Gilbert for Mesa

Council District 2 
Jeremy Whittaker for Mesa
Shelly Allen for Mesa
Winn for Mesa City Council

Council District 3
Jerry Lewis for Mesa City Council
Ryan Winkle for Mesa Sparks for Mesa
Yarbrough for Mesa District 3

                                                                                                                          
This web page link at the start of this post is a public resource for general information. Use it for the intended purpose. 

Please be advised that The City of Mesa makes no warranty, representation or guaranty as to the content, sequence, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of any of the database information provided herein.
The reader expressly agrees that use of the data provided herein is at the reader's sole risk.
The City of Mesa explicitly disclaims any representations and warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
The City of Mesa shall assume no liability for: 1) any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information provided regardless of how caused; or 2) any decision made or action taken or not taken by reader in reliance upon any information or data furnished hereunder.

           

       

Out of 100 Cities Nationwide Mesa Parks Ranked In The Bottom 10

So, how’s our city’s park system, if it’s one of the 100 to appear in the index, rank? Better or worse than you expected? Where was there room for improvement?
Just released is a report for urban park systems in the country per the Trust for Public Land (TPL)’s annual ParkScore rankings, an index that ranks urban recreational spaces belonging to the 100 most populous American cities.
Residents of Mesa will have to scroll way down - to the bottom ten - to see how the city gets ranked.
The ParkScore® index measures how well the 100 largest U.S. cities are meeting the need for parks
http://parkscore.tpl.org/

The ParkScore methodology is based on three key criteria. Park Access uses advanced GIS mapping technology to determine how far a city’s residents must walk to access the nearest public green space. Park Size takes into consideration both the median size of a unit within an individual park system and the total amount of land within a city that’s dedicated to parks.

Finally, the Facilities and Investment category combines both a city's park spending per resident and the availability of a quartet of aforementioned park amenities: dog parks, playgrounds, basketball hoops and recreation/senior centers
.
Take a look at around 7 o'clock - for Mesa it's $28.6 Millions of dollars.

Mesa = 91 out of 100

While it’s true that a low ParkScore may yield a fair amount of hand-wringing for park officials in the cities that place close to the bottom of the list, the TPL sees the rankings — described as “the most comprehensive rating system ever developed to measure how well the 100 most populous U.S. cities are meeting their residents’ need for parks” — as a tool that poorly-ranked cities can use to help better themselves in key areas and, in turn, move up the list.
Link for Mesa >> http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Mesa

Explore an interactive map from this link

Park Facts:
Park acreage: 2,521 acres
People served per park acre: 183
Oldest municipal park: Pioneer Park, est. 1947
Largest municipal park: Red Mountain Park, 582 acres
Most-visited municipal park: Riverview Park


City Stats

• City area: 83,578 acres
• Median park size: 2.6 acres
• Park land as % of city area: 3.0 %
• Spending per resident: $69.96
• Basketball Hoops per 10,000: 2.6
• Dog Parks per 100,000 Residents: 0.4
• Playgrounds per 10,000: 1.4
• Recreation / Senior Centers
  per 20,000 Residents: 0.2
• Population density: 5.5 per acre

You can download Maps and tables here >> Access to Parks by Age and Income http://parkscore.tpl.org/ReportImages/Mesa_AZ.pdf

VIEW FULL RANKING ANALYSIS HERE
Using mapping technology and demographic data, we determined how well each city is meeting the need for parks.
You can learn more with in-depth city profiles …
… or compare multiple cities.
We scored cities in three categories. Learn more about the ParkScore^® methodology.

OTHER RESOURCES AND LINKS


New tool: http://gis.mesaaz.gov/ParkFinder/

http://www.mesaaz.gov/things-to-do/parks-recreation-commercial-facilities/parks

http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/office-of-management-budget/major-funds

All The Media-Spin, Over-Hype + Hoop-La Do Not Make Downtown Transformation Real [ so sorry :)) ]

Just ask Jeff McVay [seen smiling second from right] in the image to the left] who somehow got saddled with the title  "Director  of Downtown Transformation."
Please don't get me wrong, dear readers - Jeff McVay is a nice guy [so's the mayor for that matter] but what they're attempting to do with The New Urban DTMesa is open to questions made in good faith with good intentions.
The occasion took place on October 16, 2015 [during the time Mayor John Giles said in in his SOTC 2016 speech that he had been talking to ASU for more than a year about locating a satellite campus here in downtown]. The occasion that put a big smile on Mr. McVay's face was this announcement made at that time, after the city had spent $75,000 total paid to three consultants to come up with an idea for a certain parcel of city-owned land next to City Hall. . . OOps! One problem: it didn't happen.  Now the "powers-that-be" and connections with them, are floating another idea for the same site with a sketchy proposal for a 2500-student ASU Campus - mebbe another "convincing anchor for the new city center"??? ... or is that just another Pie-in-The-Sky flat-fall at urban planning?

Rendering of Mesa City Center

Mesa City Center receives an Honor Award from AIA Arizona

Colwell Shelor+West 8+Weddle Gilmore's design for Mesa City Center took the top award (Honor award) in the urban design category at the 2015 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Arizona Chapter Annual Awards Gala, which was held in the Phoenix Art Museum this October.
A jury of architects from San Francisco AIA met earlier in the year to assess the 2015 design award submissions. The jury included Joshua Aidlin (Aidlin Darling Design), Dominique Price (Gensler), David Baker (David Baker Architects), and Rosa Sheng (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson).
Of the winning design the jury commented the “The curious and captivating organic form is a convincing anchor for the new city center. The renderings evoke a futuristic spirit, combined with a familiar, humane scale. The balance of green and hardscape creates a desirable “there” factor, and a magnet for various scales of engagement and civic activity.”
John Giles, City of Mesa Mayor; Jeff McVay, Mesa Manager of Downtown Transformation; Michele Shelor and Allison Colwell from Colwell Shelor Landscape Architecture and Phil Weddle of Weddle Gilmore accepted the award on behalf of the project team.

more information: Mesa City Center

Nice design for a City Center, huh?

Remarkably off the drawing boards in black-and-white using the same bird's-eye view high-in-the-sky is the new idea seen in the image to the left for the proposed $180 Million real estate development with less trees and less green space proposed and presented at City Council study sessions and meetings with little or any public comments and a lot of media-spin coming out of City Hall with nearly all mainstream local media say "this might be the site" or "ASU and Mesa are making progress".
The State Press in an article just a few hours ago  noted [as typical of the mayor with details] "In early February, Mesa Mayor John Giles confirmed that ASU would be establishing some sort of presence in the downtown area of his city, though the extent of that presence was not initially clear. . . "  HUH?? That's just four months after the big announcement that they wanted Mesa City Center for this same site! . . . readers might have guessed that after the residents of Mesa Royale put up a big commotion to not leave 644 W Main Street in a questionable "insider deal" land sale that would have removed them from their homes permitting the property to get cleared and bulldozed for a tentative ASU campus there, the city had to do a quick-think for other options for site selection, choosing where Mesa City Center didn't happen. This time there could be no scandal or dispute - the City largely owns the acreage.

There was another RFP in the meantime that did not work out: a privately-owned piece of land in a prime location diagonally across from City Hall, 1 West Main on the corner of Center Street directly across from the Mesa Arts Center.
All kinds of spin and hype and hoopla about that too - and a stock image of  a sidewalk restaurant shown in the image to the right from mesaaz.gov. 
It was for a 3-5 story mixed-use building for commercial, office and residential development. That didn't "fly" either, for reasons unknown.
Up now is the following site location and proposal for the NWC of Country Club Drive and Main Street on land that was in dispute over seizure by eminent domain that the City has for all intents and purposes recently purchased. Curiously enough, it's only one block east of 644 W Main Street on the Valley Metro Central Mesa Light Rail Extension that opened service in August 2015.
Just weeks ago it was publicized as about as many things the typical urban development planning tool box could produce - anything and everything anybody want.
Don't know about that "gateway" thing - but mebbe we'll be getting somewhere where the same mixed-uses for 1 W Main have been transferred to for this
Here's a press release from the Newsroom for the City of Mesa: 
Meetings scheduled to get input for major downtown development

Post Date: 05/24/2016 11:13 AM

The City of Mesa is hosting two public meetings to solicit input regarding a proposed development of approximately two and a half acres at the northwest corner of Country Club Drive and Main Street.
The meetings will be held Thursday, June 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday, June 16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Benedictine University, 225 E. Main St., in the Community Room.
The June 16 meeting begins with a presentation at 6 p.m. followed by an open house at 6:30 p.m.

Representatives from Chicanos Por La Causa Incorporated and Winslow + Partners will be giving a presentation about the proposed market rate, mixed use development and will be answering questions and soliciting input from the community. Individuals unable to attend may provide feedback online at www.mesaaz.gov/downtowntransformation.  

The proposed five-story market-rate development includes 200 residential units, retail and commercial space and parking. It is designed to serve as a gateway entrance to downtown Mesa and provide easy access to light rail.

For more information, contact City of Mesa Manager of Downtown Transformation Jeff McVay at (480) 644-5379 or jeff.mcvay@mesaaz.gov.
 
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699 kevin.christopher@mesaaz.govDon't

Heads Up! City Council Study Session Tomorrow > Big Buck$ + A Tax increase

Public Safety and Higher Education Funding Recommendation
City Council Study Session May 19, 2016
City of Mesa
Meeting Agenda - Final





Mayor John Giles
Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh - District 3
Councilmember Dave Richins - District 1
Councilmember Alex Finter - District 2
Councilmember Chris Glover - District 4
Councilmember David Luna - District 5
Councilmember Kevin Thompson - District 6
7:30 AMCouncil Chambers - Lower Level
Roll Call (Members of the Mesa City Council will attend either in person or by telephone conference call)

1 Presentations/Action Items:
16-0575 Hear a presentation, discuss and provide direction on funding options including sales taxes for the following:
1.  Public safety staffing and equipment needs, and the associated costs
2.  Higher education projects and the associated costs
1-a
16-0593 Information pertaining to the current Job Order Contracting projects.2
3 Hear reports on meetings and/or conferences attended.
4 Scheduling of meetings and general information.

5 Convene an Executive Session.
 
ES-003-16 Discussion or consultation for legal advice with the City Attorney. (A.R.S. §38-431.03A (3)) 
Discussion or consultation with designated representatives of the City in order to consider the City’s position and instruct the City’s representatives regarding negotiations for the purchase, sale, or lease of real property. (A.R.S. §38-431.03A (7)) 
Discussion or consultation with the City Attorney in order to consider the City’s position and instruct the City Attorney regarding the City’s position regarding contracts that are the subject of negotiations, in pending or contemplated litigation or in settlement discussions conducted in order to avoid or resolve litigation. (A.R.S. §38-431.03A(4))
  
1. Intergovernmental Agreement with Arizona State University for a Mesa campus on City-owned property.

Higher Education Projects
Phase 1
 •ASU Buildings $68.2 to 78.9 million
•Civic Plaza $20 to $25 million
•Parking $10 to $12 million
•Benedictine Buildout $6 to $7.5 million
•Off Site Improvements $4 million
Total $108.2 to $127.4 million
Phase 2
Building C Total Area:     60,000 square feet No. of Floors: 4 –New Construction
Building D Total Area:     18,800 square feet No. of Floors: 2 –Existing IT Bldg.
Total Estimated Cost $32 million

Next Steps
•May 26, 2016 -Council Action on Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA)
•June 8-10, 2016 –Arizona Board of Regents Action on IGA
•June 20, 2016 –Council Call for E

Mayor John Giles: What A Diverse Guy! Spotlight on Light Rail One Day + Spotlight On Hunger on Saturday+Family Dollar

Your blogger is a regular patron of Citizen Thrift. A couple of months ago something amazing happened - it just became better under new management. Walked in today doing the usual re-think/recycle/re-use/re-imagine routine, buying some marble pieces at a buck a piece to turn into cutting boards or cheese boards - other people were buying them to make countertops or resurface floors and walls. The salesperson said stop by for our Re-Opening ... the mayor will be here.

When new management took over, space in the back became a food pick-up area, the details of which I didn't know until a conversation was started with the manager remarking about the transformation.

You can pick up on all the details and good deeds from "People of Good Will" - no NOT Goodwill Industries - by reading an entry on Mayor John Giles blog with his monthly 
Spotlight on Hunger > NextMesa: the Mayor's Blog

The building is located on the SEC of Stapley & Main Street. 
For history buffs that is the same location as one of the first "shopping centers" that began attracting customers away from Main Street. You can see the adaptive-reuse of one of Mesa's first shopping centers.
Another Re-Opening: On the way there if you're heading from downtown, take notice of the new location for Family Dollar at the SWC of Miller & Main.

Mayor Giles is DA MAN: Rubbing elbows with Apple Execs in Cupertino, California, mixing at National Mayors' Conference in Washington, D.C, and now making the time with a Spotlight On Hunger - earning frequent flier miles in some cases, and earning political points showing concern for those on the other end of the economic spectrum - in his own words "Doing Good Stuff"

The Mayor's May 19 Media Briefing was .....Hmm, brief

Image from mayor's Facebook account

Your blogger appreciated receiving an invitation for the media briefing in City Hall scheduled for 2 o'clock.
Somewhat out of character for my punctuality usually arriving before time, I didn't get to City Hall until about 2:25 where the security station in the lobby told me the briefing was already over. Whoa! That was fast.
I had done my hours-long research on the topics ahead of time, looking forward to the Q&A, but had to settle for audio downloads from Mesa Channel 11 that were later provided @ 4:18 p.m. on the Mesa Now City Newsroom [hit the following link Mayor's Media Briefing 05.19.2015

Helen's Hope Chest Ribbon Cutting: Escobedo @ Verde Vista Facility for Foster Children

 New update with images on Thu April 30
The Mesa Chamber of Commerce has announced a Grand Opening for Helen's Hope Chest that there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of a new building built by Gorman Construction Company as part of Phase II for an affordable housing initiative on the north side of University Drive directly across the street from the headquarters for Mesa United Way's Save the Children.
NEW UPDATE ON THU APRIL 30 images taken today

 First with Breaking News: AZ Governor and Mrs. Ducey arriving just before the 11:00 start time in image to the right for today's dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at 126 E University Drive

Governor Ducey & Mayor John Giles

The Verde Vista location in the Washington Park-Escobedo neighborhood replaces what once were segregated public housing units and buildings to house military pilots training here in the 1940's during World War II. 

On-site Gorman Construction staff

Mesa has come a long with Fair Housing - it was once acceptable to discriminate on the basis of color or race.
Your MesaZona blogger posted an earlier article about Gorman Construction's donation of this new building on March 2, 2015 that you can either scroll down for older posts or find a link here http://mesazona.blogspot.com/2015/03/clear-snapshots-out-of-murky-downtown.html
 

New building & Invitation

The New Urban Downtown Mesa is regenerating affordable housing opportunities, rooting out old segregated public housing in a blighted area, with expanding growth in new construction that incorporates amenities and services for family needs and foster children.

Speaking of foster children, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who won office with significant help from some of the state's most socially conservative leaders, took many by surprise this week with an order that the State of Arizona immediately resume allowing married same-sex couples to foster and adopt children

We start this report with hope and end with hope: fair housing, equal rights and equal protection under the law with no bias and no discrimination . . .

UN-Covering Mesa: Light Rail Milestone

This blog doesn't attempt to cover Mesa - it's a dedicated initiative to discover the progress on The Regeneration of The New Urban Downtown Mesa.

To be clear, your blogger is not "an old root". 
He's a Latter Day transplant, somewhat like the pioneer Mormons who arrived here laying claim to the territory in the 19th Century in the original "One-Square Mile". 
Mesa today in the 21st Century is a multi-generational community evolving to become a Micropolitan area whose future will include mass public transportation.
Three articles on the extension of Valley Metro's Lightrail have already been posted here.  You can read them following this new entry. 
MesaZona blog connects with and features all different and local media that report news and information on the New Urban Downtown Mesa... here's a 1:16 minute video done by Mesa's one and only television station Channel 11 that was uploaded to You Tube on Wednesday March 25, 2015.
Channel 11's crew was on-location at the same time as your MesaZona guy on Monday from 1:00-2:00 for the Valley Metro Celebration for progress on the Central Mesa Light Rail Extension Project.
This video follows through on the theme of Old Roots New Growth - or Regeneration - as was done here in three different entries, and has live interviews with the Steve Banta, president of Valley Metro, together with Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh, and Mesa Mayor John Giles who states  "The economic salvation of downtown Mesa is riding on this train" 
SAY WHAT?. . . the light rail trains are good people-movers for sure, with the Mesa Arts Center likely the biggest and best downtown attraction to bring people downtown for a few hours and then they leave

Pay attention since this video goes quickly ... and you might want to turn down your volume at the start.