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OPINION
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TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow
To our readers
The Mesa Tribune invited the candidates for Mesa City Council on the Aug. 2 ballot to submit two 500-word columns on topics of their choosing. This is the first round and a second will be published later this month. Candidates who did not submit columns will have theirs published at themesatribune.com if they choose to write later. The candidates’ answers to the Tribune’s questionnaire also are at themesatribune.com.
Somers: My job for my district is not yet done
Trendler: My loyalty will be to my neighbors
BY SCOTT SOMERS District 6 Candidate
My wife and I made Mesa our home over 27 years ago following our service in the U.S. Air Force. We raised our family here in southeast Mesa. I was honored to serve as your councilmember for two-terms between 2006-2014. During that time, I was proud to play a role in kicking off the tremendous economic success and residential growth in District 6.
Speaking of that growth, while I see many familiar faces in our community, I am pleased to take a moment to introduce myself to those who may not know me. I am a veteran, a first responder, an educator, a father, and now a grandfather. I have been active in building a better Mesa through charitable and community organizations. Term limits required that I step away from City Council - but my job is not done.
I am asking you to return me to Mesa City Council to complete the work I began when I first served. My priorities now, as then, are promoting fiscal responsibility at city hall, supporting businesses and job growth, enhancing public safety, and building strong neighborhoods. During my first term, I helped Mesa navigate the great recession by creating fiscally responsible budgets and streamlining municipal operations resulting in nearly 20% savings to taxpayers over three years. I appointed the first independent city auditor to increase accountability to citizens. It is imperative we maintain fiscal discipline to protect Mesa taxpayers, especially those on fixed incomes.
Keeping families safe is Mesa’s top priority and my life’s work. I have spent my career on the front-line as a firefighter and paramedic, so I understand firsthand the challenges our responders face. I facilitated partnerships and created programs that reduced non-emergency medical calls and avoidable hospital visits, cut crime around motels and convenience stores, and hired civilians to investigate minor thefts. These innovations freed up our police, firefighters and paramedics for true emergencies.
I am the only candidate with experience in economic development. Working with ASU Polytechnic I created LaunchPoint, a small business incubator to support local technology entrepreneurs. I worked directly with companies like Able Aerospace, Bridgestone, CMC Steel, Matheson, and others to locate in Mesa.
But what makes Mesa truly great are our neighborhoods. To improve our quality of life, I partnered with businesses, faithbased and volunteer organizations to institute the Building Strong Neighborhoods initiative to provide quick response and collaborative problem solving for neighborhood safety, appearance, and cohesiveness. Working together, we invested in District 6 by securing land to expand Monterey Park, built the Skyline Aquatic Center, opened the Mesa Express Library, and laid the foundation for the award-winning Eastmark and Cadence communities.
Serving Mesa over the years has connected me with great community leaders. As I return to the campaign trail, many of those same leaders have come out to support me and motivated me to work harder to realize our vision for Mesa. I am asking for your vote and would be honored to have your trust again.
BY DARLA TRENDLER
District 6 Candidate
Afriend recently asked me what she should tell others when they ask why they should vote for me, someone who has never held office before. We do not need another career politician but instead need more ordinary people who are grounded in the same day-to-day lives as the people they are running to represent.
I’m Darla Trendler; I’m not a career politician, and I’m running to make Mesa District 6 better for everyone.
Real-life experience: Budgeting, solving problems and building relationships are critical skills to succeeding on City Council. For me, I know what fiscal responsibility is because I have had to live on a budget myself. I’ve run a family business through good times, a recession and everything in between. I know what it means to use the money I have wisely and to save for the future.
Through volunteering for most of my adult life in both schools and my church, I have learned to work with a variety of people to accomplish goals that benefit everyone. This has meant sharing my own ideas but also listening to others and working collaboratively to find the best solutions.
As a mother and volunteer, I am in the community all the time building relationships with my neighbors, my kids’ friends’ parents, church leaders, administrators, teachers and coaches. My involvement in my neighborhood, church and schools has helped me meet people and build relationships with others who have different experiences from my own. I have learned that behind every issue there are real people and I value listening to the experiences that have helped a person come to a specific perspective.
Fresh ideas: Someone who is new to political office brings with them fresh ideas seeing new solutions to issues which those who have been entrenched in government for years may not. I haven’t been on council in the past. I can look at issues Mesa is facing from the perspective of an everyday citizen, not a political insider. As someone new, I will never have a “this is how we’ve always done it” mentality but instead “let’s do it better.”
No favors owed: My loyalty is with my neighbors, the people of District 6. I bring real-life interaction and relationships with people in my district. I’ll seek feedback and solutions from the people of District 6. I am not running to further my political career or get back into office. I’m running because Mesa District 6 needs someone in office who can finally help bridge the gap between our communities and the rest of our wonderful city. I believe residents of District 6 are work-
ing hard to provide for their families, seeking to help the next generation become productive adults and looking for ways to engage and make the community better. That’s who I am too and that’s why I will represent the people in this district well on Mesa City Council.
THE MESA TRIBUNE | JUNE 5, 2022
To learn more about some of my specific policy positions please go to my
website: DarlaforMesa.com.
Ross: Mesa must do more for the unsheltered
BY NATHANIEL ROSS District 4 Candidate
Every night, hundreds of our neighbors sleep unsheltered on the streets and sidewalks of Mesa. In 2022, Mesa surpassed Tempe to become the city with the second-highest homeless population in Maricopa County, with over 3,200 people. This past January, Mesa conducted a mandatory point-in-time count of unsheltered people, a subset of the homeless population who cannot find any temporary housing. The count found more than 450 people in Mesa were unsheltered, representing a 33% increase from 2020.
The city has made some important steps in reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness. However, as seen by the drastic increase in unsheltered people over the last two years, more must be done.
Current housing facilities cannot shelter the entirety of Mesa’s homeless population. Therefore, one of the first steps must be investing in more affordable housing. Getting off the street is next to impossible when basic needs are not met. “Housing first” allows individuals and families struggling with homelessness to have much-needed stability to rebuild their lives, find a new job, or receive mental and substance-use healthcare.
Inaction has cost the lives of our neighbors who have fallen on hard times, including veterans, people with disabilities, families, and seniors. As the temperatures spike this summer, unsheltered people are more likely to face the harshest effects of heat-stress-related illness. In 2020, over 500 people died in the Phoenix Metro area, including many in downtown Mesa.
And nearly all of these deaths were preventable. New housing will not be built overnight; therefore, the city must be more proactive about preventing the needless deaths from heat during the summer. Mesa should be looking to work with community organizations to deliver heat relief supplies. For example, several cities partner with Phoenix Rescue Mission, a valley non-profit, to give out such supplies to unsheltered homeless. Partnerships to help reduce the suffering of people experiencing homelessness must be part of our short-term solution to homelessness. Homelessness is a public safety issue, but the city’s reliance on Mesa PD to solve the homeless crisis puts more on the plate of an already overextended police force.
In recent years, Mesa PD has made a positive shift from arresting and jailing the homeless to connecting them with community services. However, long waiting lists for shelters and affordable housing mean that police spend more time assisting the same people.
According to the city’s data portal, Mesa PD is not meeting goals for emergency response time. Investing in homeless response programs means that police can more effectively allocate their time, making it more likely the police can rapidly respond when we need them most. Homelessness is a multifaceted issue, and not investing in short and long-term solutions presents significant economic, social, and moral consequences. I envision a future in Mesa where homelessness is an issue of the past, because we chose to show compassion to our neighbors. Mesa can make that future a reality, and we should elect a council that will prioritize policies to make the biggest difference.
Duff: Time to make commitment to sustainability
BY JENN DUFF District 4 Candidate
Forty years ago, I would watch the water levels of Lake Mead and Lake Powell to navigate the lakes and predict fish behavior while I competed in bass fishing tournaments. Today as the vice mayor of Mesa, I watch lake levels to ensure we have enough water. Since taking office in 2019, I haven’t waited for us to declare Stage 1 of our Water Shortage Plan to start acting to address our impending water supply crisis. Extreme heat, drought and growth are apparent to us all. I am concerned about the recent expansion of water-cooled data centers in the Valley. These structures can consume over one million gallons of water per day. I am not against data centers. I understand the need in today’s world. I do question whether water-cooled data centers should be encouraged in Arizona. There are other technologies to cool data centers that don’t rely on water. Arizona and Phoenix have evolved into a national leader for data center locations - last year, the Phoenix area was no. 2 in data center growth. This may be due to our climate stability, Arizona State tax incentives, or it may simply be our cheap and available land and water. It’s difficult to see our glass half full when data centers, and projects like it, can impact our municipal water supplies. While the City of Mesa passed an ordinance that requires “mega” customers – customers that use over 500,000 gallons per day, to buy water storage credits on the market to curtail the stress on our system. (Long term water storage credits are water stored underground for future use.) I still question whether water-cooled data centers should be built in the desert at all. We’re all drinking from the same bucket. Regardless of who owns the rights, we have a finite water supply.
It’s time that economic development is paired with environmental sustainability. The City of Chandler and GPEC (Greater Phoenix Economic Council) are shying away from high-water consumption business sectors to industrial users that operate at a net zero water position (providing water credits, using reclaimed water, etc.).
Traditionally, economic development has been jobs, jobs, jobs. Now, economic development should be paired with natural resource conservation, the quality of jobs and impacts on our quality of life. The new conversation on how we build cities is people centered, equitable and sustainable. The primary reason people want to be here is our quality of life and water is essential to it. Conservation and diverting certain business types will not be enough to avoid our water crisis long term. We must invest in new water technologies, innovative water reuse and augmentation. It will take discipline, investment, and collaboration.
My commitment on Mesa City Council is dedicated to our long-term sustainability and quality of life, and it begins with water.
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