tag:Premium AZ Archives - We Find All The BS In Politics

Mayor

Contracted Phoenix City Hall custodian fired, claims retaliation

Maria Sanchez cleaned the offices of Phoenix mayors, council members and top executives for more than a decade. She took care of their plants during the pandemic, shared her home-cooked food with them and knew some of their children. But when she was fired for uniform violations in March, city leaders said there was nothing […]

Mayor

Why Mesa Mayor John Giles says city is an ideal fit for passenger rail

A long-term dream to bring back Amtrak passenger rail to metro Phoenix is being revived and Mesa doesn’t want to be left out. In December, it was announced the Arizona Department of Transportation would receive $500,000 to begin planning for a passenger rail corridor that links the Phoenix metro area to Amtrak’s existing line, which […]

Mayor

Mesa Mayor John Giles’ final State of the City: 3 important highlights

Cue the lights and spaceship: Mesa’s Mayor John Giles’ voyage to his final State of the City address included help from an astronaut-dressed Sen. Mark Kelly to fend off Alice Cooper, dressed as a Star Wars villain, with a light saber. The annual State of the City by the mayor, which serves as a check-in […]

Mayor

Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe mayors press Hobbs for remedies

Three metro Phoenix mayors are pressing Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to detail her plans to soften the financial blow from repealing a tax on rentals, noting Hobbs’ approach has “not yet been shared” as cities face budget deadlines and possible cuts. In a letter sent on Wednesday, the trio of Democratic and Republican mayors cited […]

Mayor

Foes of Swags restaurant in Scottsdale gave $36K to mayor’s campaign

Scottsdale’s mayor received nearly half of his political contributions over the past two years from employees of the prominent local development company that earlier this month successfully fought to kill a competitor’s plan to build a new restaurant in Old Town. Employees of Riot Hospitality Group, owned by Shawn Yari, one of the city’s most […]

Mayor

Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson drops reelection bid

Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson announced on Thursday she won’t seek a second term, a reversal of what she told The Republic seven days earlier, and came as the “Gilbert Goons” scandal was widening. Peterson’s decision was first reported by the Daily Independent in which she told the outlet she is not seeking re-election to spend […]

City Council

Tempe City Council contenders on casitas, housing and development | #citycouncil

Tempe’s five City Council candidates fielded questions in two election forums this week on everything from casitas and homelessness to whether Tempe is too friendly with developers. The candidates are hoping to sway residents to vote for them during the March 12 election. Early voting begins when ballots are mailed out on Feb. 14. The […]

Mayor

Phoenix mayor picked as president of Democratic Mayors Association

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego was elected president of the Democratic Mayors Association on Thursday, a national distinction that will broaden her influence to promote liberal ideals in cities across America. The two-year term means Gallego will establish an agenda that guides how more than 500 U.S. mayors lead their cities and attempt to resolve some […]

City Council

Goodyear City Council passes new development impact fees | #citycouncil

Big industrial water users will pay more than 400% more on their water bills in Goodyear, after the City Council voted for revised development impact fees. Impact fees are imposed by local governments to pay for the public services of the new development. The city reevaluates them every five years under state law but can […]

Mayor

2024 Local Surprise City Hall races to watch: Mayor, 3 council seats

Surprise residents will vote for a new mayor and decide three City Council races in 2024. The northwest Valley suburb of 155,000 residents has a seven-member City Council, with one representative for each of the six geographic districts, plus a mayor who serves at-large. Mayor Skip Hall, who first joined City Council in 2008 then […]