Political positioning

Mayor, city council candidates address Phoenix's quality of life

BARRY COHEN
Editor

1. What are your ideas for "intelligent" city planning, including coordination between business and residence and preservation of open space?
   
   
2. How would you create beneficial relationships between Phoenix and her neighboring cities?
   
   
3. What is your view of the state of public transportation in Phoenix and how do you plan to make improvements?
   

Mayoral candidates

1. "Intelligent" city planning: Intelligent city planning requires dialogue between the affected parties. My business background is very well suited for bringing diverse interests together to create win-win scenarios.
   
   
2. Sister cities: Again, dialogue seems to be of paramount importance. Current rela-tionships between too many Arizona cities are like sibling rivalries. As mayor, I can and will deal with my fellow mayors responsibly.
   
   
3. Public transportation: We have endured fantastic growth rates and know that people are going to keep coming to Phoenix. The bulk of our public transportation will remain buses, but we need to modify the system so it better meets riders' needs. Better routes and a greater variety of bus sizes will help.
   

1. "Intelligent" city planning: My vision includes the continued resurgence of downtown - with light rail, the Translational Genomics Research Institute and small businesses dominating the employment scene. I will stay focused on the preservation of our commercial and residential neighborhoods and on the beautification of the physical landscape.
   
   
2. Sister cities: A cooperative spirit does exist in the Valley; Phoenix is the nucleus. Phoenicians need to share our expertise and provide leadership in identifying priorities and in building consensus. We need to be a resource for bringing people together.
   
   
3. Public transportation: We have room to improve. With the new light rail system and regional bus system, we are taking a great first step toward easing the traffic congestion and air and noise pollution problems associated with our Valley's trans-portation woes.
   

Phoenix City Council
District 3

1. "Intelligent" city planning: The best way to manage growth is to work with our business and neighborhood leaders on our Village Planning committees. The City of Phoenix has been successfully preserving our open spaces through policy and purchases, and we are currently working on an edge treatment policy to protect encroachment.
   
   
2. Sister cities: I will continue to represent the City of Phoenix on regional subcommittees to communicate with leaders from neighboring cities. I will meet with them on a monthly basis on issues such as transpor-tation, public safety, desert preserves, education and arts, and Sky Harbor Airport.
   
   
3. Public transportation: With the passage of Transit 2000, we have increased bus service to seven days a week, extended hours, and added rapid service with Park and Ride. We also increased Dial-A-Ride, new neighborhood circulators, and will soon have a 20-mile light rail segment. These added transportation services have meant a tremendous increase in ridership.
   

1. "Intelligent" city planning: The only intelligent plan for efficient and effective city planning is two-fold: a commitment to the attraction of large businesses to Phoenix in conjunction with a dedication to the expansion of trans-portation infrastructure to accommodate the ever growing needs of the fastest growing city in America - Phoenix.
   
   
2. Sister cities: The creation, maintenance and improvement of relationships between the city of Phoenix and surrounding cities are of paramount importance. We are in a symbiotic union with the surrounding cities; what affects one will certainly affect the others. Realizing this will facilitate a partnership of community, not isolationism.
   
   
3. Public transportation: We can't afford to look at Phoenix in the context of the next five years, but the next 20 years. Dedication to transportation infrastructure expansion will decide whether or not the inner city will thrive or fade away. The expansion of the half-cent sales tax, a proposition in the 2004 election, is a beneficial step.
   

Phoenix City Council
District 4

1. "Intelligent" city planning: I am very proud of the city's use of Village Planning committees - business leaders and community representatives - to make recommendations to the council regarding planning. It is my priority to utilize community input to revamp our zoning ordinances to prevent establish-ments from impeding on the quality of life Phoenix neighborhoods enjoy.
   
   
2. Sister cities: It is in the best in-terest of our citizens to foster a positive relationship with our neighboring cities in order to accomplish our regional goals, including those related to transportation, water conser-vation, public safety and neighborhood preservation.
   
   
3. Public transportation: The passage of Transit 2000, the citywide sales tax dedicated to public transportation, was a wonderful boost. We must continue to fight for further funding methods and strive toward expanding our bus fleet and Dial-A-Ride service. It is my priority to work with all neighborhoods and businesses impacted by the light rail construction.
   

1. "Intelligent" city planning: We have to start to work together and listen to each city's specific concerns and needs and then formulate a plan with citizen input that meets individual challenges in a collective way. Parochialism is not a responsible option.
   
   
2. Sister cities: Communi-cation is key. Whether the issue is transit, open space, airport noise or tourism, we must listen to each other and our cit-izens and re-spect the con-cerns and goals of each community. We must then find mutually beneficial solutions.
   
   
3. Public transportation: We must start creating viable transportation corridors into which we can naturally expand our transit system. We need to focus on bus service for intra-city transportation and light rail for suburban needs, including transportation to Tucson and north past Anthem.
   

Location to cast early election ballots

• Early ballots may be cast in person 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 25-Sept. 5 at Phoenix City Hall, 200 W. Washington St.
  
  
• Early ballots also may be returned by mail or delivered to the City Clerk or to the elections board at a City of Phoenix polling place. The City Clerk must receive the early ballot by 7 p.m. on election day.
  
  
• For more information, call the City Clerk Department, Elections Division, at 602-261-VOTE (8683).