Four candidates vying for two seats on Mesa City Council recently participated in a meet-and-greet and forum sponsored by the Mesa Independent.
The event for candidates in competitive races for council took place June 29 at OneOhOne Gallery, 101 W Main St. in downtown Mesa.
The forum was moderated by Mesa Independent News Editor Richard H. Dyer.
Candidates had an equal time to present their views, with each given two minutes to answer a question. Some questions came from the moderator, others were emailed from local voters and questions also came from the audience. Candidates were not been given copies of the questions ahead of time.
District 4 candidates Jenn Duff, Trista Guzman Glover and Nathaniel Ross; and District 6 candidates Scott Somers and Darla Trendler were invited. Glover was unable to attend as she and her family had tested positive for COVID-19 the prior weekend.
The forum covered a broad range of issues.
Ross, Trendler and Somers all said that if they had been on the council last year, they would have voted for the city’s non-discrimination ordinance. It prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and places of public accommodation based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, veteran’s status, marital status, genetic information or familial status.
“I would have voted for the non-discrimination ordinance, myself. I think it’s important that we have an inclusive and an accessible Mesa,” Ross said.
“Ultimately I would have voted to do exactly what our City Council did,” Trendler said. “I have loved ones that are part of the LGTBQ community; I love them. I want this to be a place where they can go.”
“This absolutely should be an inclusive community for everybody,” Somers said. “It’s the job of our government to protect the rights of all its citizens.”
Duff voted for the non-discrimination ordinance and told of how several other Valley cities then passed similar protections.
“It’s a good middle-of-the-road ordinance that respects everybody’s rights,” she said.
Another issue tackled by the candidates at the forum was affordable housing and the low availability of Section 8 housing, the latter which includes a housing choice voucher program that helps low-income people pay for privately owned rental housing.
“People who live in our community should be able to live on our community,” Trendler said.
In addition to single-family homes, housing such as duplexes, triplexes and townhomes are needed, she said.
“We need to look at the land that we have available to build housing and we need to be a little more denser; I know that’s not a popular answer but we have a crisis and we need to be able to address that,” Trendler said.
A lack of Section 8 housing is not something the city council can fix, but it can prioritize workforce housing, Somers said.
“We need to look at workforce housing that people can buy,” he said. “We have to look at the existing infrastructure that we have in rentals and make sure that they are of a livable standard but still maintain affordability,” he said.
Some property in Mesa can be zoned to have a second, smaller “mother-in-law” separate dwelling unit on the property, Duff said.
“If you have a large lot and you want to do a secondary unit on your home for your kids or your parents ... it allows to have that little bit of housing,” she said. “Also, infill incentives; we have a lot of lots in every neighborhood, every street that are vacant and we could make incentives or streamline, prioritize building permits for these small units.”
The city of Mesa is quickly becoming an unaffordable place to live, Ross said.
“It’s unattainable for a lot of people of my age,” he said. “I’m also concerned about short-term rentals and how that impacts the housing stock. We want to make sure we have adequate housing for our residents.”
The candidates also were asked how Mesa can handle the city’s increasing need for public safety as the population continues to grow.
A pilot program has begun at the fire department to designate small crews at gap locations in coverage areas, Duff said.
“If we have a 911 emergency then they can get there quicker and faster — so we don’t have to wait until we build a station in order to address some of the issues of serving everybody. Because the quicker they get there the better,” she said.
If a priority is to revitalize downtown Mesa, people have to feel safe, Ross said.
“I’ve talked to plenty of people ... who have said. ‘We don’t feel comfortable bringing our family down; we’re worried about public safety,’” he said. “We need to actually prioritize how we’re protecting our community so people feel safe and can go and have a nice evening with their family.”
Public safety is important and in a city the size of Mesa resources can be stretched thin, Trendler said.
“As someone who lives .. in one of the furthest outlying areas, I am concerned with response times and public safety. So I think we need to work with the public safety leaders to be able to make sure that the response times are low and that we are being with standards and that people in our neighborhoods feel safe,” she said.
Somers recalled how the city uses civilian investigators for low-priority calls such as thefts.
“If I leave my garage door open and my Pings are stolen, you don’t need a police officer showing up at your door for that. We use civilian investigators that increase the response times,” he said. “So it’s programs like that that we implemented in addition to growth paying for itself.”
Prior to questions being asked of the candidates, the moderator read a statement emailed by Trista Guzman Glover, including: “Unfortunately, my family and I tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. While I am sad to miss the event, if we’ve learned anything over the last few years living through a pandemic, it is that we need to prioritize our health and the health and safety of others. I regret missing the opportunity to answer your questions in person, but I would be happy to chat with anyone that would like to reach out via my website, email, or social media.”
The primary election is Aug. 2. The general election, if needed, will be held on Nov. 8.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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