In his first state of the city address as Mesa mayor, Mark Freeman emphasized future plans to innovate and elevate the city to new heights.
Speaking to a crowd at the Mesa Convention Center on May 6, Mayor Freeman spoke on his Elevate Mesa initiative.
“Elevating Mesa is about building on what works and taking it to the next level. We’re raising the bar across the board, building better, moving faster and working smarter.” Freeman said in a video package that aired during the address. “It’s a new chapter on how we grow, serve, and support our community through innovation, investment and collaboration. We’re elevating neighborhoods, strengthening the foundation we built to create vibrant communities where people feel safe and proud to live, work and play.”
Elevate Mesa is about raising the quality of aspects of living in Mesa in a multitude of categories — including neighborhoods, public safety, water, investments and economic development.
Mayor Freeman started with neighborhoods and views it as the most important part of Mesa that should be elevated,
“At the end of the day, Mesa is only as strong as its neighborhoods. Our communities are the heart of our city, and when they thrive, Mesa thrives,” Mayor Freeman said at the address. “A strong neighborhood is more than just a place to live. It’s a place where families feel connected, children can grow up safely and people can feel pride in calling it their home.”
For public safety, Mayor Freeman aired a video package featuring comments from both Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost and Mesa Fire Chief Mary Cameli on the technology both departments are using to increase efficiency and emergency response time. Some of these technological systems include the real-time crime center and using drones.
“We’re using our technology to be more efficient and to keep our citizens safer, to keep our officers safer and our firefighters safer on the street with a fast and immediate response,” Cost said. “Our officers see what’s going on before they ever arrive and they’re able to take action, prevent crime and keep everyone safe.”
Cameli shared the same sentiment.
“There’ so many ways that we can make the job easier and safer for firefighters. We have an R&D committee that keeps up with the latest and greatest in tools and equipment,” Cameli said. “An example is electric vehicle fires. Many people don’t know this but it takes hours and hours and gallons and gallons of water to put these fires out. Now, we have blankets that we’re going to cover these cars with. This is brand new technology that’s out there in terms of electric vehicle fires. That way we can serve our communities the best we can with the technology that’s available to us.”
Mayor Freeman spoke on water and Mesa’s efforts to continue to improve its water infrastructure, not just for the present, but for future generations as well.
“Mesa takes immense pride in being responsible stewards for our most vital resource — water. In a time when access to clean, reliable and affordable water is more crucial than ever, we are committed to elevating our water portfolio and infrastructure to ensure we are fully prepared to meet demands,” Mayor Freeman said. “Water has always been the lifeblood of Mesa and securing it for future generations is one of our highest priorities. We’re making significant progress with the Central Mesa Reuse Pipeline, which is a crucial investment which will add an additional 12,000 acre-feet of water from the Colorado River to Mesa’s water supply each year. This project and others will enhance our robust infrastructure, our diverse water portfolio, and supporting our 100-year assured water supply designation to meet the needs of our growing population and commercial sector.”
Mayor Freeman also spoke on elevating opportunities for economic development in Mesa. He touted the city’s growth economically thanks to smart development and investment, such as through urban transformation to breathe new life into downtown Mesa.
“Mesa is not just a great place to live, it’s a great place for business. Mesa doesn’t just grow on its own, it grows when we have purposeful planning. And we do that by investing in the right infrastructure, streamlining how we build and do business in attracting industries that drive innovation and economic resilience,” Mayor Freeman said. “Mesa is already a leader in growth, but we’re ready to take it to the next level. We are embracing AI, automation and emerging technologies. We’re modernizing how we plan, build and develop, making our development processes faster, smarter and more efficient. We’re not growing for the sake of growth, we’re growing with intention. That means smart investments in the right places, supporting the businesses that choose Mesa, and fostering a community where opportunity is accessible to all.”
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