Mesa council hopefuls queried on issues at candidate forum

The Mesa council candidates for the 2024 election were put to the test during Tuesday’s candidate forum at the Mesa Council Chambers.

Hosted by KTAR’s Mike Broomhead, the candidates were asked various questions relating to Mesa’s economic and business hubs, private property taxes, the city’s general plan and more in front of a live audience.

District 1 candidates present consisted of U.S. Air Force veteran and local businessowner Ron Williams; Richard Adams, who has served and chaired numerous Mesa boards; current Mesa assistant director of business services Tim Meyer; and Zachary Hichez, who is a paramedic and EMT.

Current councilmember and education advocate Julie Spilsbury represented district 2 while Vice Mayor Francisco Heredia represented district 3. Two candidates, Melody Whetstone running in district 2 and Marc Lavender running in district 3 were not present at the forum.

During the forum, Broomhead would ask a question that was addressed to all candidates, giving each of them two minutes to answer.

Each candidate aimed to set themselves apart from the others in their opening statements. Hichez emphasized his youth and focus on improved housing and public transit, while Williams pointed towards his military service and business acumen. Spilsbury referenced her previous experience on the council as well as her focus on education and her perspective as a mother.

Heredia emphasized his longstanding ties to Mesa and his experience as vice mayor. Adams pointed toward his long history chairing numerous city boards. Meyer pointed toward his 26-year tenure as a city employee and emphasized his desire to receive public input.

One of the questions asked of the candidates was what they think should be done to help the expansion of business hubs in Mesa. Prominent examples of business hubs in Mesa include Falcon Field Airport and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

According to Hichez, he believes that Mesa should become a more interconnected city.

“The key to business hubs is to get them better connected to the city. Mesa is a great place but there is no one hub that has everything. So we can improve this through better transportation, whether that be rail, or road, or even with better internet connections throughout the city,” Hichez said.

Heredia pointed toward Falcon Field and Mesa Gateway Airport as a good opportunity for continued growth.

“Those are places to leverage for economic opportunity. We’ve done a good job and we have more to do. We should also leverage the semiconductor industry that has been booming here in the valley,” the vice mayor said.

Spilsbury pointed toward higher education as a place for potential growth.

“We have really good opportunities with some of our higher education. We recently broke ground on NAU’s hospitality school, where there’s going to be a hotel, a restaurant and some really incredible innovative things they will be doing there...But with all that growth, we have to be careful about what kind of companies we are bringing in,” Spilsbury said.

Adams said that it is important to manage development and expansion carefully and to make the best use of available land. Meyer spoke on what he viewed as airport’s unlimited potential to bring in high quality jobs as an example of the potential of business hubs and Williams said that the airport’s economic viability provides a helpful lesson for economic development.

Candidates were also asked how they felt about Mesa supplementing their general funds with utility revenues rather than a primary property tax. Heredia believes that while the current system is not perfect, it helps to keep utility costs down as well as providing crucial funding for public safety. Spilsbury echoed his sentiment and added that voters could have opted to change this system in the ‘90s but choose otherwise. Hichez also felt that raising property taxes was unwise.

Adams voiced his opposition to the possibility of a primary property tax.

“I think the city is in good shape financially and fiscally. I am not a fan of a property tax. When people speak, we need to listen. When I was on the campaign trail, I did not run into a single person who was in favor of a property tax. The system we have works and I am happy to see it fund public safety,” Adams said.

Meyer said the city is doing a good job but there is always room for improvement.

“What I’m looking forward to as a councilmember is taking a look at the funds and how we’re transferring the funds and making sure the funds are going to the right areas such as police and fire. We should also be improving our technology and innovation to be more efficient with that money,” Meyer said.

Williams pointed out that the lack of a primary property tax is a big reason for him living in Mesa and that he wants that same amenity offered to anyone interested in moving to the city.

“I’ve testified in front of Mesa City Council when the subject came out regarding no primary property taxes and that’s one of the reasons why I live in Mesa. The subject of it being implemented has come up, and I’ve said that it would be breaking our promise to those we encouraged to move to Mesa if we started to consider having a property tax,” Williams said.

Mesa is holding its primary election on July 30, although early voting will run by mail from July 3 to July 19 and from July 3 until July 26 for in-person early voting. The general election is on Nov. 5. Early voting for the general election will begin on Oct. 9 with Oct. 25 being the deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot, and Nov. 1 being the last day to vote early in-person.

You can view the candidate forum in its entirety at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZuBeVY6ZPM.