Tempe City Council candidates discuss human services, general plan at Chamber forum

By Caroline Yu
Mail | X: @AzNewsmedia

Campaigning for the March election is in full swing, with the five city council member candidates taking part in the Tempe Chamber of Commerce’s candidate forum held Jan. 17.

Tempe City Council has the mayoral and three open council seats on the March 12 ballot, which includes a measure for approving Tempe’s General Plan 2050.

Deadline for voter registration is Feb. 20. Mail-in ballots will be sent out starting Feb. 14. In the event of a run-off, that election will be held May 21.

Candidates running for council seats are Nikki Amberg, Doreen Garlid, Randy Keating, David Lucier and Dr. Hugo Tapia. Current Councilmember Joel Navarro is not seeking reelection.

Held at the Tempe Center for the Arts, all council candidates — including Mayor Corey Woods who is running unopposed for the mayoral seat — attended the community event to answer chamber and resident questions.

Woods was excluded from the main Q&A portion of the forum, however, the chamber gave him time at the end to speak about his platform. In the coming election, Tempe residents will be voting either for or against Woods.

“One of the first things that you heard is that Tempe is a very well-run city, both operationally and financially,” Woods said. “You can’t do all of these things that we do each and every day if you don’t have exceptional staff.”

In his remarks, the mayor commented on some topics discussed by council candidates, specifically touching on the proposed bond election to come in November that could provide Tempe with additional funding for citywide improvements and services.

Chamber discussion

Moderated by chamber President and CEO Colin Diaz and Tempe Chamber Government Relations and Transportation Committee member Vic Linoff, the forum alternated chamber questions with those from the audience, covering various topics including the proposed general plan and homelessness.

Talking about General Plan 2050, candidates were asked by Diaz whether they supported the proposed plan’s adoption, which would guide how Tempe plans for areas including development, transportation and sustainability.

All candidates expressed their support for the document, with standing Councilmembers Keating and Garlid commenting on the amount of work that has gone into developing the plan approved by council in August.

Garlid said while the final plan is much different from its first draft, the changes reflect the city’s goals while maintaining respect for the city’s character areas.

“We’re looking at what’s going on right now in the community, but we’re also looking at the changes and things that can happen in the future with people coming in,” Garlid said.

She emphasized there are a lot of things that went into the decision-making and changes that brought about General Plan 2050 and that council and city staff have taken their time with its development. 

Mayor Corey Woods speaks at the Tempe Chamber of Commerce Council Candidate forum.

Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu

(Independent Newsmedia/Caroline Yu)

This was partly in response to Lucier’s answer to the question, where he said he’d support the plan but that it is not helpful when the plan allows for variances in regulations to be given away to developers “willy-nilly.”

“I think reform of that process is absolutely needed, otherwise, the general plan is nice and it feels good, but in a lot of cases, it doesn’t end up doing what it’s supposed to do,” Lucier said.

Responding to Garlid’s comment, Lucier said he has no issue with how the plan is developed, noting it is a smart way to govern the city’s layout, but that granting variances to the plan’s rules is damaging.

Keating responded to Lucier’s comments as well, pointing out that changes in the general plan require a super majority of city council to move forward and that those decisions are taken very seriously.

“The idea that this is so haphazard and willy-nilly just isn’t the case. It is hard to get stuff through the council regardless of whether it falls in the general plan or not,” Keating said.

Audience input

Audience members posed a number of questions to candidates, from what their thoughts are on the transparency of city funding going to nonprofits to technological improvements for interactions between the city and staff, residents and businesses.

Addressing the question of improving the city’s digital operations, Tapia spoke of how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for technology in the Tempe community, especially for residents who don’t have access to these necessities.

“We have to make sure that we advocate for those folks that don’t have some level of access, and also help our city staff keep up with the level of expectation that the community has of their productivity,” Tapia said.

He added he would support efforts to increase the availability of technology to the community if elected, while also making sure to address residents and businesses to make technology more equitable.

As for city-funded nonprofits and transparency, Amberg spoke of her time on the Tempe Community Council Board where she was involved in the annual agency review process, which examines and makes recommendations as to what agencies Tempe allocates funding.

She described how the process has levels to determine the efficacy of city funds, as nonprofits are expected to prove the money they receive not only goes to the organization but to actual Tempe residents along with other financial details.

“I think it’s a fantastic program and I 100% support it,” Amberg said.

Volunteers working on this agency determine which agencies should receive funding, with city council ultimately making the final vote. 

Closing the forum, Linoff thanked candidates for their participation and reminded the audience of key dates for the spring election.

“Keep in mind as voters, we do have the greatest amount of control and exercise the highest influence on government at the local level, and that’s why you should never consider or dismiss your vote as being material,” Linoff said.

Reporter Caroline Yu can be reached at cyu@iniusa.org. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.   

Caroline Yu
Reporter | Tempe

cyu@iniusa.org

Meet Caroline
Caroline Yu joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2020 as a summer intern covering Scottsdale. As an intern, she continued her coverage of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Tempe. After graduating in 2022, Caroline became a full-time reporter for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. She is currently reporting for the Tempe market.  

Community:  She is a supporter of the environment and tries to get involved with related community events. 

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in French. 

Random Fact: She used to be a ballet dancer for 10 years. 

Hobbies: Hiking, painting and crocheting.