South Mountain and 202 Freeway:
Despite its swift growth to the fifth-largest city in the country, Phoenix has done an admirable job of preserving islands of unspoiled beauty in its sea of urban development. As your Phoenix City Councilwoman, I would fight tooth and nail to protect such areas.
I moved to the Point South Mountain neighborhood precisely because of my love for the preserve. I fell in love with its challenging trails and rich local flora, as well as the community lifestyle that coalesced around the mountain. I pledge to do everything in my power to ensure that the only action officials take toward South Mountain is to improve preservation efforts towards it.
As for the 202 Freeway, I am not against progress or relief for drivers from the gridlock plaguing Ahwatukee. A South Mountain Freeway linking Interstate 10 in the West Valley with I- 10 in the Southeast Valley has been in the region’s transportation planning since the early 1980s, but this is a perfect example of not planning for the future, and now we have to backtrack. We only have one South Mountain and we must protect it; we can approach transportation progress intelligently and with an eye on the future, instead of the blind rush to develop that occurred in the ‘90s, and I would certainly oppose any transportation plan that blasted a hole in my – in our – beloved South Mountain.
There have been many discussions of the proposed freeway on the Gila River Indian Community, and I would support this as a viable alternative if the tribe would consent to having it on their land. We should also be mindful that we may be able to expand mass transportation as another alternative.
I support any effort to preserve natural recreation, open space, and environmental and educational opportunities.
- Dana Marie Kennedy
Public Safety:
Crime rates in Phoenix have been dropping since 2008 and through the first quarter of 2009 – violent crime is down 14.8%, robberies are down 18.7%, and property crimes are down 22.9% – and now is not the time to shortchange the brave efforts of city police that have started taking this bite out of crime.
In addition to supporting the efforts of well-funded, highly trained police and fire departments, I believe community involvement and neighborhood preservation play a large role in keeping crime down. Supporting Phoenix’s parks and recreational space not only improves all of our qualities of life, but also encourages residents to stay engaged and take pride in their communities.
Transportation:
Transportation issues will always be a top priority for a city as populous and spread-out as Phoenix: Getting 1.5 million to work and back, safely and efficiently, is a Herculean task.
That doesn’t excuse the haphazard approach city officials – especially some current city councilmen – have taken to transportation issues, though. Freeways that weren’t completely thought through and ambivalent policy toward public transportation do not befit a city the size of Phoenix.
We need long-term transportation solutions, both within the Phoenix area and connecting it to other municipalities, and we need smart, intelligently planned growth. Public transportation can help ease our city’s congested roadways; light rail and not weakening local circulator bus routes are good places to start, and they are ideas that need forward-thinking City Council members behind them.
There’s been enough tail-chasing when it comes to transportation. It’s time for solutions.
City Spending and Job Creation:
In trying economic times, leadership from the City Council means a lot of belt-tightening, tough-but-fair budget cuts, and a steady march back to a strong economy.
While all Phoenicians – and indeed all Arizonans and Americans – scrimp and save, it is imperative that the city do likewise. Wise, targeted investments can still be made with an eye toward encouraging job growth and supporting job training, as well as intelligently investing in sectors that produce high-paying jobs like high technology, bio-technology, and renewable energy.
We must also support the small, family-run businesses that are the backbone of Phoenix’s local economies and that give our city its unique makeup. This means, among other things, not levying punitive taxes that restrain their prosperity or the successes that will bleed into local communities.
