Mayor Smith & $20 Million

Just so people don't think I tied completely up in the Citizen Who Oppose The Pearce Recall, here is my though on the $20,000,000 fund just established to support development along the light rail line.

I ran into Mayor Smith the other morning at KJZZ radio and heard that he and other mayors made announcement of this fund and my curiosity got peeked. 

The fund is called "The Sustainable Community Development Fund" and it is my understanding that it is being funded with private money.  The funds purposes is to promote development along the light rail corridor.

As Mayor Smith said, he expect the fund to show that development along the can "create a sense of place".

I believe that is what is needed a sense of place and this is step in the right direction. If you are going to have the kind of growth that is expected you need to get those one, two or three projects off the ground and as they are successful others will come.

Like the Mayor I want to see project that are more than just the ordinary, projects that are bold and push the limits.

Mayor Smith you are doing a great job keep up the good work.

Light Rail Is Coming, Lets Get On Board Downtown Mesa

The writing is on the wall and it is time for those in the community to get on board or get out of the way before they get run over and squashed. Legitimate arguments can be made against the system and when I ran for a seat on the council I opposed the expansion of the system on the grounds of cost without further consideration of other forms of mas transit.

While there are businesses and people who don't like the idea of light rail going down Main Street and the area being torn up again, the fact of the matter is, it is coming like it or not. Now the question for those opposed to the planed expansion is whither or not they will come on board and make the system the best it can be.

Wow, Mesa Is On The Move, With Solar

If you haven't heard it by now, the City of Mesa landed a huge win in the announcement of First Solar building a manufacturing plant in the city of Mesa on the old General Motors proving ground.

First Solar is buying 135 acres and has an option on another 100 acres. The job will pay on average $48,000 according for Mesa's economic developement director Bill Jabjiniak. At capacity the facility could employ up to 4,000 people.

The construction project will provide an immediate boast of about 400 jobs as the project gets under construction. This project along with the construction of Cubs new stadium and training facilities will help to boast our economic development.

I'm in agreement with Mayor Smith, economic policies and business tax incentives are great for attracting these kinds of big project, in the long-term what is going to keep these projects coming is an educated work force and educational institution.

Way to go City of Mesa, and those involved. The possibilities are unlimited when we look forward and don't rely upon the past for our future.