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.

Mesa's Downtown, What Is Missing

What Is Missing In Mesa's Downtown

A little over a year ago when I opened a new business in downtown Mesa, I made the choice to get involved, find out what was going and how I could help. I was invited to attend a merchants meeting and participate, which I did.

At that time a few of the merchants sat on the Downtown Mesa Association board (DMA). About that same time I also got a questioner from the DMA, shoved under the door of my office. The questioner asked how, I thought the association was doing with the downtown area. My first thought was for who? It certainly wasn't an organization for the merchants and it certainly wasn't an organization interested in bring new business to the downtown, but was more resolved and interested in keeping the status quote.

My interpretation, right or wrong, was that the DMA was created by the City of Mesa to put forth the ideas of city staff and property owners but not the merchants. The $1 million operations budget of the organization is funded by the city of Mesa with about $300,000 of it coming from a property tax paid by the merchants who rent in the downtown area and the one or two property owners who do business from their buildings

The Complaints DMA & City of Mesa

As I began to be involved with the merchants, some of following complaints about the DMA and the City of Mesa began to surface. (The DMA is a child of the City of Mesa)