Mesa residents and public transportation (Phoenix, Glendale: school, taxes, live)

[observer53]

Originally Posted by elcajones

Where did that idea come from?

It comes from the OP's stereotypical ideas/assumptions about the politics of a city's residents and leaders. I don't think the population as a whole of either city is as conservative as the OP thinks; the city government of Mesa is, I suspect, not as conservative as he thinks, either.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by observer53

It comes from the OP's stereotypical ideas/assumptions about the politics of a city's residents and leaders. I don't think the population as a whole of either city is as conservative as the OP thinks; the city government of Mesa is, I suspect, not as conservative as he thinks, either.

Mesa is conservative, but that's not the real news here


There are a lot of sources on what Jazz is talking about. The only reason Gilbert wasn't named on some of these lists is because it lists itself as a town instead of a city.

http://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/595529

Mesa is nation's most conservative city, study finds


Now this is what you make of it of course, Mesa has a decently progressive city council for being "Conservative" especially under Scott Smith.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Mesa is conservative, but that's not the real news here


There are a lot of sources on what Jazz is talking about. The only reason Gilbert wasn't named on some of these lists is because it lists itself as a town instead of a city.

http://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/595529

Mesa is nation's most conservative city, study finds


Now this is what you make of it of course, Mesa has a decently progressive city council for being "Conservative" especially under Scott Smith.

And that's a big part of what I was driving at. The conservatism of Gilbert's leadership is well-known. Mesa, not so much. The Vice Mayor, for one, is a Democrat, who has been very much involved in the light rail expansion, the development of downtown and the redevelopment of the Fiesta district, among other projects.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by observer53

And that's a big part of what I was driving at. The conservatism of Gilbert's leadership is well-known. Mesa, not so much. The Vice Mayor, for one, is a Democrat, who has been very much involved in the light rail expansion, the development of downtown and the redevelopment of the Fiesta district, among other projects.

Well, I do know of the previous two candidates for Gilbert Mayor, John Lewis supported bringing light rail into Gilbert while Steve Berman was against it, yet John Lewis still won. I really don't think Gilbert residents are as opposed to light rail to the level of Scottsdale. John Lewis is a strong ally of both Scott Smith and John Giles.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Well, I do know of the previous two candidates for Gilbert Mayor, John Lewis supported bringing light rail into Gilbert while Steve Berman was against it, yet John Lewis still won. I really don't think Gilbert residents are as opposed to light rail to the level of Scottsdale.

I dont even think Scottsdale is vehemently opposed anymore. It certainly was, but it would benefit immensely from it especially in the study routes that were drawn up.

[lovecrowds]

I think Gilbert's isolation brings a level of exclusiveness to the city. I lived in Gilbert and it's mainly a bedroom community. I dont understand why Gilbert would want more public transit as it's limited public transit keeps the riff-raff out of one of the America's safest and most liveable cities.

Having lived in Gilbert I prefer the Gilbert conservatism over Mesa conservatism. Gilbert spends money on the citizens of the city not money on expensive-light rail to bring more negative influences into a city already struggling.

Mesa conservatism includes being a city deep in debt. I forgot the extent of the debt but there have been numerous national articles profiling the cities debt addiction.

Gilbert on the other hand has little in the way in debt. Gilbert has decided to keep it's tax base strong and growing through new construction. There are only a handful of towns with public services as good as Gilbert in America.

In Phoenix with the bad elements of society so spread out, it's wonderful that Scottsdale and Gilbert do all they can to isolate themselves away from those elements.

I have to admire the city of Gilbert to standing up to potential bad influences and working for the citizens of the city. Having limited transit is just one tool Gilbert utlilizes to keep the citizens safe. They also have powerful, robust HOA's throughout to ensure it's clean.

They have buses on the main thoroughfares that run every half hour on the weekdays with limited weekend service.

Gilbert is a family-city with a median household income of 80,000 dollars. Pretty much everyone in Gilbert is a 2 car household.

Service sector and call-center employees in Gilbert can take buses from Mesa into the city to meet the cities labor force needs.

[Pink Jazz]

Ideally, I personally think Gilbert should be served at least by two light rail lines: one serving Gilbert Road through Downtown Gilbert (the Gold Line in my system), and one serving SanTan Village via Chandler Boulevard/Williams Field Road/Power Road (the Pink Line in my system) to connect to Chandler Fashion Center, Downtown Chandler, and Superstition Springs Center. My dream system also has a Purple Line serving Baseline, but that one is probably less likely to be built in the future than the other two since the other two have been identified by Valley Metro in the past as potential high capacity transit corridors.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Well, I do know of the previous two candidates for Gilbert Mayor, John Lewis supported bringing light rail into Gilbert while Steve Berman was against it, yet John Lewis still won. I really don't think Gilbert residents are as opposed to light rail to the level of Scottsdale. John Lewis is a strong ally of both Scott Smith and John Giles.

Do you think there is a demand for light rail in Gilbert?

I don't think there is as much of a need there like there is for it to be expanded to the west valley.

It's going to take years for tracks to be laid anywhere west of 19th Avenue, a link to Gilbert will probably not happen in our lifetimes.

[apparentlyleopard]

Citing Forbes, Mesa is the most conservative city in America. But most well-off, Mormon Republicans live east of Gilbert Rd, and the light rail is being built a ways away from that. So, most of the NIMBYs only come out of the woodwork to complain about taxes, but even that is relatively rare. Most citizens recognize the need for some public transportation, and while those who don't are vocal, it doesn't have an effect on the less affluent voting block that lives west of Gilbert.

[cactusland]

As someone who lives in Mesa, I support it, after seeing it built. Only because I have seen firsthand what the recession has done to the city, and its terrible. The recession hurt the city deeply and many businesses shuttered their doors to never return. Due to lack of money coming in, things fell into disarray, and it became an endless cycle of:

need to fix up -> no money -> can't fix up -> because no money -> would make money if fixed up -> need to fix up ...ad infinitum.
So theres a consumption tax in place in Mesa along with federal funding being used for the light rail. And now after seeing the light rail downtown, I view it as a good thing. I see students riding the light rail. I see more people walking out and about during the day. I've seen more shops move in.

Gilbert wasn't looking too hot for awhile there either, were they? Mesa doesn't have the same money demographic in terms of taxes or maybe even taxable consumption because in general, people are poorer. There is a lot of nay-say about Mesa because yes, it has poor people. But a lot of them really want to see the city do well again. Yes, Mesa has a lot of debt. The light rail is not contributing to that, that debt is from elsewhere. I think with the proper guidance, Mesa could make a large comeback. I know Mesa is becoming interesting to certain younger crowds who cannot afford rent in Tempe, but can easily ride the light rail into Mesa, and get a nice apartment for much cheaper.