On the bond issue

Its t-minus 10 days until the new mayor and council takes over and both the Tribune and the Republic have outlined some of the biggest work that is going to be done right away. There is a budget to be passed, and the bond issue to be decided.

While I think that high paying jobs are important, sorry Jim Ripley, I think we need to get public safety under control first. Certainly, moving Mesa from where it is to where it can be is going to take some dramatic changes and a drive for high paying jobs. However, people aren't going to want to stick around if they can't count on the police or fire to be there when they are needed.

On the bond issue, I am glad there is some talk about it needing to be cut and the new council facing the facts that it didn't go through a real public review process. Like I have said before, two people does not a citizen's review make. I think that going to the voters and asking for a $408 million property tax right now is not the best idea. They would be wise to try to get that number down significantly.

I am not suggesting that the money come out of the public safety section, although I question some of the priorities laid out in the current package. Are the stations that need to be replaced really in such bad shape that we couldn't hold off for a bit?

The biggest area that needs to be cut is in the $230 million that is set aside for new streets. With the big-ticket transit hike also potentially on the ballot, I wonder if its wise to have very many street related improvements on the ballot. If voters go against this transit thing, which I think many will, their rejection may spill over and impact the transportation bond. I understand that there are a lot of streets that are needed, especially in the East part of Mesa, but does it make the public safety bonds more vulnerable?