Historic Day for Mesa

Change wasn't only something that was being talked about nationally. Change is something that has already started to happen right here in Mesa. Last night, Mesa made history by handily passing the slum landlord law and both bond issues.

In a town of naysayers and limited government fanatics, the voters said with a whopping 78.7% of the vote that they would prefer to allow the City to crack down on slum landlords. This will be a tool that can be used to help clean up our city and make people more accountable for their actions.

The bigger news, however, is that Mesa voters approved the town's first property tax since World War II. Question 1, the public safety bond, passed with 66.9% of the vote and Question 2, the street bond, passed with 64.7% of the bond. Some people had told me that they thought the public safety one would pass, but the streets would likely be hurting because of the tough economy. However, it looks like the economic hit on streets was about 2%.

I have asked before about what it will take for Mesa to turn the corner (View the entry from November of 2007). When you look at the list, quite a few of these items are starting to move forward. Crime is being addressed and is down. Police, Fire and Streets will now have actual financial help from the bonds. Major steps have been taken to get illegal immigration under control and we have started to see the long term plan for the Gateway area.

We were promised change and change is what we are getting. Who knows if it will work out the same on the national stage, but it is good news for Mesa. Congratulations to the Mayor and Council for their victory. From cutting the program to standing by the projects as absolutely critical for Mesa, I think that they showed that the public can trust them.