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After a few weeks off, we'll be once again firing up Twitter Friday. The blogging today will be micro-style via our twitter page @MesaIssues.
Check us out at http://twitter.com/mesaissues. We would always appreciate a follow!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Are the Cubs staying or going?
When it comes to economic development in Mesa, nothing is more important than the boost Mesa gets from the Cubs every spring training. So the question of the moment is: are they staying or going? According to blogger Joanna Allhands, it depends on who you talk to.
Mesa officials say that things are going well, and the Cubs are making reasonable requests. Florida says that the Cubs can't wait to get out of Dodge and they are ripe for the picking, reversing the trend of Florida teams heading west. A reader recently pointed out that there are now 15 teams in Florida and 15 teams in Arizona. This uneven numbers makes a pain for scheduling, leaving someone forced to either have an off day or split their squad. Basically, something has to give.
Obviously, it would be best for us if another team came from Florida to Arizona. It would be great if they came to Mesa, say near the Gaylord Project, but anywhere in the Valley would be better than in Florida. However, the real focus here must be on keeping the Cubs in Mesa.
The council let the D-Backs go, and rightly so, keeping their eyes on the real prize. However, if the Cubs leave, leaving Mesa empty handed, this whole deal becomes a fiasco. The Mayor and Council have been able to wisely navigate the landscape, making bold moves which have benefitted them greatly. As we have said before, perhaps it's time to start thinking about alternatives that may be more attractive than just fixing up the old park and training facility.
Mesa officials say that things are going well, and the Cubs are making reasonable requests. Florida says that the Cubs can't wait to get out of Dodge and they are ripe for the picking, reversing the trend of Florida teams heading west. A reader recently pointed out that there are now 15 teams in Florida and 15 teams in Arizona. This uneven numbers makes a pain for scheduling, leaving someone forced to either have an off day or split their squad. Basically, something has to give.
Obviously, it would be best for us if another team came from Florida to Arizona. It would be great if they came to Mesa, say near the Gaylord Project, but anywhere in the Valley would be better than in Florida. However, the real focus here must be on keeping the Cubs in Mesa.
The council let the D-Backs go, and rightly so, keeping their eyes on the real prize. However, if the Cubs leave, leaving Mesa empty handed, this whole deal becomes a fiasco. The Mayor and Council have been able to wisely navigate the landscape, making bold moves which have benefitted them greatly. As we have said before, perhaps it's time to start thinking about alternatives that may be more attractive than just fixing up the old park and training facility.
Still not convinced? Redux - Dems open office in Mesa
Yesterday, we talked about Dems trying to get a foothold Mesa, the three instances of a Democrat focus on Mesa mentioned yesterday has now grown to four. The latest is that the area Democrats are opening their Southeast Valley legislative office in East Mesa. Their focus will be on legislative districts 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22.
Some would say that this is a fairly fruitless effort, because if you look at the Senate and House rosters, of those five districts, only District 20 has elected a Democrat. That means the current ratio is 14 to 1. One would guess that this group will likely launch "single-shot" candidate approach next year in an attempt to pick off a few seats.
It is interesting that they chose east Mesa over west, but don't be surprised if the GEMDEM group that was born out of the 2008 Presidential Election will be humming with activity when the 2012 election comes around. Don't think that Team Obama isn't already strategizing for his re-election, because they most certainly are.
An increased Democratic presence in Mesa combined with a much larger amount of attention sounds a lot like a concerted effort to make some in-roads into Mesa over the next couple of years.
Some would say that this is a fairly fruitless effort, because if you look at the Senate and House rosters, of those five districts, only District 20 has elected a Democrat. That means the current ratio is 14 to 1. One would guess that this group will likely launch "single-shot" candidate approach next year in an attempt to pick off a few seats.
It is interesting that they chose east Mesa over west, but don't be surprised if the GEMDEM group that was born out of the 2008 Presidential Election will be humming with activity when the 2012 election comes around. Don't think that Team Obama isn't already strategizing for his re-election, because they most certainly are.
An increased Democratic presence in Mesa combined with a much larger amount of attention sounds a lot like a concerted effort to make some in-roads into Mesa over the next couple of years.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Still not convinced Dems are going after Mesa?
First, President Obama speaks in Mesa. Next, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke comes to La Mesita family homeless shelter to promote the new "United We Serve" program as one of the 17 visits across the United States. Now, Mesa receives $6 million for new police officers as part of the stimulus program.
This represents nearly half of the $12.6 million in stimulus that Arizona received in additional officers. The next closest group was the Salt River Police Department who received $1.45 million. That means that Mesa received more than 4 times the amount of stimulus money than any other group. Even more interesting, City of Phoenix received nothing.
Are you still not convinced that Dems are going after Mesa? Is this part of a broader effort to gain in-roads in Arizona or is this more to provide support for Congressman Harry Mitchell?
Despite another crowded Republican Primary, the Democrats appear to be doing what they can to make sure that Mitchell will have a lot of ammunition in the conservative portion of his district as he comes into an election year.
Mesa has been in the Whitehouse spotlight three times now in less than 7 months. One has to start to think that this is part of some bigger plan.
This represents nearly half of the $12.6 million in stimulus that Arizona received in additional officers. The next closest group was the Salt River Police Department who received $1.45 million. That means that Mesa received more than 4 times the amount of stimulus money than any other group. Even more interesting, City of Phoenix received nothing.
Are you still not convinced that Dems are going after Mesa? Is this part of a broader effort to gain in-roads in Arizona or is this more to provide support for Congressman Harry Mitchell?
Despite another crowded Republican Primary, the Democrats appear to be doing what they can to make sure that Mitchell will have a lot of ammunition in the conservative portion of his district as he comes into an election year.
Mesa has been in the Whitehouse spotlight three times now in less than 7 months. One has to start to think that this is part of some bigger plan.
More expansion for Allegiant
Allegiant Airlines is now flying to Grand Rapids, Michigan. This news coming on the tail of their announcement that they had a "highly profitable" third quarter and also added service to Grand Island, Nebraska. This is all good news for Allegiant as well as Gateway airport as they show that they can truly be a hub for travelers.
The fact that Allegiant has been able to do well despite the current economic conditions is a positive, especially since it doesn't appear that much else is happening at Gateway right now. Hopefully, other things are in the works, and we are just waiting for some announcements. In the meantime, it might be nice to hear from some of the planners who are working out there and get a status update on how things are going.
It would be nice to hear from ASU Poly on what their plans are moving forward, the Aerospace Institute would be another one, and it's about time for us to get some sort of update on how the Gaylord is going. All of those folks should take a hint from Waveyard on what not to do when building a relationship with the people of Mesa. Communication is key.
The fact that Allegiant has been able to do well despite the current economic conditions is a positive, especially since it doesn't appear that much else is happening at Gateway right now. Hopefully, other things are in the works, and we are just waiting for some announcements. In the meantime, it might be nice to hear from some of the planners who are working out there and get a status update on how things are going.
It would be nice to hear from ASU Poly on what their plans are moving forward, the Aerospace Institute would be another one, and it's about time for us to get some sort of update on how the Gaylord is going. All of those folks should take a hint from Waveyard on what not to do when building a relationship with the people of Mesa. Communication is key.
Changing the Perception of Mesa
Did you know that Mesa has added 98 massage parlors since 2004? Great job former city council, just the image we were looking for, the "Massage Parlor Capital of the Southwest."
Anyway, it looks like the new council is taking a look at their image and realizing that massage parlors and the potential prostition involved is not the image we are looking for. Mesa clearly has the most lax massage parlor ordinances in the valley, something that needs to be fixed. In addition, I know money is tight, but code enforcement is one of the best ways to drive these shady establishments out of business.
I don't know about the legality of this, but Mesa should definitely require permits to open a parlor (like palm readers, pawn shops and others) and make the initial fee relatively normal, but make the fee go up astronomically for every violation they receive. Maybe that would drive these folks elsewhere, while not punishing the legitimate businesses.
It is downright unfathomable that Mesa has more massage parlors than pay day loan shops. Kudos to the Mesa Council for taking action to get something done.
Anyway, it looks like the new council is taking a look at their image and realizing that massage parlors and the potential prostition involved is not the image we are looking for. Mesa clearly has the most lax massage parlor ordinances in the valley, something that needs to be fixed. In addition, I know money is tight, but code enforcement is one of the best ways to drive these shady establishments out of business.
I don't know about the legality of this, but Mesa should definitely require permits to open a parlor (like palm readers, pawn shops and others) and make the initial fee relatively normal, but make the fee go up astronomically for every violation they receive. Maybe that would drive these folks elsewhere, while not punishing the legitimate businesses.
It is downright unfathomable that Mesa has more massage parlors than pay day loan shops. Kudos to the Mesa Council for taking action to get something done.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
More sweeps coming to the Southeast Valley
Sheriff Joe and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu are working together to sweep the Southeast Valley for the next couple of days. This area includes a portion of Mesa, which is being interpreted by some as a message to Gascon as he walks out the door. It is funny to note that the actual Sheriff Joe said he didn't know anything about the Chief's departure, while his "Real" virtual twitter-self had something relatively nice to say.
Perhaps Joe should look before he tweets, or vice versa. Either way, we're sure it didn't help that Gascon has been in the spotlight the last couple of days. However, we have to wonder, is there something else that the sheriff's office has done that they are trying to cover up? Sweeps usually conveniently happen when an inmate dies, money is misspent or some other shenanigans.
As the taxpayers of Maricopa County, we should almost be relieved if these sweeps are only because the Sheriff isn't getting enough attention. While the papers will try to continue to stir up controversy, it's probably best to treat this for what it is, a law enforcement agency doing some work in Southeast Valley. If we don't blow it out of proportion, eventually the sheriff will get tired and pick a fight with someone else. It's almost like laying still so the Tyrannosaurus can't see you.
Perhaps Joe should look before he tweets, or vice versa. Either way, we're sure it didn't help that Gascon has been in the spotlight the last couple of days. However, we have to wonder, is there something else that the sheriff's office has done that they are trying to cover up? Sweeps usually conveniently happen when an inmate dies, money is misspent or some other shenanigans.
As the taxpayers of Maricopa County, we should almost be relieved if these sweeps are only because the Sheriff isn't getting enough attention. While the papers will try to continue to stir up controversy, it's probably best to treat this for what it is, a law enforcement agency doing some work in Southeast Valley. If we don't blow it out of proportion, eventually the sheriff will get tired and pick a fight with someone else. It's almost like laying still so the Tyrannosaurus can't see you.
Got Matta's?
Another restaurant of interest is, of course, Matta's. We recently discovered the Got Matta's? blog, but sadly, it hasn't been updated since May. It still looks like they are coming to Riverview, but what kind of timeline does the project face?
The economic slowdown may have put a damper on their plans, which is understandable, but it would be helpful to have an update. Back in the day, the Matta's bar area would be one of the busiest in town. That sort of atmosphere would be perfect to get people to check out the Riverview shopping district after dark.
The economic slowdown may have put a damper on their plans, which is understandable, but it would be helpful to have an update. Back in the day, the Matta's bar area would be one of the busiest in town. That sort of atmosphere would be perfect to get people to check out the Riverview shopping district after dark.
Chavez to open restaurant at end of August
Julio César Chávez's new restaurant at Southern and Country Club is now slated to open at the end of August. This should help rennovate that shopping center along with the grocery store that is supposed to be locating there.
The story discusses a boxing area and a museum. Will that be new construction or rennovation of the existing big boxes over there? Either way, with some new and exciting elements in the shopping center, it could be a new attractive location for a collection of hispanic-focused businesses.
The story discusses a boxing area and a museum. Will that be new construction or rennovation of the existing big boxes over there? Either way, with some new and exciting elements in the shopping center, it could be a new attractive location for a collection of hispanic-focused businesses.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Gascon's parting shot
Much to the delight of some and the chagrin of others, soon to be former Mesa Police Chief Gascon is now saying that he was on the verge of being fired before he left to take his new position in San Francisco. This statement is being denied by City Manager Chris Brady and Mayor Scott Smith.
The funny thing is, if you look back on the timeline, Gascon makes his bad move in early April, and announces that he is leaving in mid June. This new mayor and council have been fairly swift and decisive since they took office, why would it take them over two months to fire him if they really wanted to? He makes the bad move, there is a public outcry, the council and city manager react and drop the hammer. If they wanted to, it would have been simple.
This type of revisionist history is Gascon taking a parting shot as he walks out the door. He knows he made a big mistake by taking the special interest money to go to DC, but now that everything worked out in his favor, he is going to try to rationalize his departure a little bit. It's almost like tearing down an ex after you have broken up with them to make you feel better.
Now, we have praised him up and down about the reduction in crime and the stability he has brought to Mesa, but this type of classless swipe as he walks away is unwarranted, and will not be viewed favorably by those who have stuck up for him.
The funny thing is, if you look back on the timeline, Gascon makes his bad move in early April, and announces that he is leaving in mid June. This new mayor and council have been fairly swift and decisive since they took office, why would it take them over two months to fire him if they really wanted to? He makes the bad move, there is a public outcry, the council and city manager react and drop the hammer. If they wanted to, it would have been simple.
This type of revisionist history is Gascon taking a parting shot as he walks out the door. He knows he made a big mistake by taking the special interest money to go to DC, but now that everything worked out in his favor, he is going to try to rationalize his departure a little bit. It's almost like tearing down an ex after you have broken up with them to make you feel better.
Now, we have praised him up and down about the reduction in crime and the stability he has brought to Mesa, but this type of classless swipe as he walks away is unwarranted, and will not be viewed favorably by those who have stuck up for him.
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