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Volume 41, Issue 11
March 9, 2004
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March
9,
2004
Mayoral
candidates discuss budget & immigration issues
Lee Kaufheil
Mesa Legend
Some of the most prominent people involved in Mesa politics showed
up at the MCC Paul A. Elsner Library to debate city issues Feb.
26.
Candidates on the March ballot were introduced and given a minute
and a half to speak. County attorney candidate Andrew Pacheco gave
a short and direct speech. The only candidate on the ballot for
the Arizona Corporation Commission commissioner spoke about an
expected shortage of natural gas in 2006. A few distinguished personalities
in the room were also acknowledged, including Arizona Senator Mark
Anderson and incumbent mayor Keno Hawker, who was also part of
the debate.
The main purpose of the gathering was for City Council members
and candidates to debate the topics considered the top concerns
for the city and its voters. The men and women on the stage hailed
from different backgrounds that ranged from an electrical engineer
and contractor to professional politicians and a retired police
officer. Two of the candidates were unable to attend because of
conflicting schedules, but had proxies present in their absence.
The main issues of the night were the city’s budget, land
rights, property taxes, utility rates and immigration. For the
most part, tension was low and there were no direct disagreements
between candidates. Most of the City Council hopefuls stayed within
their allotted time and kept their speeches to a minimum.
“
The city’s budget it balanced” remarked Hawker, during
his turn to speak on how to manage the city’s budget deficit.
Many of the the current council members agreed.
The group differed most on the topic of immigration. Teresa Brice-Heames’ proxy,
Jim Davison, elicited boos from the audience when he suggested
that Arizona should be more compassionate toward illegal immigrants.
Council member Mike Whalen said, “The situation has turned
hostile but [it] did not always used to be that way.” Whalen
mentioned that during his time as a police officer he used to pick
them up and have them brought back to Mexico with a minimum of
fuss.
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