There aren’t any serious contenders challenging Gallego in her reelection bid, which she launched on May 23. A moderate Democrat, Gallego has Phoenix — a Western outpost turned corporate megalopolis and America’s fifth-largest city — in her pocket.
But that doesn’t mean her record should avoid scrutiny. In her campaign launch video, Gallego painted a broad, rosy picture of her administration’s accomplishments and goals for the future.
Let’s take a closer look at some of Gallego’s biggest claims.
Today, I’m officially launching my campaign for re-election. Join me as we continue our work building a Phoenix of the future: a sustainable, thriving city where anyone can get ahead. pic.twitter.com/wH4dNBkshE
— Kate Gallego (@KateWGallego) May 23, 2024
Talking jobs, parks, housing and homelessness
THE CLAIM: “We landed a record-setting, $65 billion semiconductor plant right here in Phoenix, bringing in good-paying jobs now and for years to come.”THE FACTS: The first part is true. The TSMC semiconductor plant being built in Phoenix is a result of the largest foreign direct investment Arizona has ever seen. Once the facility is up and running, it will produce the microchips that are essential for powering electronic devices.
Will there be good-paying jobs that result from the investment? Absolutely. Will locals get those jobs? That has a more complicated answer.
TSMC said in a press release that the facility will support 4,500 jobs within its company. It also noted the facility would create 5,500 "high-paying, high-tech jobs," but it's unclear where those jobs would be manifested.
According to the Arizona Technology Council, the company is starting a program to train 80 facility technician apprentices over five years. In addition, the company created a $5 million philanthropic fund that will aim to get 1,500 residents the skills needed for the jobs. Salaries are not available for TSMC positions currently listed online.
Essentially, no one knows for certain who will get these jobs.
THE CLAIM: “Record improvements in our city’s parks and infrastructure."
THE FACTS: Here’s where the mayor’s constant rhetoric about setting records becomes strange. How does the city set a record in improving parks?
The strange language aside, let’s consider infrastructure improvements.
Phoenix has seen a significant increase in spending related to infrastructure projects, with about $8 billion announced for Arizona as of May, mostly for making updates and repairs to roads like Interstate 10. But that’s coming from the federal government as a result of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. While implementing the projects falls to the city, Phoenix’s “record improvements” are thanks to Congress and President Joe Biden.
On May 22, the Trust for Public Land ranked Phoenix's parks 85th out of the 100 biggest cities in the country in its annual ParkScore report — the same spot as 2023.
THE CLAIM: “We’re doing more to tackle the national homelessness crisis that we see on our streets.”
THE FACTS: Unfortunately, the city isn’t doing that much to alleviate the homelessness crisis aside from passing more camping bans that further criminalize being unhoused. On Wednesday, the council passed another camping ban without a single vote in opposition. Several community organizers voiced frustration at the meeting.
“Arresting the homeless and telling them to leave multiple times just isn’t working,” said Frank Urban of Fund for Empowerment. “What the homeless need more than anything is appropriate shelter to the individual being sheltered.”
State Sen. Anna Hernandez, a Phoenix Democrat, also criticized the city’s efforts, saying, “Further criminalizing homelessness does not make our city or communities safer.”
A January count revealed the homeless population has remained near 6,800 in Phoenix. The city is putting more cooling centers in place for the summer, but public health expert Will Humble noted that will not address the root causes of homelessness.
In year-over-year statistics, the count showed more unhoused people were getting temporary shelter than in 2023. However, from when Gallego took office in March 2019 to 2023, homelessness in Phoenix increased by 54%, according to the Maricopa Association of Governments.
THE CLAIM: “And we’re making sure families can afford to be right here and plant roots.”
THE FACTS: This claim verges on insane, and Gallego's ad provided no sources to back it up. Phoenix has become dangerously unaffordable in recent years, resulting in record evictions and homelessness.
The council did approve $9 million in federal funding in May to create about 280 new affordable housing units and preserve 150, and in September it voted to allow accessory dwelling units, or casitas, in backyards. But it would not be accurate to say these smaller efforts have made much of a dent in the cost of living.
According to an ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy study from 2022, middle-class families and workers in Phoenix are in a tough spot if they want to “plant roots.”
The study noted it takes a salary of more than $123,000 to afford the median home price of $460,000 in greater Phoenix, putting home ownership beyond the grasp of many blue-collar professionals, including nurses, teachers, police officers, firefighters and construction workers. Even the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment — $1,671 — is out of reach for many.
That isn’t all the mayor’s fault, to be clear, but little has been done to make housing more affordable.
