Mayor John Giles Letter to the Editor
Mesa Tribune
In recent months, we've had plenty to celebrate in Mesa. Our growing economy has added thousands of new jobs and secured billions of dollars in new capital investment. Our downtown is thriving, and we continue to attract innovative businesses committed to Mesa's future.
As with any success story, it takes support and collaboration from every level, the confidence of residents, the strength of businesses, and partnerships with the community.
During this period of forward progress, I've been grateful to have consistent allies at the federal level. Congressman Greg Stanton has been a tireless advocate for our city, helping to secure vital investments for our growing community.
As a former big-city mayor, Stanton knows that local leaders are best equipped to deliver programs and resources to our residents. Throughout the pandemic, he kept his local experience top of mind, always pushing for cities to receive assistance needed to deliver an effective response to the health crisis.
Federal aid during the pandemic helped bolster city services in Mesa, ensuring our ability to provide critical emergency response. Mesa received more than $90 million in funding through the CARES Act and an additional $105.5 million through the American Rescue Plan.
These funds increased our capacity to shift gears and stand up support programs to deliver immediate relief for residents and businesses.
Working closely with many community and faith-based organizations, we distributed more than 4 million meals to families in need, aided more than 800 small businesses with grants and technical assistance, and provided more than 8,000 households with rent and utility assistance.
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, one of the largest economic drivers of our city, is on track for its best-ever year of passenger traffic.
Stanton played an important role in securing $10 million in federal funds for the construction of a new air traffic control tower that will increase the airport's overall capacity and potential for future growth.
Stanton also worked to support Mesa's façade improvement initiative, an investment in our downtown and its small business community.
He helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which will be a game-changer for Mesa and Arizona. Those direct investments will benefit our local economy for years to come.
In a time when partisanship is the regular headline, it may be surprising to see a Republican mayor thanking a Democratic representative.
But we don't build our future by working at odds with each other. That's why it's nice when this Republican mayor calls our Democratic representative in Congress, I always get one response: "How can I help?"
As a city and a region, we're making great strides; in growing our workforce and great job opportunities, supporting a strong economy, and providing essential services to residents and businesses. We're achieving milestones together. Neighborhood leaders and the business community, government and nonprofit organizations, mayors and federal officials, and, yes, Republicans and Democrats.
-Mayor John Giles