As a Councilmember, there are a few ways I would build structures for ongoing community input.

Tempe already has extensive Boards and Commissions in place for a wide-range of topics and community feedback. I would make it a priority to attend as many of these meetings as my schedule allowed, so that I could keep my finger on the pulse of the community, rather than wait for the official updates from these groups at Council meetings.

I would also host quarterly town halls in different neighborhoods at varying times (evenings, weekends) with childcare and translation provided, so that I could meet people where they are, instead of expecting them to always come to City Hall. In addition, I like the idea of holding regular “office hours” in neighborhood parks, community centers, or local cafés.

Centering equity in public outreach is important to me, so something like a Community Ambassador Program would help, where we could count on trusted community members in different areas of demographics - youth, the elderly, faith leaders, neighborhood organizers - to facilitate listening sessions and relay information to and from hard-to-reach residents.

Lastly, I would like to stay involved with local organizations that already connect with underrepresented groups, so that their needs remain at the forefront of my mind, and are continually taken into consideration when making difficult decisions.

1) Like the other candidates, one of my top priorities is affordable housing. I believe we need smart, sustainable development, and a drastic increase in the number and variety of housing stock to combat this issue. 

We can accomplish this by offering density bonuses, expedited permitting, or reduced fees for projects that meet our request for compliance with the International Green Construction Code.

Developers are here to stay, and they are the key to helping us solve this issue. I don’t aim to demonize them - my goal is to work WITH them, and find solutions that benefit everyone. How can we find ways to build housing that’s affordable to the general public and also profitable for those that are willing to take the financial risks to build it? That’s the kind of compromise and solution I’m looking for.

2) Getting creative with our City resources and budget. Re-allocating our tax dollars from a punishment model to a pro-active model can go a long way towards saving money while tackling issues in our community, like public safety and mental health. (See my answer to question #3 for more details on this one.)

3) Elder care. I would love to tackle this issue, which is only going to get “worse” with time. 

I’ve knocked on a lot of doors in Tempe throughout my years running various political campaigns, and one thing I noticed was the number of elderly folks in their 80’s and 90’s living alone in our community. I brought this up to a current Councilmember - that this was a problem that needed solutions, and soon - but it’s been four years and there’s been little-to-no movement on this issue.

I understand the desire to age in place. So many folks have been living in their homes for decades and don’t want to leave their community. However, this leads to a couple of things - declining school enrollment and lonely older adults.

I’d love to look into creative solutions to this issue. We need to be inclusive and considerate of older adults in our City communications and cultural programming, as well as figure out how we can keep these residents in the communities they know and love while freeing up some housing for new families to move into our neighborhoods and populate our local schools.

If I could start and lead one subcommittee to investigate and write legislation, it would be one that deals with our city budget and how we spend tax dollars. Let’s call this “Participatory Budgeting.” Not only would I love more input from residents in how our City budget is constructed, but I would love to take a look at the data of how the transfer of City dollars away from responsive spending and into proactive, preventative spending could help transform our City.

For instance, in Denver they implemented the STAR program - the Support Team Assisted Response - which sends mental health clinicians and paramedics to certain 911 calls instead of police. So situations like mental health crises, substance misuse, or homelessness concerns were handled with compassion from trained professionals, instead of by the police where such instances are treated as criminal behavior.

The result was that STAR resolved thousands of calls in its pilot with zero arrests, freeing police to focus on serious crimes while preventing escalation. Their base budget for this was 3.9 million in 2022, and it was so successful that the budget grew to 7.2 million in 2024.

What do you mean by “successful,” Brooke, if the costs went up? I mean that the cost per incident or call when handled by STAR is ~$151, versus ~$646 per incident via traditional police response for similar low-level crises. So STAR is about 4x less expensive per incident. Money was reallocated from policing to prevention, while crime rates went down.

This kind of re-direct of our City funds and tax dollars can have a beneficial effect on our budget while keeping Tempe and its residents safer. The old models AREN’T WORKING. It’s time to think differently and more compassionately about how to spend our tax dollars.

My campaign is about putting Tempe residents first. Most of the groups in this question - monopoly utilities, corporate lobbyists, and for-profit corporations and PACs - don’t typically donate to or influence city elections, and I have no plans to seek or accept their contributions.

The one area where donations sometimes do intersect with city business is real estate developers and land-use attorneys. Tempe’s future depends on smart, sustainable growth, and we need to be able to work with those stakeholders in a way that benefits everyone - whether it be housing affordability or thoughtful infrastructure. Because of that, I won’t rule out donations from individuals or organizations in that space, but I will hold every contribution to a high standard of transparency and public reporting, and no donation will ever influence my decisions. My priority will always be a smart, sustainable Tempe and a decision-making process that serves the entire community.

While the City Council doesn’t oversee our school districts, Tempe plays a critical role in creating the conditions where students and teachers can thrive. My top priorities are:

Strengthening city–school partnerships such as Tempe Pre.

Ensuring safe and accessible routes to schools, with investments in sidewalks, lighting, bike lanes, and traffic calming to keep kids safe and encourage walking and biking.

Supporting workforce development by connecting high school and college students to internships, mentorships, and city-led STEM and arts programs that prepare them for good jobs right here in Tempe.

Addressing housing affordability for educators. We know that talented teachers are leaving the profession - or leaving Tempe outright - because they can’t afford to live where they work. I will champion policies and partnerships that expand affordable housing options for teachers and school staff, such as mixed-income developments, incentives for workforce housing, and city-school collaborations to dedicate units for educators.

By focusing on these areas, we can help our schools succeed, support our educators, and give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Both affordable housing and social housing are going to be necessary to combat today’s housing crisis - not just in Tempe, but all across Arizona.

Tempe’s existing Hometown for All initiative provides a strong foundation for affordable/social housing, because it uses city funds and developer donations to purchase land and properties for affordable housing. In addition, the Tempe Coalition for Affordable Housing (TCAH) currently manages over 70 permanently affordable homes, and the city has already acquired properties (like the former Food City site) for mixed-use redevelopment including affordable housing.

However, I think more could be done. For instance, Tempe could expand public ownership by establishing a municipal housing authority, create a Community Land Trust to separate land ownership from housing ownership to keep housing permanently affordable, and use public-private partnerships and collaborate with nonprofits and mission-driven developers to build and manage housing.

Tempe could also leverage bonds and grants, like the recent voter-approved $32 million bond, with the addition of federal funds, to finance construction on city-owned housing properties. We could also establish a Social Housing Subcommittee, which would be tasked with drafting legislation, identifying funding sources, and engaging community stakeholders to help solve this problem for our community, by our community.

However, Arizona law restricts several key tools commonly used in other states to support social housing. For instance, Mandatory inclusionary zoning is prohibited in Arizona, so cities cannot require developers to include affordable units in new projects. Only voluntary inclusionary zoning is allowed, with incentives like density bonuses.

Also, rent control is banned. Arizona prohibits any form of rent stabilization, limiting long-term affordability guarantees - unless the properties are city owned/social housing.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a common tool to fund redevelopment in other states, is also prohibited in Arizona. And the Private Property Rights Protection Act means that any regulation that reduces the market value of private property may require compensation. This limits the city’s ability to impose affordability requirements on private developments.

However, we have a few opportunities in the State Legislature that could change things for Tempe and other cities in our State to help solve this housing crisis. There are several bills under consideration that could help Tempe move toward a social housing model, including HB 2595, which would allow cities to require up to 20% of units in large developments to be affordable, and HB 2191 (YIGBY - Yes in God’s Back Yard) which would allow faith-based institutions to build affordable housing on their land.

As a councilmember, I believe our approach to supporting unhoused residents must be rooted in compassion, coordination, and practical solutions. Instead of criminalizing or ignoring people experiencing homelessness, we can actively partner with the organizations already providing food, clothing, and essential services. These folks are already out there doing the work and building the relationships and the trust with the unhoused. 

That’s not to say that Tempe isn’t - our CARE and HOPE teams are actively trying. But when you show up with police to “help” the unhoused, an instant barrier of fear and mistrust is put up between the City and those they are trying to help. We’ve GOT to fix this issue. 

So, my main goal as a Councilmember would be to bring all of these efforts back into the same “sandbox,” to quote Aris Foundation’s Katherine Kouvelas-Edick. I would work to strengthen partnerships. We need to be holding regular meetings with mutual aid groups, nonprofits, faith-based groups, and service providers to understand their challenges and identify gaps in care.

Right now, it seems like we are dividing resources, when we should be aligning them.  I would love to connect city programs, public spaces, and funding opportunities to support these groups in a way that amplifies their impact rather than duplicating efforts.

I will advocate for systemic solutions, and support policies that provide permanent housing, mental health services, and employment opportunities, rather than temporary fixes or punitive measures. I would also work to engage the community. I want to encourage residents and businesses to participate in volunteer programs and resource drives, building a citywide network of support.

The goal is to treat every resident with dignity and to create a Tempe where no one is invisible, and where our resources are used to solve problems instead of simply managing symptoms of a larger problem that is frankly being created by forces outside of the City’s control.

Tempe is a welcoming city, and every resident, regardless of immigration status, deserves to feel safe in their home, at work, and when interacting with local government. While immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, as a councilmember I will use every municipal tool to protect our community.

That means supporting policies that prohibit city resources from being used for federal immigration enforcement, ensuring our police do not question residents about immigration status or honor ICE detainers without a judicial warrant. It means funding legal aid and immigrant resource programs, expanding language access, and providing ‘know your rights’ education 

I appreciate that Tempe’s leadership has already publicly affirmed that the Tempe Police Department was not involved in recent ICE operations, which is a good start. But we need binding protections. As a councilmember, I would push for a city ordinance that clearly forbids city law enforcement or resources from participating in immigration enforcement. For example, refusing to honor ICE detainers without judicial warrants, and prohibiting immigration-status questioning by city agencies.

I would also call for transparency about any federal operations in Tempe, and build partnerships with legal aid and community organizations so residents can access justice safely. I will advocate at the state and national levels for humane immigration laws. Tempe must stand firmly against fear and oppression and work to ensure every resident can participate fully and equally in our community.

I’m committed to making it easier for all Tempe residents to register and participate in elections. While voter registration and election administration are managed at the state and county level, Tempe leadership can play a strong supporting role here. We can host voter registration drives at libraries and community centers, partner with local organizations to reach underrepresented communities, and provide clear information on how and when to vote. I also support advocating for state-level reforms that expand access, like online registration and automatic voter registration. My goal is to ensure that every resident has the tools and resources they need to participate fully in our democracy.

It’s a passion of mine to educate everyone - particularly younger voters - on the vital importance of voting, particularly in local and State elections, where their voice matters the most and can have the strongest influence on their own lives.