Hey! East Mesa...Look to the West for your Future....

Dave Richins Makes Good Sense

I am no bleeding heart liberal. I am not an ultra conservative either. I don’t subscribe to political ideology because party politics have never revitalized a neighborhood. As our community struggles with the decision of whether or not to approve the taxation of our property and an increase of our sales taxes, I ask you to consider a few points.

If you live on the east or south side of Mesa, you are enjoying the heyday of your community. Things are new, beautiful and well kept. The shops are full. The streets are clean. The landscape thriving and complete. You have a variety of shops, restaurants, hospitals, schools and entertainment. You are enjoying your new homes, roads, schools, and stores. For the most part, the picture is rosy.

West Mesa used to look like you. I live on the west side of Mesa. I used to come here every summer in the 70’s and early 80’s to visit my grandmother who lived in a trailer court on Barkley Street by the Mesa LDS Temple. The shops were nice and well kept. The landscaping fresh. Lots of restaurants and entertainment options to choose from. The shuffleboard courts were still new. It was like east Mesa is now. It was west Mesa’s heyday. It was also the tipping point of decline.

Fiesta Mall opened. Downtown began to change. Houses and shops started to age. It didn’t look new anymore. Development styles and zoning laws changed. The push east was on. The Superstition Freeway began its march. Superstition Springs Mall opened. New subdivisions were being built that required new infrastructure investments by the city. Loop 202 began. So did Loop 101. Chandler Mall opened. Tri-City Mall closed. We looked around and said, "What happened?"

The east side can look west to see their future. What will it look like? Will it be revitalized neighborhoods and shops? Will it be asphalt filled medians with streetlights that don’t work (see West Main St.) Will it deteriorate further? We have a chance to decide.

Four items on the budget cut chopping block are essential to building momentum for the revitalization of the west side of Mesa:

• The Graffiti hotline (480.644.3083)
• Code Compliance
• Neighborhood Outreach Department, and
• Mesa Police Departments Community Action Team.

Without these four functions, working together, we will struggle against a tide of neglect, disrepair and crime. With these, the future looks bright and the city, the private sector, and the neighborhoods can work together to revitalize west Mesa and show the whole city our future is bright, clean, safe, and beautiful. The bill for past growth to the east has come due. I will be voting to support taxation of my property in May, because if I don’t, my property won’t be worth keeping.

Dave Richins