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Kate Gallego, Matt Evans and their different visions for Phoenix

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Incumbent Mayor Kate Gallego and Matt Evans, a political newcomer and software engineer, will face off on November 5 to take over as mayor of Phoenix.

Gallego, 43, and Evans, 36, have expressed very different priorities this election cycle. Both said they wanted a better future, but differed on how to get there.

Gallego's campaign focused on “future-proofing” Phoenix. Evans' message focused on addressing crime and homelessness.

Evans frequently attacked Gallego while Gallego ignored Evans. He portrayed her as a failed leader and career politician who only cares about her own career goals. Some of his attacks have been denounced by Jewish organizations as anti-Semitic.

“I’m running for mayor of Phoenix because Kate Gallego is ruining our city,” Evans told a group of voters in October.

The election winner will help shape Phoenix's $7 billion budget, which serves 1.6 million residents. They will help the city with projected budget deficits for the next two years.

Phoenix's next mayor will play a defining role in how the city tackles some of the most complex issues facing cities across the country. These include police reform, housing and homelessness, climate change and water resources.

The position has no more voting power than the other eight members of the City Council, but the title has outsized influence on a national and even international level.

Phoenix's mayors are the face of the city. They can call the shots, help attract big employers, and use the office as a bully pulpit to advance social issues they care about.

What is Kate Gallego's vision for Phoenix?

Gallego's campaign platform focused on making Phoenix more “future-proof” by strengthening water supplies, diversifying the economy to protect against recession, attracting high-paying jobs in technology and healthcare, and combating climate change with innovative infrastructure.

The mayor said her philosophy is about planning for the long term and managing the city so well that the public doesn't think about things like the sewer system.

“Many of the investments I’m most proud of will come after my term is over,” Gallego said. “But that doesn’t stop me if they’re important.”

She praised her work on Phoenix's advanced water treatment plant, which will help replace water the city is losing from the Colorado River due to the drought.

She also emphasized her role in attracting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to North Phoenix. The company is spending $65 billion building chip factories. It is expected to create 6,000 direct jobs with an average salary of over $88,000.

Gallego also said she tries to focus on “what’s important and not what’s urgent.”

“But in the world of 24-hour news cycles, urgency can be pretty loud,” Gallego said.

It has been criticized by both the right and the far left, particularly for the city's handling of “The Zone.”

Hundreds of homeless people crowded into tattered tents and sleeping bags that lined the sidewalks around 12th Avenue and Jackson Street, just a few blocks west of City Hall.

The area grew to 1,000 people at its peak. Drug needles and human feces were scattered on the streets, employees were attacked, car windows were smashed and front yards were set on fire. A man was beaten to death, then set on fire and left in a dumpster.

Property owners called it a “humanitarian crisis” and had to sue the city to get cleanup.

Gallego remained mostly quiet during the controversy. She declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. She occasionally spoke about the challenges Phoenix faced in light of various court orders. She often highlighted the investments Phoenix was making in emergency shelters and affordable housing.

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Gallego was first elected to the City Council in 2013 to represent District 8. She was the first white person elected to represent the area, a majority-minority district that, although overwhelmingly Latino, for decades elected the City Council's only Black council member.

She won re-election in 2017 but had to vacate office to run for mayor in 2018 after Greg Stanton resigned to run for Congress. She and Daniel Valenzuela were the top vote-getters in November 2018. Gallego defeated him in the March 2019 runoff, then ran again in November 2020 and won her first full term.

Before joining the City Council, Gallego worked in economic development for the Salt River Project, one of the state's largest utilities, and for Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. She graduated from Harvard University and received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. She was born in New Mexico.

What is Matt Evans' vision for Phoenix?

Evans campaigned on taking back the city from Democrats. He built a following among Phoenix Republicans by attending GOP meetings, speaking at public precinct meetings and befriending active members of GOP legislative district groups.

The Saturday before the election, Evans announced that he was slated to speak with MAGA bigwig Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point Action election-chasing event.

Evans advocated for the implementation of Republican policies that he believed would promote freedom and clean up the streets of Phoenix.

He blamed Gallego's lack of leadership for the city's homelessness and crime. To combat the problems, he promised to enforce the city's laws, clean up the streets and support the police. He would like to see homeless services provided before housing, he said.

He also wants to work with Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell to set higher bonds to keep arrested people in jail longer, he said.

“Our current mayor continues to promote the narrative that homelessness is not a crime, but that is simply not true,” Evans said.

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“The reality is that most of these homeless people are drug addicts. They pass out at our bus stops. They push shopping carts around half-naked, urinate, defecate on our streets, leave needles on our floors, or worse.” “I smoke drugs in front of everyone,” Evans said.

He argued his engineering background would help him create a more efficient government. If elected, Evans said he would advocate for greater data collection related to homelessness and publish metrics online to show transparency and progress.

When he addressed a group of voters in October, Evans spoke of his opposition to vaccination and mask requirements.

Evans made repeated attacks against Gallego throughout the campaign, criticizing her for refusing to debate him.

He was denounced by Jewish organizations after posting a video in which he portrayed the Jewish Gallego as demonic. He denied accusations of anti-Semitism and then reiterated his stance that he thinks Gallego is evil.

Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at [email protected] or call 480-476-6116.

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