Pastor died of a heart attack in November. Our group taking a position on the issue is no different than the many organizations that have come out against Prop Martin denies forcing Contreras out of the group. Contreras said she did not realize in the beginning that the Free Enterprise Club was connected with the Koch brothers and became angry when she found out.
The group recently waged anti-transit campaigns in southeast Michigan ; Little Rock, Arkansas ; and Indiana. Last year in Nashville, the group launched its most visible and effective anti-transit effort to date. Canvassers organized by Americans for Prosperity knocked on thousands of doors to oppose a plan that would have added a downtown tunnel and increased the number of light rail trains and bus routes in the Tennessee capital city. Nashville voters rejected the plan in May Three years before its advocacy in Chandler, Americans for Prosperity in issued a statement urging Phoenix residents to reject Proposition , a sales tax increase to fund public transportation, including new light rail lines.
Voters approved the initiative, which created revenue for projects that Proposition would effectively kill. At the time, Building a Better Phoenix was working on its petition to put light rail on the ballot. The influence of the Koch brothers on the current light rail campaign has been filtered through a couple of degrees of separation, via Scot Mussi and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club.
Rather than directly funding the campaign — as Americans For Prosperity has in other cities — the Free Enterprise Club has taken a behind-the-scenes approach to the current light rail initiative.
Garcia, now the City Council member for District 8, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Contreras said she did not know at the time that Mussi was associated with the Koch brothers. Martin, the investor who serves as the primary financier of the anti-light rail initiative, told New Times that he connected to Mussi through Statecraft PLLC, the conservative law firm that represents Building a Better Phoenix.
It was very valuable information from them that helps us. While working with Building a Better Phoenix, Mussi has given multiple media interviews speaking in favor of the ballot proposition. Here are some tips for continuing to support local businesses during this time:.
Funded by the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corporation, this one-year pilot program provides direct financial assistance to locally owned, small businesses immediately adjacent to light rail construction.
They have always responded quickly to questions, concerns and occasional disruptions. Their free advertising mailer and community events have been a great assist to my practice and has helped our business community develop helpful long-term relationships that will last long after the project is finished. Implemented through Kiewit-McCarthy, A Joint Venture Valley Metro's construction contractor , a variety of education and employment programs help connect local residents and companies to construction business opportunities, increase the skills of current employees and communicate the benefits of construction careers.
The program also includes craft and small business training designed to increase local construction capacity. Quarterly workshops offer opportunities to share lessons learned and build real connections with subcontractors.
Each month features guest speakers, including craft workers, union reps, subcontractor employers and workforce development organizations. Viewer questions will be answered at each session. All virtual hiring events are recorded and posted for you to view at anytime.
You can view all recorded virtual hiring events here at anytime. This unique free online program expands learning opportunities through STEM-based lessons for all students in Phoenix. Our students learn remotely from Valley Metro engineer-mentors through videoed lessons, and transportation-themed project builds. Our young engineers will also take virtual field trips to Valley Metro Light Rail construction sites and watch special guest lectures to learn more about STEM careers.
View program details here. Transportation YOU is a hands-on, interactive, mentoring program that offers young women ages an introduction to a wide variety of transportation careers.
During the school year, there has been one event scheduled per month and generally alternate between an inspirational speaker and a transportation facility tour.
There is no cost to the school or the students for the speakers, tours except cost of transportation to get students there or for the student who is selected for the Washington DC trip. Due to the COVID pandemic, all speakers and tours will be held in a virtual format rather than in person in a classroom setting.
Rendering of light rail bridge over Interstate 17 looking south. Future Metrocenter station shows light rail and the transit center below for buses. Your contact info We'll be in touch if we look into your question. Skip to main content. The Northwest Phase II light rail project will begin where the line currently ends at 19th and Dunlap avenues.
Valley Metro Future Metrocenter station shows light rail and the transit center below for buses. The Show. Gauging light rail's success depends on what one expected from it. People's goals varied, but included access to transportation, to spur development and to attain status as an urban area. Valley Metro Rail has more riders per mile than most light-rail systems in the country, but ridership appears to be leveling out, according to recent data.
The mile system also is tiny in comparison to most systems and still doesn't connect to most corners of the sprawling Phoenix area. David King, a professor at ASU's School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, said the same ridership numbers could have been achieved with a "robust bus system" — and it would have been faster and cost less taxpayer money.
Daily ridership averaged 34, per day in light rail's first full year in That's about Ridership reached its highest point between July and June with about It dropped to about That breaks down to about 50, daily riders on weekdays, 39, daily riders on Saturdays and 30, daily ridership on Sundays. Valley Metro spokeswoman Susan Tierney said ridership is "leveling out" after nearly a decade of steady growth. She said decreased ASU ridership, lower gas prices, higher employment and perception issues all impact ridership.
Valley Metro recently launched a new code of conduct and educational campaign to try to curb disruptive behavior and decrease negative perceptions. Ridership numbers also were inflated in by mega-events such as the Lost Lake Festival and Final Four, which drew thousands of out-of-towners and nontraditional light-rail users. Valley Metro Rail was ranked the nation's 13th busiest light-rail system in , according to the American Public Transportation Association.
These systems are much larger than metro Phoenix's mile line. King said that there are other, less expensive, ways to achieve the transportation goals light rail has achieved, but it's unlikely that the indirect effects — job growth, increased land values and skyrocketing development — could have been reached without light rail.
The current and former leaders of Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa have credited light rail with attracting high-wage jobs, unique retailers and urban-style apartments and condos. Each city has experienced substantial growth and transformation in the past 10 years. Although light rail cannot be directly connected to all of the new developments in the past decade, several significant projects have credited light rail for their location decisions:.
Williams was one of several local leaders who said the tangential benefits of light rail — mainly the spur in development — have outweighed the transportation benefits. He said cities are more apt to loosen development regulations or offer subsidies for projects around light rail. Therefore, developers want to build around the light rail, not necessarily because their tenants will use the transit system, but because the city has sent a signal that it will invest in that area.
King said these development achievements may be reachable through other, less expensive investments. He used a public park as an example.
If a city were to invest in a large park and then loosen development regulations around the park, the city likely would see an increase in development in that area. Are there ways that we could do that cheaper? Light rail added a uniquely urban element to the Phoenix area, which was uncommon in the sprawling region.
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