Mesa mayor candidates share visions for future of state’s 3rd-largest city in congenial debate

PHOENIX – Former Mayor Scott Smith and current Councilman Mark Freeman met in a Mesa mayor debate on Tuesday, sharing their visions for the future of Arizona’s third most populous city.

Smith was the top vote-getter in the five-candidate July primary with 29.2% of the vote. However, he was just 321 votes ahead of Freeman in the nonpartisan race to succeed Mayor John Giles, who is term-limited.

Smith was elected mayor of the East Valley suburb twice before, serving from 2008 to 2014. He then spent time as CEO of Valley Metro, leading the regional transit system from 2016 until he retired in 2022.

Freeman has been representing District 1 in northwest Mesa on the City Council since 2017, winning two elections for the seat. Before then, he spent 31 years with the Mesa Fire and Medical Department.

What were key topics in Mesa mayor debate?

During Tuesday’s Mesa mayor debate, held a day before the start of early voting for the Nov. 5 general election, both candidates acknowledged financial challenges as the city faces cuts in federal and state funding and a budget shortfall.

“We have to strategically look at how we can implement our programming in our city,” Freeman said.

Freeman highlighted public safety and water supply as top priorities.

“We have to plan for the future for economic growth and development, which I fully support. We’re going to be well prepared, but we have to look to the future for that within the next two to three years,” he said.

Smith touted his role in leading the city through the Great Recession and, like Freeman, cited public safety as a top priority.

“We will once again have to deal with not only the financial challenges, but also the leadership question, which is, ‘Are we simply going to balance the budget or are we going to build and thrive like we did before?’” he said.

Mesa mayor debate interactions were friendly

While the race is nonpartisan, both candidates are conservatives. As a result, many questions asked during the Mesa mayor debate produced similar responses. And unlike many political debates, the interactions were congenial.

Freeman said his deep connection with the community makes him the better candidate to lead it. In fact, his family has lived in Mesa since 1878 and helped found the city.

“I want people to know that I work for you; I always have,” Freeman said. “I’ve said this many times before: As a firefighter, I responded [to] over 64,000 calls of service in our community. I know our neighborhoods, I know what we need, and I stand ready to serve you [in] every capacity.”

Smith, meanwhile, made the case that his background sets him apart from his opponent. In addition to his government and transit system experience, the former mayor has degrees in accounting and law.

“There’s differences in our successes and there’s differences in the visionary leadership,” Smith said. “I have a vision for Mesa that your children will be able to walk the streets safely. They’ll have opportunities to have a great education, economic opportunities, and you’ll be able to live in place and grow old in Mesa and be proud of your community.”

Tuesday’s Mesa mayor debate was hosted by the Arizona Republic. The candidates also faced off last week in an event hosted by Arizona Clean Elections, the state’s nonpartisan debate sponsor.

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