Phoenix City Council

Black Leaders in Phoenix Struggle to Retain Power in a District They've Historically Controlled

Pastor Warren Stewart's Campaign Touts Thousands Turned Out for Teleconference Town Hall

Last night, Warren Stewart's campaign says it logged a first in Phoenix politics -- a town hall where participants call in and ask questions, listen to a few stump speeches and vote on a few questions asked by the moderators. Stewart is seeking a seat on the Phoenix City Council, and he's running a ... More >>

Phoenix City Council Listens to Passionate Arguments For and Against Anti-Discrimination Measure

Testimony for and against a measure to protect members of the LGBT and disabled communities has been going on for more than two hours. An audience packed with members of the LGBT community, religious leaders, Phoenix residents, and business owners are trying with both logical and emotional pleas to ... More >>

Paul Penzone, Former Candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff, Endorses Lawrence Robinson for Seat in Phoenix's District 8

Paul Penzone, former candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is supporting Lawrence Robinson for Phoenix City Council's District 8 seat. The race promises to be interesting, if not contentious. Robinson is vying to represent South Phoenix against Kate Gallego and Pastor Warren Stewart - ... More >>

Pastor Warren Stewart Makes Phoenix City Council Candidacy Official

Although we heard a couple weeks ago that Pastor Warren Stewart was going to run for Phoenix City Council, he's made it official today.Stewart is now one of two African-Americans who are running for the Phoenix City Council seat in District 8 -- which is currently held by Vice Mayor Michael Johnson ... More >>

Lawrence Robinson Joins Race for Phoenix District 8 City Council Seat, Drama Follows

The race for the Phoenix City Council seat in District 8 -- a seat that has been held by African-Americans for the past 46 years -- has been further complicated for those who are determined to keep that streak alive.Phoenix School of Law professor and Roosevelt school district board member Lawrence ... More >>

Jarrett Maupin: White Candidate for District 8 City Council Seat Is Attempted "Political Lynching of Phoenix's Black Community"

Although the election for the Phoenix City Council seat in District 8 -- a seat that has been held by African-Americans for the past 46 years -- is still months away, race is definitely going to be an issue.Several people, including leaders in Phoenix's African-American community, already have publi ... More >>

Pastor Warren Stewart to Run for Phoenix City Council's 8th District Seat in Bid to Continue Streak of African-Americans, Source Says

African-Americans have held the Phoenix City Council seat in District 8 -- which is currently held by Vice Mayor Michael Johnson -- for the last 46 years.That streak could be in jeopardy later this year, since Johnson is term-limited, and the district doesn't have the same demographic makeup as it d ... More >>

United Road Towing, Phoenix's Official Tow Company, Found Discriminating Against Disabled Employees

United Road Towing, a company with a multimillion dollar monopoly towing cars for the Phoenix Police Department, has a questionable track record of dealing with its employees -- and its subsidiaries have been under federal scrutiny. A federal judge in Chicago has ordered the company in June to pay ... More >>

Camelback Mountain Parking Options Considered by Phoenix Include No Parking Lot at Echo Canyon Trailhead

One of the options being considered by the City of Phoenix to ease traffic jams in the parking lot near Camelback Mountain's Echo Canyon trailhead is to eliminate parking there entirely. If that happened, a new parking lot with 232 spaces could be created where 44th Street curves east to McDonald D ... More >>

Phoenix Council Members Plan To Terminate CityNorth's $100 Million Tax Rebate Deal

Council members hosting a 2 p.m. press conference at City Hall to announce undoing of CityNorth's nearly $100 million tax-break deal​Vice Mayor Thelda Williams and Phoenix City Councilmen Bryan Jeffries and Michael Nowakowski  plan to undo a deal that gave a nearly $100 million tax brea ... More >>

Gary Whalen Is the Second Would-Be Candidate to Withdraw from the Phoenix City Council Race This Year

Gary Whalen, Conservative Phoenix City Council Candidate, Pulls Out of the Race

Gary Whalen pulls out of the Phoenix City Council race.​Gary Whalen, a conservative candidate vying for a District 1 Phoenix City Council seat, withdrew his name from the ballot this morning.He also pulled down his campaign Website (electgarywhalen.com) and scrubbed his Facebook page.Whalen is ret ... More >>

Morning Poll: Should Gary Whalen, Wannabe Conservative Politico Arrested for Assault on Boyfriend, End Campaign?

Phoenix City Council hopeful Gary Whalen.​While he wasn't caught with a dead woman, or a live boy, Conservative Phoenix City Council wannabe Gary Whalen did get arrested for a domestic violence assault on his then-live-in boyfriend just days after registering to run for office -- a little factoid ... More >>

Barrio Cafe, La Grande Orange, Cowboy Ciao and Cartel Coffee Coming to Sky Harbor

WFairchild via Flickr You'll soon be able to grab Cartel's coffee on the "fly."​Earlier this week, we blogged about the upcoming restaurant changes at Sky Harbor International Airport's Terminal 4. Deliberations were underway for the initial restaurant "Master Concessionaire" recommendation ... More >>

Ben Bethel, Owner of Clarendon Hotel, Ends Quest for Phoenix City Council Due to Our Blog Post About His Drug Convictions

Ben Bethel, owner of the Clarendon Hotel, withdrew his name as a potential candidate for the Phoenix City Council after we reported on his past convictions. Whoops.​ Ben Bethel, owner of the Clarendon Hotel, has withdrawn his name as a would-be candidate for the Phoenix City Council's District ... More >>

Ben Bethel, Phoenix City Council Candidate, Pleaded Guilty in '96 to Selling Drugs; Clarendon Hotel Owner Had Rights Restored

Image: benbethel.com Ben Bethel, owner of the Clarendon Hotel and candidate for the Phoenix City Council's District 7, pleaded guilty in 1996 to two counts of selling drugs. He says he's since turned his life around.​ Want to make sure the whole world finds out about your dru ... More >>

Camelback Corridor: Phoenix City Council Deciding Whether To Strip Building Restrictions From 44th Street & Camelback Road Project

Phoenix City Hall​The Phoenix City Council is expected to vote later today on whether or not to strip the northwest corner of 444th Street and Camelback Road of zoning restrictions that now limit the building heights to 36 feet.If the restrictions are removed, building heights would increase to 56 ... More >>

Dec. 15th In Blogs: Sean Gaines, Hollywood Regency, Henry Rollins, Cookies, and Camelback Corridor

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Hot Links: RSV Virus, Solar Power, and Money for Eggs

​Health officials at children's hospitals around the Valley say that hundreds of Arizona kids have been diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening respiratory virus. The virus, known as RSV, is a common cause of inflammation in the airways of the lungs and pneumonia, and its symptoms are simila ... More >>

Hot Links: ASU Downtown, Drag Racing, and Shootings

​Phoenix City Council members have approved a $6 million proposal to expand Arizona State University's downtown campus. The city plans to purchase the old Ramada Inn at 401 N. 1st Street with surplus bond money and spend roughly $1.3 million for renovations. The $6 million ASU expansion plan was a ... More >>

Save a Cop, Buy a Steak; City of Phoenix Approves Food Tax

www.icanhascheezburger.com​The Phoenix City Council approved a new tax yesterday that will increase the price of the most basic necessity: food.In a 6-3 vote, the council approved a two-percent tax on basic grocery items like milk, meat, vegetables, and all the other basics that people need to liv ... More >>

Phoenix Food Tax: Will It Last?

​Does the food tax leave a bad taste in your mouth? It's not too late to do something about it. Yesterday, the Phoenix City Council voted 6-3 to approve a two percent tax on groceries, intended to raise an estimated $62 million over two years to preserve the jobs ... More >>

Why Don't You Start a Food Truck Business?

Food trucks have quite the buzz these days, especially the Kogi Korean BBQ-to-Go trucks in Los Angeles. Rabid fans follow the biz on Twitter and get tweets on where to find Korean shortrib tacos at any given moment. While chowing down on some of Nobuo Fukuda's badass pork belly buns at his one-off e ... More >>

Hot Links: Gascon's Temp, Guns in Cars, and Bank Robberies

Phoenix City Council will vote this week on three projects: a 12-acre entertainment district on Jackson Street, a $300 million expansion of the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa, and a Latino cultural center on Adams Street. Wednesday is the council's last meeting before the summer recess...As Mesa Po ... More >>

Flood of Applications for Phoenix City Council Vacancy

  We warned you that the Phoenix City Council's selection of a replacement for departing Councilman Greg Stanton (pictured) was no done deal -- but even we didn't realize just how popular this position would be. Minutes before the official day's-end deadline, workers at the ... More >>

Phoenix City Council Vacancy: Anyone but Sal DiCiccio?

  Now that the Phoenix City Council has signed off on a staggering $270 million in budget cuts, we can turn our attention to the really important stuff -- the imminent vacancy for the District 6 Council seat. Of course we're kidding when we say this is more important than cutting more than ... More >>

Jan. 15 In Blogs: Greg Stanton, 103.9 The Edge, Dennis Gilman and Car Porn

We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Valley Fever: Greg Stanton to Leave Phoenix City Council; Headed to AG's Office (w/up ... More >>

Phoenix Officials: Screw Those Other Cities, Buy Stuff in Ours

When your city government is preparing to shed 1,000 jobs and facing seven-digit budget shortfalls, "you gotta give the other fellow hell," as the song says. Of course, the news release put out by the city of Phoenix today about "Buy Local Week" (reprinted below) doesn't openly insult the Valley's ... More >>

Pending Cutbacks in Phoenix Bus Service Mean Even Harder Times for Many

Help Keep The Light Rail Running Past Midnight

Urbane Legend

Dinosaurs in District 4 – your tax dollars at work

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, September 6, 2007

Daddy's Little Girl

What do you do when the biggest name in the race is the least qualified?

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, June 7, 2007

Leveled?

Proposals on their way to the Phoenix City Council could put the historic warehouse district in jeopardy

Methology Redux

When it comes to Arizona's meth addiction, there are no easy solutions

Bad Medicine

Locking up cold medicine makes the politicians feel good -- but it won't put a dent in Arizona's meth habit

Stick It to 'Em!

The Phoenix City Council can't sanction the $350 million, city-owned convention center hotel. By law, a referendum must be held.

Saving History

Proposition could rescue school buildings, castle

Flashes

From the week of November 30, 2000

Lodging Complaints

The best-run city on Earth may turn the Marriott rip-off into a cause celebre

Moral Sex

City Hall Puritans crack down on sex businesses. Expect the courts to decide if the new laws are constitutional.

Flashes

Letters

Councilectomy

CITY COMPLICITYPHOENIX'S CITY STAFF AND COUNCIL DID THEIR SHARE TO KEEP VOTERS FROM HAVING A VOICE IN STADIUM

A FINE MESS

WITH A BINGE OF PURGES, PHOENIX WRITES OFF MILLIONS IN UNPAID DEBTS

THE KINGDOM AND THE POWERPASTOR LEO GODZICH'S QUIET CAMPAIGN AGAINST GAY RIGHTS

Land Doesn't Always Pay

It takes more than money to buy your dreams