President Barack Obama Calls Phoenix Mayor-Elect Greg Stanton

The call from the White House was going to come in at 1:15 p.m.Perhaps it would be an executive that deals with local governments. Maybe, maybe the VP?Nope. It was President Barack Obama on the other line."Please hold for the President of the United States..." a voice on the phone...

By Monica Alonzo

November 9, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

The call from the White House was going to come in at 1:15 p.m.

Perhaps it would be an executive that deals with local governments. Maybe, maybe the VP?

Nope. It was President Barack Obama on the other line.

"Please hold for the President of the United States..." a voice on the phone tells Phoenix Mayor-elect Greg Stanton.

Stanton and President Obama spoke for about three minutes.

Obama told Stanton that Arizona was an important state to the White House and that he looked forward to working with him.

Earlier in the day, Stanton got a call from former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

Stanton has spent his first day as mayor-elect fielding calls -- none as high profile as the one with Obama, making a round of media interviews, including one on NPR, and calling the City Council members he'll be working with.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.