My Answers to the AZ Daily Sun Questions

I’ll add each week’s answers.

September 12, 2026

How should Flagstaff try to retain and attract businesses?

Flagstaff needs a strong, diverse economy to thrive, and we need to recognize how challenging it can be to operate a business here. Businesses need access to training, resources, retention and expansion incentives, and opportunities to reduce costs. Coconino Community College’s workforce training programs are helping build a skilled local workforce, while Moonshot—operating in both the City’s incubator and its accelerator—helps entrepreneurs bring ideas to life. The City and Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona also work closely to attract high-wage, low environmental-impact businesses and jobs to Flagstaff. In the coming months, City Council will consider code amendments intended to make building workforce housing more efficient and cost-effective. Economic development isn’t only about attracting new businesses. It’s also about listening to those already here, understanding the barriers they face, and creating an environment where businesses of all sizes—and the people they employ—have the opportunity to succeed.

September 5, 2026

A decade after Proposition 414 was passed, how do you feel about the minimum wage’s effects in Flagstaff?

This issue is important and complex. Flagstaff’s voter-passed minimum wage increase has had both positive and negative impacts. The Higher Minimum Wage Impact on Economic and Workforce Development in Coconino County, produced by NAU’s Economic Research Institute, found that some of Flagstaff’s lowest-paid workers, including those in retail and hospitality, have seen significant gains. I’m encouraged that residents working hard to remain in our community have seen meaningful wage gains. Yet the report also documented a substantial rise in the cost of living and points to wage increases having played a role. At the same time, I worry about the future of our small businesses. Business owners have told me these increases have made it increasingly difficult to operate in Flagstaff. Complex issues like this require us to listen to and acknowledge the lived experiences of employees and employers, even when those experiences point us toward uncomfortable conclusions.

August 29, 2026

How should Flagstaff handle water issues going forward at a local level?

We need to ensure that Flagstaff maintains its Adequate Water Supply Designation, meaning that the city has proven to the Arizona Department of Water Resources that we have an adequate physical water supply for 100 years. This requires continuous planning, data collection, and conservation—the city must provide annual updates plus updated water modeling every 10 years. Continuing conservation efforts, water treatment capabilities, and planning for increasing periods of drought are critical to this effort. Water use per capita has trended downward for decades, partly due to the strong conservation efforts of water services staff, efficiency rebates, outdoor watering policies, and updated plumbing codes. Adequate access to clean water is critical to both residents and Flagstaff’s economy. To learn more, I encourage you to sign up for the free eight-week Water Services Citizens’ Academy beginning Sept. 1. Find out more by visiting water services on the city’s website.

August 22, 2026

What does Flagstaff mean to you?

I spent a significant amount of my childhood and teen years in the forest around Flagstaff because my dad owned a construction company and I spent summers and weekends here. When deciding where to attend college, I knew it would be NAU because I was in love with the natural environment. While at NAU, I was involved with a service organization and was often out in the community volunteering and interned under Kay McKay at Big Brothers Big Sisters. This time marked my expanded view about what made Flagstaff special. It was our surroundings AND the people. I’ve come to understand and embrace that Flagstaff is populated with people who would drop everything to help you, who see a problem and step in to fix it, and who demonstrate their deep love for this place and its people. That’s what Flagstaff means to me.

August 15, 2026

Where do you stand on Flock cameras and their potential use in Flagstaff?

I appreciate the many residents who reached out to the city council with their concerns about the use of Flock cameras and the prospect of the city renewing its contract with the company. The city council held several public meetings to receive community input and I, and I’m sure all councilmembers, researched the claims about misuse of the technology elsewhere as well as effective use here and elsewhere. When weighing the usefulness of the technology with potential privacy issues, public opposition to contracting with Flock, and the company’s missteps and breach of public trust, we unanimously voted to cancel the contract. As technology evolves quickly, this was a reminder to take additional measures to include potential privacy issues and manufacturer track record early in the process of selecting what will work for our community. Internal policies related to technology use will be discussed at a council meeting late this year.

August 8, 2026

What steps should Flagstaff take to address affordable housing? What would your message be to families or individuals who are struggling?

Affordable housing is a big and complex challenge. We lose skilled workers and families due to our lack of housing. The City is currently working on many solutions, including redevelopment of public housing to increase units; developing housing on city-owned land; consistently funding the Incentive Fund for Affordable Housing; partnering with non-profit and tax credit housing organizations; homebuyer assistance funding from the voter-approved housing bond; amending zoning codes to allow diversity of housing types; communicating a consistent message to state and federal decisionmakers about the support we need; leading advocacy on Arizona rural tax credit legislation; and continually advocating for housing support in D.C. I’ve urged fellow mayors to support legislation, advocated at the state capitol many times, and advocated in D.C. both with other mayors and city staff and councilmembers. Those who have made a life in Flagstaff deserve to be able to stay here.

August 1, 2026

How do you feel about the prospect of data centers coming to northern Arizona?

I’m concerned about the amount of energy, water, and land data centers use. About a year ago, Climate Mayors, an organization I’ve been active in since being elected mayor, organized a membership meeting so experts and fellow mayors could share their experiences on how data centers have impacted other cities. The centers’ high demand and rapid expansion have surprised some cities, and I realized that Flagstaff needed to re-examine our own zoning codes. I met with our City Manager and Development Services staff and a code amendment was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Fortunately, Flagstaff has very little land with the zoning required for a data center, and we’ll soon have a code amendment that reflects our community’s desires. Demand for data centers will continue to increase, but with regulations that meet the needs of U.S. cities, we don’t have to be at their mercy.

July 25, 2026

How do you intend to communicate with the people of Flagstaff? In what ways will you listen to their concerns?

To start, meetings with groups, business owners, individual residents, and at city council meetings. My weekly calendar is on the city’s website as is contact info. I also attend as many community events as I can fit into my schedule. It’s good for me to be out in the community where a resident can approach me about what’s on their mind. I make a special effort to attend events where I may or may not know people because I want to hear from people who don’t otherwise engage with the city council. I work hard to respond to all, or at least most, resident emails because when people take the time to write their thoughts and send them to me, I want to acknowledge it. When we hired her, I asked our city manager to build a stronger communication infrastructure and improvements have definitely been made—with more to come.

July 18, 2026

How do you feel about the state of higher education in Flagstaff/Coconino County right now?

Flagstaff is fortunate to have strong institutions of higher education. Both CCC and NAU are strong partners in workforce and economic development. Programs including nursing, paramedic studies, fire science, law enforcement, early childhood education, and construction—to name just a very few—help prepare Flagstaff’s workforce for good jobs that can assist them in staying rooted in Flagstaff. NAU has several programs that provide pathways for students to conduct research and create innovations, showing them possibilities to turn their research into entrepreneurial and job opportunities. Between training for job opportunities, attracting research dollars, and providing pathways to job creation, Flagstaff’s economy is made stronger by both. Both institutions are challenged by diminishing state funding and federal research grants. I hope that those of us who value higher education will continue to advocate for increased investment in the success of both CCC and NAU because their strength is Flagstaff’s strength.

July 11, 2026

What actions should Flagstaff and northern Arizona take to prepare as best as it can for wildfires and flooding?

Continue what we’re doing. In 2012, Flagstaff voters approved a $10M bond to support the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project (FWPP) to focus forest treatments on critical watersheds, reducing threats including diminished water quality and post-fire flooding. More than 14,000 acres have been restored with ecologically based, wildfire risk reduction thinning in FWPP priority areas. This investment has leveraged more than $40 million to get significant forest restoration treatment work planned and completed, with more in the works. The city partners with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Coconino County Flood Control District, and the Coconino National Forest on this effort, and the city council advocates for state and federal support year-round to enable us to continue this work. With additional resources of staff and funding, we can build on our success and get this work done even faster. The risk is real and Flagstaff is leading the way.

July 2, 2026

What did the city council do well over the last two years?

Public trust is essential and the City and Council have made communication a priority. Decisions must be thoughtfully arrived at and must include the public. We work to make processes transparent, understandable, and to ensure that public input is carefully considered. The decisions we’re faced with are often challenging and it’s impossible to have full agreement among all residents, but I work to consider as many perspectives as possible and to clearly communicate my reasoning. My weekly calendar is on the city’s website and it’s my priority is to be accessible to local residents, organizations, and institutions. Clear and timely communication takes work, and I promise to continue making this a priority. It’s my honor and privilege to serve as Flagstaff’s mayor and I’m grateful for your trust.

June 27, 2026

What’s the most important reason you’re running for office?

The most important reason is that I love this community—its people and its natural environment. It’s been my honor to serve our community in many capacities over the years and with each passing year, I find yet another reason to love it here. I’m running to continue thoughtful leadership informed by a broad range of community input, data, and successful ideas that are working elsewhere. The city has made real strides on many important projects and I’m proud to have been part of making this headway. Flagstaff needs continued bold and effective solutions as well as leadership and perseverance to see solutions implemented. I promise to keep my attention on ways to improve the lives of residents, to listen, and to continue developing solutions and strategies to address community priorities.