Arizona GOP mayor says Kamala Harris will follow ‘country over party’
At the Democratic National Convention, Mesa Mayor John Giles urged fellow Republicans to cross party lines and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The co-chair of the Republicans for Harris committee, Mesa Mayor John Giles, said in an exclusive interview on Wednesday he supports Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic plan because it would help middle America.
Harris, who is expected to visit Douglas, Arizona, on Friday, rolled out details of her economic policies earlier in the day. She said in a major policy speech that her goals are to further manufacturing investment in the country, create opportunities for trade workers and cut “red tape” to build homes faster.
Giles, a Republican mayor, has fully backed Harris’ run for president when he endorsed her candidacy in July and spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Some 90 Arizona Republicans have publicly thrown their support to the Democratic candidate.
Mesa is the second-largest city in Maricopa County and has seen a boom in economic investment over the past several years, particularly in the southeastern area of the city near the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
Giles told The Arizona Republic that Harris’ plan shows she is focused “on real people, real-life problems and Mr. Trump seems focused on the people that are exactly like him.”
For undecided voters, Giles said this economic plan is a “great area for people to do a deep dive into.”
This is what Giles had to say about how the plan will benefit Mesa and Arizona.
How does Harris’ plan promote affordable housing development and housing assistance?
The Harris plan calls for an expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to reduce the cost for private developers to reserve a percentage of rent-restricted units.
Harris promises an additional 3 million homes built with these tax incentives.
First-time homeowners who have paid their rent on time for two years could see $25,000 in down-payment assistance.
“Those are very specific and very targeted government steps … that would have tremendous impact on the housing supply and housing affordability crisis we’re having,” Giles said.
What did Harris mean about cutting the ‘red tape’?
Harris said in her speech at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh on Wednesday that in America “it takes too long and costs too much to build.” She said she would work with Congress, businesses and local leaders to reform permitting.
Granting permits is a distinctly local government role.
Giles acknowledged there needs to be some local reform to the zoning and permitting process. He said the Arizona League of Cities has worked on state legislation that could help, but more is needed.
“We need to remove any barriers that we can when it comes to developing residential properties. We still want to have well-planned cities and there is still a role for the city, in making sure bad housing isn’t built,” Giles said.
How would the Harris plan help bring jobs to Mesa residents?
Giles views Harris’ plan as a direct response to struggling middle-income Americans and that ”a majority part of our city would likely benefit from that.”
He said the city has already been on the “receiving end” of the current administration’s policies that helped bring advanced manufacturing and the semiconductor industry to Mesa.
“The idea that we’re going to see more of that would be very exciting for places like southeast Mesa, where we have a lot of commercial and industrial buildings that would be filled with those jobs,” Giles said.
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Publish date : 2024-09-26 01:02:00
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