Building America’s Future announced that Mesa, Arizona Mayor John Giles has joined the organization as a member.
“We are very pleased to welcome Mayor Giles to Building America’s Future, and we look forward to working with him in one of the Southwest’s most innovative transportation cities,” said Building America’s Future President Marcia Hale. “Mayor Giles has shown throughout his campaign and his previous work on the Mesa City Council that he will be an effective leader, and a mayor who thinks about the future of his city’s roads, transit and airports.”
“I am looking forward to working with Building America’s Future on these important issues of infrastructure and transportation, which deeply affect the city of Mesa and the entire United States,” said Giles. “Mesa is experiencing a revival of its past while also looking toward the future of transit and resilience, and I welcome the coalition’s innovative and effective ideas to continue move our city forward.”
Giles, who was sworn in as the mayor of Mesa in September, strongly advocates for increased investment in airport, transit and dark fiber infrastructure for the city of Mesa. During his inaugural State of the City address, Giles said, “It is my job to increase the prosperity of our community. One way to do that is to attract more jobs, not only jobs but careers. To do that, we need to pave the way for new businesses and expansions. These companies are looking for easy access to freeways, airports and a strong public infrastructure that make the decision to locate in Mesa easy. ”
Giles is also focused on revitalizing Mesa’s downtown through new real estate developments and a more effective and robust public transit system centered around an under-construction light rail extension. The line, which connects Mesa to nearby Tempe and Phoenix, serves approximately 45,000 riders each day, and is the 12th busiest public light rail system in the United States.