By Bill Gates

Phoenix City Councilman, District 3

Editor’s Note:

    Bill Gates, associate general counsel for Ping, Inc., who also has been active in community service, was appointed on June 30 by the City Council to fill the District 3 interim seat that was vacated recently by Maria Baier.

    The City Council voted 5-3 in naming Gates, who was among 18 candidates vying for the interim term. A special election will be called on Nov. 3 to fill the remaining two years of the term. Gates, 37, has declared an intent to run in that election. Fifteen other candidates have filed documents declaring an intent to also run.

    Gates, who earned his law degree from Harvard Law School, has been an attorney with Ping since 2001, where he advises on legal matters, focusing on employment, intellectual property on the Internet and anti-trust law.

 

His community service includes working with several nonprofits, including UMOM New Day Centers, Valley Leadership, Friendly House and the American Legion Boys State. He also has served on the Paradise Village Planning Committee and the 2001 Phoenix Citizens Bond Committee.

    I am honored that the City Council and Mayor Phil Gordon appointed me to replace Councilmember Maria Baier, who will now serve as State Land Commissioner. I intend to follow her footsteps by working closely with District 3’s strong community leaders, businesses and residents.

    My wife and I have lived in the district for 13 years; first in an apartment on Cactus Road, and now in a home near Greenway and Cave Creek roads. We fell in love with District 3’s neighborhoods and the strong sense of community right after moving here.

    I look forward to meeting with district residents regularly to learn their needs and to find out what issues are most important to them. I plan to meet with many of the neighborhood groups and block watch associations. I also will meet and listen to the issues of the committed civic and business organizations representing a variety of interests. In addition, I will meet with city management and staff to gain a greater understanding of the issues facing the city of Phoenix and to learn more about how the city operates and provides services to residents.

    We are all facing challenging times. The weak economy has touched virtually everyone in our country and the residents of District 3 are no exception. The economic downturn has led to job losses or less pay, businesses closing or with lower sales, and good hard-working residents losing or potentially losing their homes to foreclosure. We see vacant strip malls and empty buildings where vibrant businesses and restaurants used to flourish.

    One issue I want to focus on is revitalizing those strip malls and empty buildings. I will work with the community and the landlords to identify new and creative solutions—perhaps bringing in new businesses or moving churches and schools into the currently empty spaces, thereby increasing the foot-traffic for nearby businesses and reducing blight.

    I also would like to help our residents mitigate the losses they may have experienced during this economic downturn by making residents aware of programs and services available to assist them, including workforce development programs (job training and placement), business assistance programs (technical assistance, i.e. business plans, marketing plans, loan programs), and housing assistance and foreclosure counseling. I also will work closely with my City Council colleagues and city management to encourage growth of small businesses and our large corporations headquartered in Phoenix to help improve the economic health of Phoenix.

    I also am focused on public safety, the quality of our infrastructure including roads and public transit, and the condition of our neighborhoods. Many of these services are free. You as a taxpayer have already paid for them, so take advantage of these opportunities.

    Finally, I want to serve you, the people of District 3. I want to know your issues and help work with you to make District 3 an even better place to live and work.

Councilman Bill Gates represents Phoenix District 3, which includes parts of North Central Phoenix. You can reach him at 602-262-7441 or via e-mail at bill.gates@phoenix.gov.