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Elections

Candidates Spence, Buchli answer questions about town of Gilbert

Two square off on November ballot for final town council seat

Posted 9/16/22

Gilbert Town Council still has one seat to be decided in the Nov. 8 general election. Bill Spence, a retired U.S. Naval commander, served on Town Council for eight months during 2021 after being …

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Elections

Candidates Spence, Buchli answer questions about town of Gilbert

Two square off on November ballot for final town council seat

Posted

Gilbert Town Council still has one seat to be decided in the Nov. 8 general election. Bill Spence, a retired U.S. Naval commander, served on Town Council for eight months during 2021 after being appointed to fill Eddie Cook’s seat when Cook resigned to become Maricopa County assessor. Bobbi Buchli, a real estate broker, is a political newcomer. In the primary, Spence finished fourth, but short of the votes needed to elect, while Buchli finished fifth of the nine candidates. Here are their responses to questions from the Gilbert Independent. 

What are your priorities if elected to Gilbert Town Council? 

Buchli: “Residents first, government transparency, fiscal conservative, keep taxes low/stop the overspending, oppose Commuter Rail, low density/low height apartments—oppose high rise/high density, support our Police, Fire and Ambulance services 

Spence: “I have a common-sense, conservative approach to government leadership. I believe government decisions should be data-driven and derived logically versus ideologically. I believe that 'less is more' and that regulation should be clear, concise and the minimum necessary to assure fair application of the law. Local government should ensure the safety of residents, provide high-quality services and develop growth plans that represent the desires of residents and needs of business. 

“Economic and Workforce Recovery—The current economic environment has created a unique set of challenges that must be addressed. Recruitment and retention of qualified employees must be a priority. Additionally, we must work to overcome the critical manning shortfalls within our Fire and Police departments, and other departments that provided essential services to our town. Inflation, supply-chain issues, and other resource constraints will cause problems with essential town projects. We must aggressively manage our capital improvement and maintenance timelines so that we receive high-quality results that are both timely and at a minimal cost to the taxpayer. 

“Review of Town Code/Ordinances—During the pandemic, the town identified several ambiguous, ineffective and outdated ordinances, and it is now time to capture and codify the best efficiencies and process improvements. We must also conduct a thorough review to ensure intent, value, and enforceability of our ordinances, and streamline these processes to allow businesses and residents to execute town business in the most efficient manner. 

“Veterans Initiatives – I helped create Gilbert’s Veterans Advisory Board (VAB), and I believe that they are ready to expand their reach into no-cost Veteran Business and Workforce Assistance initiatives. This is a relatively untapped resource of highly skilled and experienced workers, and potential entrepreneurs, that are available to support Gilbert businesses at all levels. It is my goal to make Gilbert, and the East Valley, a preferred destination for veterans to live and work following their military service.” 

Transportation is consistently identified as a top concern for residents. For what transportation solutions, practices or policies would you advocate? 

Buchli: “I agree transportation is a must among residents I have spoken to as well. Roads, freeways and surface roads must be maintained, widened and expanded as is planned for growth. Gilbert residents and families are constantly in their cars not just for work, but getting their kids to school, sports, events, social gatherings, church, etc. The major mode of transportation in Gilbert is vehicles, and money needs to be spent to maintain them. Transportation avenues could be increased by ride shares, adding more bus stops and buses. Buses can go anywhere in Gilbert, from city to city, if they work local or to other cities if they work out of town. Buses would give commuters a convenient and inexpensive way to commute where they need to go should they not want to drive. Commuter rail is not a cost-effective addition to transportation in Gilbert. Costing in the hundreds of millions to a billion dollars to build and years to complete only to become a huge tax burden on residents due to lack of usage. Adding more bicycle lanes to lanes that are now rarely used doesn't make sense to me nor do I see families trying to bicycle their kids to sports, events and getting to school. Perhaps adding a lane for 'only Motorcycles' would be very worthy of thought. With thousands of motorcycles on the road and adding additional safety of their own lane, more would ride their motorcycle to work to save on fuel.” 

Spence: “Efficient flow of our commuter traffic is critical to our quality of life and business success. I support the use of technology and smart traffic control systems, wherever possible, and I am opposed to any light-rail commuter system. Strategic and well-coordinated roadway construction is vital. Proper preventative maintenance is significantly more cost-effective than repairing deteriorated roadway and has a far less impact on our daily commute. When practical, we should coordinate roadwork with adjacent municipalities to mitigate congestion on our major thoroughfares.” 

Gilbert has 4,963 vacant acres, according to town data. Describe your views on best land-use policy as the town moves toward build-out. 

Buchli: “When you think about it, less than 5,000 acres of land in a city to build on is a very small amount left and should be extremely well planned. In order for Gilbert to continue to thrive, we need jobs to support the current residents and those yet to come in the next 9-10 years or until build-out. Jobs should be a high priority for the town in considering these last few acres. Bringing in large corporations, companies and small business to support needed jobs and tax revenue the town will need should be top priority for majority of the land. Building affordable residential housing and some low density/low height apartments for additional land should also be a priority.” 

Spence: “It is imperative for town planners, residents, businesses and developers to come together with a shared vision for appropriate and responsible growth. Long-range infrastructure and zoning plans shape expectations of stakeholders and should incorporate the views of our residents. There will always be some unforeseen circumstances that will require modification to existing plans, however, early identification of changes and meaningful dialogue between residents and other stakeholders will allow for solutions to be identified that benefit all parties and achieve win-win results.” 

What, if anything, should the town do to address the housing shortage and housing affordability? 

Buchli: “I would like to see the housing shortage addressed by getting approval to build small, two-level homes on smaller lots. This would allow for affordability, a venue for more homes to be built and residents with the pride of ownership and belonging. More apartments I believe will be needed using lower height, but I don't want to see all of the available residential land left used for apartments. I feel Gilbert should also have affordable homes for residents. I have concerns about when a town becomes oversaturated with high-density apartments and the economy changes, and it will at some point again. What happens to the high-density apartments when they are no longer needed and housing becomes affordable or many residents have left to go to another city or state for employment?” 

Spence: “I believe that the market should determine the affordability of housing and think that wages and housing costs will become more in line and eventually stabilize. I see opportunity in the housing remodel market. Houses requiring significant upgrades have often been overlooked, however, there may be some great bargains for homebuyers and investors. Streamlining permitting and inspections processes will allow for more substantial upgrades to occur faster so that the house will be 'move-in ready' sooner. We are already seeing great revitalization results in our Heritage District housing areas.” 

What are your views on multifamily housing in town, and how much should it be part of the town's housing "mix" as the town moves toward build-out? 

Buchli: “The town has several multifamily high-density housing projects in the works right now, which once completed, will house a large number of residents due to the high density they have. We need apartments and housing, and I am not against apartments. My view is the town's housing mix should include low-height/low-density apartments to flow better with what residents expect and the town surroundings and neighborhoods. My view also includes the need for more residential affordable housing.” 

Spence: “While it would be my responsibility to review and consider every request that comes before me, I am opposed to building more high-density multifamily (MFH) apartments. The appropriate 'mix' of multifamily is a function of the socio-economic status of our residents. The future demands of multifamily housing in Gilbert will most likely be larger, luxury floorplans with ample parking and amenities. There is definitely an appropriate need for multifamily housing, however, we need to ensure that designs are in keeping with the personality of Gilbert.” 

What policies or practices should Gilbert adopt to aid in addressing the worsening water shortage on the Colorado River watershed? 

Buchli: “Gilbert should continue with its current plan of preparing for any shortage and conserving water. ... Gilbert has invested over the years in a water portfolio with water from Colorado, Salt and Verde rivers and also has ground water and reclaimed water. Gilbert has other investments in its infrastructure, underground storage and conservation along with a water allocation policy. Gilbert also offers residents education on conserving water. All combined will help with Gilbert taking less water from the Colorado River and the water storage.” 

Spence: “I believe that water management is one of the top legislative issues facing our state this year. Gilbert already does several things to conserve and manage water such as watering parks from reclaimed water sources. Our direct responsibility to the town is to provide safe drinking water, and our recent investments in upgrades to our northern water treatment facility with help improve our treated water services to residents. The next step is for Gilbert to have a voice in the development of agreements and legislation that will be required to address the bigger issues. This is a big problem that will require a major effort by our state legislature to solve.” 

What is your view toward future amenities in town parks and paying for any such amenities? 

Buchli: “Gilbert has more parks than many other cities in the state. Gilbert has great parks and a lot of them, but at the current time, my view is Gilbert does not need any more parks or amenities, and the other parks started should be completed. Tax dollars can be better spent on other items.” 

Spence: “Access to Gilbert’s parks was one of the most requested items from residents during the pandemic. I think that the town has developed a solid plan for the use of our parks and facilities. While I personally would like to see more sand volleyball courts, the town has done exceptionally well to meet the requests of residents in a cost-effective manner. There is a positive effect on housing values and business prosperity, as well as an immeasurable impact on our quality of life.” 

For what town fiscal policies would you advocate on council? 

Buchli: “Stop the overspending, keep taxes low and government transparency.” 

Spence: “My number one fiscal priority is to ensure that the town never institutes a primary property tax. Second, our focus needs to be on the continued support of our business community through minimal and appropriate regulation and keeping the costs of doing business as low as practical. This allows for more employees with higher wages that, in turn, are dollars spent in Gilbert. When Gilbert businesses thrive, Gilbert thrives!”