Want high-wage jobs? Build Light Rail.
It was announced last week that Google will be expanding into the Phoenix area, where it will provide more than 600 high-wage, high-tech jobs to boost the economy of our neighbors to the north.
Now, the Arizona Republic and East Valley Tribune are reporting that various Maricopa County cities are competing over who will house the company.
What’s the number-one selling point? Good public transit, especially light rail.
The Tribune reports that Google spokesperson Sonya Boralv said the company “wants to provide a strong quality of life for its employees with access to public transportation and amenities.”
The article states that the three cities through which the phase-one light rail line will pass (Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa) are best positioned to land the Google jobs, and are accordingly promoting sites adjacent to light rail.
The Republic’s Scottsdale edition tells us right up front that light rail is a must for any community serious about attracting high-tech jobs. “Scottsdale’s lack of commitment to light rail could be a negative when compared to Phoenix and Tempe, said Jim Fijan, executive vice president of the real estate company CB Richard Ellis.”
Meanwhile, down Tucson way, our leaders’ heads are still in the sand. Both Fred Ronstadt and Kathleen Dunbar lashed out this weekend at their Democratic city council opponents for supporting our 2003 “Light Rail initiative”, saying that support for light rail is “an extreme position”.
I suppose light rail is “extreme” if you also think that attracting high-wage jobs to our endemically low-wage town is “extreme”.
It’s a sad state of affairs if Phoenix has more vision than Tucson, and it doesn’t bode well for our future if we continue to elect vision-free leaders.