1. Are you a precinct committeeman? If yes, for how long? 

No 

2. Why are you running for City Council? 

I'm tired of career politicians running our city. They cater to special interests who fund their campaigns and care more about furthering their political careers than actually doing the job they were elected to do. I'm running for Phoenix City Council because I have three children and want them to grow up in a better place than I did. But unfortunately, the reality is, right now, that's not happening. I was born and raised here and I can see our city is headed in the wrong direction. Homelessness is out-of-control and Phoenix is no longer the affordable city it once was. It's time an actual member of our community represented us in the city council. I am that person. I represent the people of Phoenix, the city I grew up in. 

3. City Council requires a significant time commitment, usually 2-4 meetings a month, as well as reading prep prior to meetings. How will this fit in with your other commitments? 

I’m well prepared to handle the time commitment it takes to be a city council member. I was a full-time student at ASU and maintained a full-time job while supporting my family and three children. When I graduated I picked up a second job. So I have experience in balancing different responsibilities. My family and I fully understand the time commitment I’m making. But, we’re investing in our future, our city’s future, and we’re willing to make that sacrifice.

4. What do you believe is the role of the City Council in our community? 

Did not answer. 

5. Do you think you have any personal or professional relationships that could become a conflict of interest while serving as a Council member? 

No 

6. What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues? 

A great leader is an honest leader. I'm not going to give a politically correct response. I will do my research, evaluate the information, and I will give my honest feedback. With me, what you see is what you get. 

7. What skills and experience do you have that you believe would be beneficial to you as a Council member? 

Phoenix doesn’t have anyone with a technical background in the city council. If I’m elected, that changes. I work for a software company as a senior development operations engineer. In my role, I troubleshoot systems. Finding the root cause of problems and implementing solutions is my job. An important part of fixing problems is verifying a solution is working as expected and making sure it continues to work over time. Part of this is done by collecting meaningful metrics, monitoring them, and notifying stakeholders when things stop working. There are many outdated, manual, and archaic processes and procedures in the city of Phoenix. It’s difficult to get help, usually through email, and turnaround times are only getting worse. Public records requests take months and sometimes even years. We have no way to track the number of homeless people in our city. Instead, we rely on a single-day count that happens once a year. Our city’s website, mobile platform, and service pipeline need a major uplift and once we start collecting data from our city departments and services, through an integrated network, it can inform our decisions and verify whether or not the changes we make are having the impact we expect. I have the expertise to lead this initiative and I will lead our city council with a data driven approach. 

8. What previous community involvement have you had in your city or another city? 

Did not answer. 

9. Based on what you know about City government, what do you see as top priorities for the City and why? 

Homelessness, affordable housing, and public safety. Learn more by visiting my website at https://www.mattforphoenix.com/priorities 

10. Do you support the defund the police movement? Please explain your response, and describe the role of City Council regarding this issue. 

No, and we're witnessing what happens when we don't have law enforcement in our city. The other week I witnessed a brazen theft. A couple, with a grocery cart full of products, walked right out the front entrance of my local Fry's grocery store. They proceeded to walk to their car and unload their cart without consequence. I spoke with a security guard about it the next day. He said it happens all the time and sometimes he catches them. When I asked if he calls the police he told me doesn't because the response times are too long. Response times are long because our police department is critically understaffed. Businesses are struggling and frustrated with record theft, and residents are fed up with public drug use, panhandling, and homeless-related crimes. If we defund the police, we're only making this situation worse. 

11. What is your position on anti-discrimination ordinances? 

Did not answer. 

12. What is your opinion on the increase in gun violence in our cities, and what do you propose as mitigation? 

Did not answer. 

13. What is your opinion on the homelessness crisis? What solutions do you propose? 

For years, our city council has failed to make homelessness a priority. Now, we’re dealing with the aftermath. As a native of Phoenix, addressing homelessness is my top priority. Please visit my website to learn more about my plan to address homelessness, https://www.mattforphoenix.com/homelessness. 

14. Please feel free to add any additional information you would like voters to know about your candidacy. 

There are term limits for candidates in the Phoenix City Council. They are three terms, at four years per term. This means a candidate should only be allowed to hold office for 12 years. Unfortunately, due to a provision in the law, my opponent, incumbent Jim Waring, is allowed to run for a fourth term. If re-elected, he will have represented Phoenix for 16 years at the end of his term. Jim has had his chance, but now he refuses to honor the spirit and intent of term limits and is running again. He has around $500,000.00 in funding for his current campaign. Often, politicians spend more time returning favors for those who funded their campaign than fulfilling the promises they made to the residents that elected them. I’m running a true grassroots campaign and I’m here to give Phoenix a fresh start, with a new perspective, and new leadership. Jim Waring doesn’t seem to want to respect term limits but I know the voters will. Please vote for Matt Evans this November.