I’m often asked what’s different about Chandler when I was first elected in 1990 and today.
The answer is plenty.
Chandler has grown into a community just shy of 300,000 people. I and others built a sound fiscal foundation that is the envy of many communities, and we have a great quality of life.
Today’s issues are more varied and complex. Our police, fire, neighborhood services, schools, and courts deal with homelessness, drug overdoses, mental health issues, teen suicide, domestic violence, cybercrime, and other challenges every day.
Federal and state governments reduced funding for these support programs, leaving the cities and towns to address these challenges, resulting with us doing more with less.
Today’s challenges call for an experienced leader, one who understands complex city issues and executes decisive, practical action. No government accomplishes anything alone. We must build strong partnerships with residents and community leaders.
I served this nation, state, and city for many years on active duty in the Air Force and Air National Guard, retiring as a full colonel.
I have extensive experience working with high-tech companies and negotiating multimillion-dollar agreements for domestic and international customers in the defense, aerospace, and space sectors. I earned an MBA along the way.
I served on the city council when Chandler was the fastest-growing community in the country, during the 2008 Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and past and current of inflation times.
Chandler emerged stronger and better prepared for the future challenges in part to my actions and those of elected officials with whom I worked.
This election is about keeping Chandler one of the best-run cities in the nation. My Chandler Delivers Plan focuses on community safety, economic growth, and quality of life. I have additional plans addressing housing for all, education, and assured water supply.
Community safety. I led the effort for additional resources for our then woefully understaffed police. While we are meeting our personnel goals, we need to accelerate building our own forensic lab to quickly solve crimes without relying on other communities.
Soon, Chandler will have its own ambulance fleet, staffed by our firefighters, providing higher quality care with long-term savings.
Community safety means confronting addiction, homelessness, domestic violence and mental health services. Chandler addresses these issues with our firefighters’ Crisis Response Team and the Police Department’s Mental Health Response team…but there’s more to do.
Economic growth. We must build on past success with stronger economic development strategies to attract new businesses, grow existing ones, and support small businesses.
Quality of life. Enhancing our quality of life through expanded parks and recreation facilities, more programs for youth and seniors, and amenities that promote health and well-being.
It also means maintaining safe, stable neighborhoods through practical inspections that help property owners keep their homes in good condition. By supporting homeowners in caring for their properties, our older neighborhoods can unlock more housing for sale.
Housing affordability for young families, working residents, and those ready to downsize. We need more housing choices, and I’ll lead a focused infill and redevelopment strategy to deliver them.
Partnering with our schools to encourage families with school-age children to move to Chandler to address declining enrollment and repurposing closed school properties.
Assured water supply means protecting Chandler’s clean, reliable drinking water. As Chandler’s representative on the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, I am defending our community’s water future.
Finally, this election is about more collaboration and compassion, and less division and hostility. I have spent decades uniting people and solving complex problems. As your next Mayor, I’ll keep working for you.
See my website MattOrlandoforMayor.Com for more specifics.