By Dustin Gardiner and Brenna Goth, The Republic | azcentral.com
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton was in campaign mode during his State of the City speech Wednesday, making a charged pitch for a transportation-tax increase that would fund a massive expansion of the city’s light-rail and bus systems.
Stanton used his most visible platform of the year to outline economic benefits the nation’s sixth-largest city has seen since the construction of light rail, along with other taxpayer investments in the once-sleepy urban core. Since the trains began running in late 2008, he said, the tracks have spurred $5 billion in investment and helped create 35,000 jobs.
The mayor spoke before a crowd of more than 1,000 Valley business and political leaders, who cheered as he announced that several major companies are planning to move to the downtown and midtown areas.
