By Gary Nelson
The Arizona Republic
Things have been so tranquil in Mesa of late that four City Council members, including the mayor, cruised to re-election this year without opposition.
In fact, nobody has bothered to challenge an incumbent Mesa council member since 2006, suggesting general-public satisfaction with a group that not only steered the city through the recession but has put together a solid economic-development hitting streak.
Now, however, the council faces perhaps the most dicey issue of its tenure.
In a city that remains a hotbed of “tea party” activism, in a national political climate seething with concern over government spending, the council must decide next week whether to nearly double its own pay, effective next month.
The issue is rife with political undertones.
