/Sue Ogrocki
By Jessica Boehm | Arizona Republic
While the world wrestles with a global pandemic, there’s another battle blazing inside Phoenix City Hall.
This one is about power — who should have it, who shouldn’t and the consequences thereof.
It’s partially political, but also deeply personal.
It’s a culmination of months of tension between Mayor Kate Gallego, who took office about a year ago, and a faction of the council that has increasingly made clear that they don’t support her — and maybe don’t respect her, either.
Gallego declared an emergency Tuesday afternoon and ordered all bars to close by 8 p.m. and restaurants to only offer food through take-out, delivery or drive-through.
Under the city code, Gallego can declare a “great emergency,” but a majority of the City Council must ratify the declaration at the next council meeting.
A ratified declaration of a great emergency would allow Gallego to run the city by proclamation and have the authority to “impose all necessary regulations to preserve the peace and order of the city,” according to the city code.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, a majority of council members did not support giving Gallego that amount of power. The council ultimately voted to delay the vote to Friday.
