Mayor Mark Freeman last week painted an optimistic picture for Mesa’s future as it builds on its strengths to create opportunities.
Freeman in his second State of the City address at the Mesa Convention Center recapped the city’s accomplishments in 2025 and gave a preview of what’s ahead. Mesa is the third largest city in the state with roughly 517,000 residents and the 36th largest in the country.
“We respect tradition, but we’re not stuck in the past,” Freeman told a packed house. “We’re willing to try new ideas, adopt new tools and embrace the kind of innovation that creates real opportunity. Mesa is building opportunity at every scale.”
He pointed to the Palo District, where a mixed-use development is approved for the former Fiesta Mall site…