On Oct. 22, I had to confront a difficult reality: what my ideological convictions desired didn’t align with what was best to keep Gilbert the thriving community we all love.
My beliefs are clear. I’ve always supported low taxes, limited government, and controlled growth. I wanted to stop further projects and halt what I saw as unchecked expansion. But when I took a hard look at our town’s situation, I realized that we’ve taken fiscal conservatism too far, to the point of jeopardizing the infrastructure and services that our residents rely on.
For years, we’ve been proud of doing more with less. But in truth, we’ve deferred critical investments for too long. Our parks haven’t grown in step with our booming population. Our police and fire departments are stretched to 120% of their intended capacity.
The cuts that I’ve long supported at the state level have had unintended, painful consequences for our town’s finances.
One such example is the state’s cut to the rental tax. I supported this reduction two years ago, believing it was a positive step. But this move alone will cost Gilbert millions—$9 million in 2025, ballooning to $19 million by 2029. While I agree with the principle of lowering taxes, the reality has shown me that it’s more complicated when those decisions negatively impact municipalities. This situation is compounded by the same group who supported high-density multifamily zoning changes in the name of property rights now backing tax cuts that eliminate the benefits from those very developments.