Lingner recall considered

Group opposes his stance on 2 major issues

Mel Meléndez
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 25, 2006 12:00 AM

Phoenix Vice Mayor Doug Lingner could face a recall over his stances on a proposed South Mountain Freeway alignment and higher-density housing in Laveen Village.

Last week, members of the South Laveen Against High Density group circulated "Out With Lingner" fliers at Laveen's 54th annual Old Fashioned Barbecue, which draws more than 3,000 people. The group's chief concerns are Lingner's support of the proposed 55th Avenue freeway alignment and his backing of building more homes per acre.

"We were taken aback by the amount of support to recall him," said Dean Fairchild, a finance director and SLAHD spokesman. "People really want to move quickly with this."

First elected in 1995, Lingner represents District 7, which includes most of south and west Phoenix, seven villages and about 160,000 residents. This is the second recall attempt against the 44-year-old Lingner, who emerged victorious in a September 1997 recall election.

Lingner said he was disappointed about the initial efforts to remove him.

"But I survived the last recall attempt, and if there's another recall effort, I will work as hard as I can on that (re-election) campaign," he said. "I've done a lot of good work on behalf of Laveen . . . where I'm raising my family, including my grandson. So I'm not going to endorse anything that would negatively impact my community."

The recall effort highlights the latest growing pains of a rural community struggling to hold onto its agrarian lifestyle while it's experiencing explosive growth and redevelopment, including higher-density housing.

Some Laveen residents support higher-density housing and welcome the freeway alignment, which they say will relieve traffic and draw businesses to help establish a thriving commercial core. But others fear losing their homes or object to a busy freeway slicing through their rural community.

With about 10,000 residents, fast-growing Laveen extends from the Salt River to the South Mountain Preserve between 27th and 75th avenues.

Opponents mobilize

Those spearheading the recall are in discussions about forming the political group needed to file a recall application with the city and to circulate petitions seeking the 1,605 signatures required to force a recall election. No papers have been submitted.

According to SLAHD members, chief concerns include Lingner's track record of voting for higher-density housing and an Oct. 14 letter Lingner sent to residents in Estrella and Laveen encouraging them to back the 55th Avenue alignment.

In the letter, Lingner writes, "The major retailers and restaurants that Laveen and Estrella residents need will not be possible unless the alignment is built."

Fairchild called the statement "disingenuous."

"Our swift growth is attracting retailers to Laveen, not the freeway," he said.

The 55th Avenue juncture, which would link Loop 202 to Interstate 10, is one of three alignments considered by the Arizona Department of Transportation. The other two options are connecting the nearly $1.1 billion freeway at 71st Avenue or to Loop 101 near 99th Avenue. State officials say the 55th Avenue alignment would affect the least number of homes.

Last week, Lingner said he still believes that the 55th Avenue alignment is critical to drawing retailers to Laveen. He said the city has spent millions of dollars on planning and constructing streets and other infrastructure to feed into the alignment, which twice has been endorsed by voters.

"This alignment has been on the books since the 1980s and supported through two elections," Lingner said. "I've always felt we should live by people's votes."

Most of the ill will between Lingner and SLAHD members stems from the group's position that housing be limited to one home per acre, Lingner said. Historically, swaths of Laveen have included homes on 1-acre lots. But more developments are now approved for more homes per acre to accommodate growth and rising infrastructure costs.

"It's not always about density," Lingner said. "Sometimes it's about how do you pay for infrastructure and manage the growth that's just inevitable."

Recall history

If ultimately pursued, the recall process likely would take about 300 days, which would leave Lingner to face re-election at the tail end of his final four-year term. Term limits forbid council members to run for more than three consecutive terms. The odds seem to be in Lingner's favor because Phoenix has reported few successful recalls.

Still, late-term recall elections can happen, as in the case of Councilwoman Frances Emma Barwood who in 1997 faced a recall election with three months left on her term. Barwood won the election.

Lingner says he won't go down without a fight because he has a lot of work to tackle in the next two years, such as zoning, development, transportation and housing.