PHOENIX — One year after Kevin Robinson was sworn in to represent Dist. 6 on the Phoenix City Council, ABC15 wanted to follow up to see how those first 12 months went.
"A few years ago, if you told me I would be a City Councilmember talking to you about things, I would have thought you were crazy," explains Councilmember Robinson, who some would say took an unlikely path to city government.
Councilmember Robinson spent 36 years serving on the Phoenix Police Department, an experience which has served him well in the latest chapter representing District 6, which includes, Arcadia, Ahwatukee, the Biltmore, and parts of Central Phoenix.
"I like to mold a consensus," explains Councilmember Robinson. "I don't like to go in with a preconceived idea."
This week marks one year in office for Robinson.
Nick: "What would you say some of those biggest challenges would be in this first year?"
Kevin Robinson: "That's hard to say because there have been a lot of challenges. The largest one wasn't necessarily a Dist. 6-centered issue - it was more of a city-centered issue and that's been the issue of homelessness."
Watch Nick Ciletti's one-on-one interview with Robinson from April 2023 in the video player below:
This year, the City of Phoenix faced the clean-up of The Zone, near the Human Services Campus in Downtown Phoenix. A judge last year ruled all the tents and people needed to go, with hundreds accepting services in the process. Although outside of his district, Councilmember Robinson says it took the entire city to tackle.
"We were facing some significant court issues with that," Robinson said. "Collectively, the mayor, the City Council, the City Manager's office, and a lot of city departments - if not all city departments - truly came together and were able to solve a very critical issue. I was really happy to see us deal with that. Not saying that the problem is no longer there, but we've been able to move forward."
Nick Ciletti: "Do you think the City of Phoenix is doing all it can to tackle the homeless issue?"
Kevin Robinson: "I'm on the inside and I can say without a doubt, without a hesitation, most definitely."
Nick Ciletti: "Many would argue the homeless issue is still a major problem in our city. So how is your office going to continue to try and tackle that?"
Kevin Robinson: "Well, one of the things that we are doing specifically in my office - as we get developers that come to us with ideas - we stress the need for affordable workforce housing. That's at the top of the list. That's something we are able to do."
Robinson says it could also help working families.
"We have to look for ways to incentivize developers and builders so they are able to bring down the cost of those houses, and if that's not possible, at least to give incentives to people who qualify and want to move into those houses."
And with more big businesses coming to Phoenix also comes the added task of trying to help the city grow responsibility.
Nick Ciletti: "How do you weigh all of that as a city leader?"
Kevin Robinson: "It's simple. You talk to everybody and you look at all the factors and make decisions based on the facts."
