Philly & Phoenix: Two great cities

IN A SHORT article accompanying your report that Phoenix had surpassed Philadelphia as the nation's fifth largest city, Phoenix was described as lacking cultural history, having water problems, being unfriendly to gays and lesbians and, in order to grow, "cheating" by "swallowing up its suburbs."

None of which is true. The real truth is that Philadelphia and Phoenix are both great American cities.

The cultural history of Phoenix is long and rich. The Hohokams flourished here dating back to the 3rd century B.C. and developed an extensive irrigation system that made (and makes) the desert habitable. Modern political leaders like Sens. Carl Hayden and Barry Goldwater continued being good stewards of our water needs by envisioning and funding the Central Arizona Project Canal.

Thanks to them and to so many other state and local leaders, we have a safe and assured water supply. Phoenix water regularly wins accolades for being both clean and healthy.

Phoenix is a big central city, surrounded by other big cities. Mesa, for example (to our east) has more people than Cincinnati.

Tempe, Scottsdale and Glendale are also prospering. Phoenix hasn't "swallowed" a square inch of any of them. We grow because 5,000 new residents move to Phoenix every month. That's 60,000 every year and 600,000 between 10-year census reports. We don't gerrymander people in. We pick them up at the airport.

They come to Phoenix because the sun shines 350 days a year; our cost of living is favorable; we invest in our own community and rely on citizen involvement to move our community forward. Our council/manager form of government is responsive, stable and free of scandal.

Opportunities are abundant - Phoenix is a job machine. As a city, Phoenix creates more jobs every year than 45 states. We are building an economy on education, science and research, and we're doing it quickly.

Five years ago, there was a vacant parcel of land in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Today, it houses the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and 300 of the world's top scientists.

In less than four years, TGen scientists have already narrowed down the cause of Lou Gehrig's disease to just 50 genes. That's remarkable.

Four years ago, having a downtown university was just an idea. Today Arizona State University and the University of Arizona are open for business in our new downtown campus.

It's an exciting city and an exciting time to be here.

Finally, regarding the regrettable reference that "the red state

of Arizona" is not tolerant of gays and lesbians - I would simply point out that during our last general election, Arizona was the only state - red or blue - to turn down a ballot measure to deny medical benefits to domestic partners.

WHILE VOTERS in other states were implementing similar mean-spirited measures, Arizona voters stood alone in refusing to accommodate this discrimination.

If you haven't been to Phoenix in the last five years, you simply need to see it for yourself. And you might want to come during the NBA finals. *

Phil Gordon is the mayor of Phoenix.