If there is a lightening rod issue in Mesa, it is the “light rail” transportation system that has cost taxpayers millions, disrupted business and wasted traditional transportation options. Transportation policies are being crammed down cities’ throat by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), a regional planning organization that saps sovereignty from all cities within Maricopa County, including Mesa.

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has battled with MAG for years and recently published a detailed review of the whole debacle. It is crucial to see where these policies originated, how they were finagled into Mesa, what they are costing us and what the anticipated outcomes are.