Meet Mayor Phil Gordon, a Phoenix Community Alliance "City-Shaper"

When people talk about Downtown Phoenix’s revitalization, they’re often referring to the work led by Mayor Phil Gordon.

From 2004 to 2012, Phil Gordon served as mayor during one of the most transformative periods in Downtown Phoenix’s history. He championed projects that reshaped the city’s core, most notably the creation of the ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus—a development that sparked a wave of new residential growth and breathed new life into Downtown. At the same time, Gordon became one of the strongest voices behind the expansion of the Phoenix Convention Center. He helped secure the necessary funding, guided the project through critical stages, and positioned it as a catalyst for broader redevelopment and national attention. 

Much of this momentum was made possible through the 2006 General Obligation (GO) Bond, which funded the new campus and supported a growing network of development connected by a modern light rail system. The result was a flourishing Downtown, energized by increased foot traffic, new businesses, and cultural activity, an economic upswing that continues to shape the city today. 

But his Downtown roots run even deeper. In the early 1980s, Gordon was an early supporter, investing time and money into revitalizing the existing neighborhoods. His early interests showed how the future mayor would lead with a focus on community. 

Phoenix Community Alliance (PCA) was built on the foundation of industry professionals who all share the same goal: to use their expertise to benefit the Greater Downtown Phoenix community. 

PCA: A lesser-known part of your life is that you started as a small business developer early on, which included many historic preservation projects around Downtown. Can you describe those initial projects and what motivated you to get involved?

Mayor Phil Gordon: I blame Terry Goddard. [laughs] I was a young attorney representing these European clients, and I acquired about a million square feet of property in the Downtown area. He and I were friends, and he said, “Okay, now that you've acquired these properties, I want to preserve them all.” 

I’m this young attorney complaining to him, saying, “What are my clients going to think — that I convinced them to buy these properties for development, only to be told they should be preserved? Anyway, we came to an agreement where I preserve the Seargeant-[Oldaker] property. I really liked it because of the craftsmanship, which you don't see today in many of the surviving properties. 

I did that one and kept going afterward. Some other well-known projects include the [Arizona] Commission on the Arts Building, on Fifth Avenue in the Roosevelt Arts District, known as the Corpstein Duplex. The duplex was a burned-out wreck when I acquired it. Fortunately, since it was a duplex, it had two sides. Despite it being somewhat burned on one side, I was able to replicate it by examining what was intact on the other [untouched] side. 

Another project I worked on is the [Phoenix] New Times Building on Jefferson and 12th Streets [in 1987], which was originally the Booker T. Washington School. The New Times owners approached me to restore the 35,000-square-foot building. It was probably one of the largest local historic preservation projects at the time of its completion. 

The Phoenix New Times building and the Corpstein Duplex earned many awards. Afterwards, Goddard would always call me and say, “You gotta look at this one.” At the time, I was the only one foolish enough to try restoring those properties.  

PCA: What motivated you to become involved with politics and eventually undertake these Downtown projects? According to Michael Lieb, one of your early endeavors was fundraising for Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson when he briefly ran for governor in the early 1990s. 

Gordon: Right. That was really the first campaign I was involved in. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long, but it encouraged me to think about what I could do at the local level, which I loved because it was nonpartisan work. Many initiatives, from preserving neighborhoods to transforming the Downtown area into the heart of the city, reflected my values at the time. I’d credit that campaign and people like Mike, who sparked my interest in working with the city. 

PCA: In October 2003, you and Michael Crow had a well-known breakfast meeting where the idea of the Downtown ASU campus was conceived. An aspect of that meeting that people might not know was that [PCA’s Immediate Past Chair ], Mo Stein, first brought you together with Jerry Colangelo and Crow to discuss Downtown and ASU further. How did those meetings influence the direction of the Downtown Strategic Plan?

Gordon: It drew in different interest groups, not only in Downtown but also in other areas, to be partners on the plan. We had to persuade them that the ASU [Campus] would be a major asset to the surrounding neighborhoods and wouldn’t overtake them.   

I was always the pro-education mayor, and Phoenix was the only capital city in the U.S. that didn't have a university, let alone a Downtown campus. I grew up in a family of educators and understood the importance of education to a city’s future. When I was running for mayor, I wanted to meet with Dr. Crow, and we eventually met at The Eggery. 

We took out a napkin and drew up a plan for a Downtown campus that I wanted, and the type of things we wanted to see integrated into the area so that it wasn't walled off from the rest of Downtown. It needed to be a walkable campus, which many people didn't believe would ever happen. 

It caused some stress for [the Phoenix City Manager] Frank Fairbanks, but he supported it. The partnership with ASU instantly attracted a large number of people, which led to increased housing and retail needs. 

We conducted extensive lobbying in D.C. to secure [Community Development] Block Grants and other funding to turn all the vacant lots, which were liabilities in Downtown at that time, into valuable assets. It's hard to remember, but I'm pretty sure [Artisan Village] was one of those initial projects. 

We decided to build everything at once because you needed it all to be completed together. With Mo's help and others, I met Jerry Colangelo [for his support]. He didn't necessarily believe in the physical location of the campus where I was taking it, but he said, “You're the mayor, and if that's what you want, PCA will back you.” We worked together to build the campus and attract some of the larger [business] tenants to Downtown, and Jerry was always there to help make the pitch. 

PCA: Light rail continues to come up in our recent City-Shaper conversations. Leah Fregulia, Cindy Dach, and Bobb Cooper have all mentioned light rail as something that connects people to Downtown who otherwise might not have easy access. What made you a key advocate for public transportation, from Transit 2000 to today?

Gordon: I knew from my research and conversations with colleagues throughout the country that a light rail system was critical for connecting various parts of the city, which would help prevent congestion.  

It also served as a redevelopment tool. Developers flocked to the areas, especially along the light rail line and its stations, to transform them into development hubs.  

Light rail was something I knew would propel the city into a 21st-century era, with a clean and modern line connecting 19th Avenue and Bethany Home to Tempe. It also linked the Tempe campus to what would become the Phoenix campus, which is why I supported it. 

As restaurants started to repopulate the Downtown area, it became a great way for people to access Suns or Diamondbacks games. People began to realize they didn't need a car for Downtown events. 

PCA: Looking back, we know that the ASU campus and the Phoenix Bioscience Core that followed were highly successful; however, at the time, it was a calculated risk. How did you manage to get the city management and the council on board with that vision as the education mayor?

Gordon: I always said there are two ways for a mayor to run a city. One way is to split the council and form little [voting] pockets, and the other is to work together to build a council, which takes much more effort. I wanted to do that and was willing to put in the work. 

Even before lobbying them, I was friends with all the council members. I always tried to help them and treat them as equals. I worked hard to understand their concerns and needs to support their projects.

Gordon left office in 2012 after two successful terms and was succeeded by Greg Stanton and Kate Gallego, who continue his efforts to revitalize Greater Downtown. 

And the legacy of that effort is evident: Light rail has recently expanded into a two-line system. The Downtown area hosts different convention-goers almost every week. And for a Downtown that once lacked a university, there are now three public universities with a presence Downtown, with a medical school (ASU Health) on the way.  

As a new Downtown Strategic Plan, the first since 2004, takes shape, Gordon believes the focus should be on details rather than broad visions, such as affordable housing and increased retail options to support residential growth. 

He is using his public stature to mentor the next generation of Phoenix City Council candidates, the role that launched his own career, and to help them carry that work forward.  

It is one sign that the work of a passionate public servant is never done.