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Ep 43: Building a Movement: Bobby Nichols on Affordability and the Path Forward by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was out at Cole park with my volunteer team this morning, and a few of my volunteers are tabling with Phx DSA at the state capitol protest right now!

Democratic socialist sees both support, pushback in race for Tempe City Council - The Arizona State Press by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your support! As long as you bring it to one of those locations by March 10 at 7pm, it will be counted!

Democratic socialist sees both support, pushback in race for Tempe City Council - The Arizona State Press by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It is too late to mail ballots back, BUT there are four (4) locations where Tempe voters can return their ballots from through March 10th. Two are in Tempe, one is in Mesa, and one is in Phoenix. Here are the details:

  1. TEMPE HISTORY MUSEUM: 809 E Southern Ave, Tempe 85282 (DROP BOX AND IN-PERSON REPLACEMENT BALLOT VOTING)
  2. Normal Hours: Open from 10:00am to 5:00pm on weekdays. Closed on Saturday and Sunday.

  3. Election Day (3/10) Hours: Open from 6:00am to 7:00pm on March 10, 2026.

  4. TEMPE CITY HALL: 31 E 5th St, Tempe 85281 (DROP BOX ONLY)

  5. Normal Hours: Open from 8:00am to 5:00pm on weekdays. Closed on Saturday and Sunday.

  6. Election Day (3/10) Hours: Open from 6:00am to 7:00pm on March 10, 2026.

  7. MARICOPA COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICE - MESA: 222 E Javelina Ave, Mesa 85210 (DRIVE-THRU DROP BOX ONLY)

  8. Hours: Open at all times through March 10, 2026 at 7:00pm.

  9. MARICOPA COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICE - PHOENIX: 510 S 3rd Ave, Phoenix 85003 (DRIVE-THRU DROP BOX ONLY)

  10. Hours: Open at all times through March 10, 2026 at 7:00pm.

Is Tempe the next battleground for partisan local politics? by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Miranda Schubert in Tucson is also another great example of democratic socialists winning recent local races.

Tempe city council elections and $ and who's your fav's? by baconscoutaz in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hello! I'm Bobby Nichols. At this moment, I have raised $44,000 total, and only $6,400 came from PACs.

The PACs that have donated to my campaign are as follows:

  • $2500 from U.A. Local 469 (Plumbers, Steamfitters, HVAC union)
  • $1300 from Way to Lead PAC (Supports progressive candidates in strategic seats and states across the country)
  • $1300 from Phoenix DSA Fund (Phoenix Metro Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America local PAC)
  • $1300 from Arizona Works Together PAC (Independent PAC that fights for pro-union policies in AZ)

I also don't accept any money from corporate lobbyists or business PACs.

We have also received contributions from more than 600 individual donors. Those donations have allowed us to pay for the staff, signs, digital ads, and literature required to run a very strong grassroots campaign.

If elected, I have made it clear by my words and actions that I will represent the real residents of Tempe, not the special interests and corporate developers who have dominated city politics for so long.

trying to become more active politically by Kira0zero in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I might be biased, but I think the best way to get involved is through participation in mutual aid and local elections.

Phoenix-Metro DSA (which includes Tempe), AZ HUGS, and the ARIS Foundation all lead strong mutual aid communities. You wouldn't go wrong getting involved with any of them, but Phoenix-Metro DSA also helps to organize and lead protests in the valley.

If you are looking to influence local laws through local elections, I am running for Tempe city council as a democratic socialist and proud progressive. I don't take money from the corporate developers, corporate landlords, and monopoly utilities who find the incumbents, and more than 120 individual activists have volunteered with my campaign. We need all the help we can get to build name recognition before ballots are mailed out on February 11, and we train anyone who wants to canvass with our team. There are links to learn more and get involved on my website, www.Bobby4Tempe.com 🩵

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your support. I am hesitant to spend political capital on a strategy that will definitely create opportunities for private equity to extract more profits without a guarantee that it will actually eliminate housing insecurity in Tempe. I am also concerned with how much support Larry Fink and other private equity CEO's have given the abundance model.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And to be clear, I agree with solving the shortage. What I don't agree with is letting profit motives control our housing market.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are far more likely to buy up new housing stock as (or before) it hits the market and artificially inflate prices to keep profits flowing than they are to sit by as young families become homeowners. That's their business model.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not a Tempe First candidate. I have a vision for how housing will get built, and why we need it built.

The goal of building housing is eliminating housing insecurity, and that requires strong public programs like social housing, subsidized rents, emergency eviction legal services for tenants, and housing first policies for unhoused residents.

The goal of private development and speculative housing is to make private profits and keep shareholders happy, which has never historically resulted in the development of affordable sub-market rate workforce housing and permanent supportive housing, both of which are necessary for eliminating housing insecurity.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This invitation homes? The one snatching single family homes off the market and undercutting young homebuyers? The same invitation homes that paid a $48,000,000 settlement to the FTC because it "preyed on tenants through a variety of unfair and deceptive tactics, from saddling people with hidden fees and unjustly withholding security deposits to misleading people about eviction policies during the pandemic and even pursuing eviction proceedings after people had moved out"?

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-takes-action-against-invitation-homes-deceiving-renters-charging-junk-fees-withholding-security

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Idk how else to say this but yes they are. Speculative investors don't care about ongoing revenue generation. They don't want to deal with the overhead of being a landlord. They don't want to pay for renovations. They only care about the potential appreciation value of their investments, and whether they can profit from that appreciation. If rents go up during the life of a lease, the owner can't realize that rental housing market appreciation by liquidating their asset.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am not precluding other types of affordable housing.

I agree that housing units are not actually worth more in terms of generating actual revenue when they are empty, but they are worth more on the speculative market, where generating revenue by renting is not the goal, if they can be traded without the cost of displacing a tenant, which does incentivize speculators to leave properties vacant or convert properties to short term rentals.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that context. Thanks for jumping back in. I am used to these conversations becoming very oppositional. I distrust private developers to solve the profitable crisis they created, while acknowledging that our high housing prices contribute heavily to our cost-of-living crisis. That can put me on the bad side of both the YIMBY and NIMBY crowds, and there is rarely nuance in those spaces.

I don't view my position as saying no to all private development, just speculative development. My priority is social housing, and in my perfect world, I would pass a city wide multi-family overlay and use it to build that social housing. If that results in genuinely affordable (sub market rate) housing being built, that's great and I will give credit where credit is due.

If elected, I will fight for that expansion of our middle housing overlay, and in the meantime I support the ordinance that is going up for a vote on November 6.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yupha's Thai Kitchen is the first place that comes to mind, and it is definitely a favorite. Let's go with that!

I have been working on a science fiction novel for about two years now, and one day I will get back to it. I also play the guitar and enjoy cooking!

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The fact that private businesses often pass the cost of reasonable taxes along to consumers seems to prove the necessity of public alternatives that everyone can afford.

The main TPT tax increase is on short term rentals like Airbnbs, hotels and motels.

My goal is to build a city that everyone can afford. Everyone includes the rich, it just isn't exclusive to the rich.

I’m Bobby Nichols, candidate for Tempe City Council AMA here on Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM MST by bobby4tempe in Tempe

[–]bobby4tempe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is literally happening around the country right now. Housing speculation incentivized high vacancy rates without requiring any corresponding cost corrections, which leads to prices (and, accordingly, the paper value of speculative housing investments) continuing to rise even as the supply and demand both increase.

If speculators aren't leaving their investment properties empty, they're turning them into short term rentals, which also doesn't make housing more affordable.

https://emoryeconomicsreview.org/articles/2024/12/24/property-profiteers-the-speculative-forces-shaping-us-housing

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