10 JUNE 2023 CONTACT DISTRICT 6: 602.262.7491 or Council.District.6@phoenix.gov By Mallory Gleich For four decades, Kevin Robinson has served in various industries in Phoenix – as a decorated police officer, a nonprofit leader and a professor at Arizona State. Arcadia News sat down with Councilman Robinson to learn more about his beginnings and what’s in store for the future. The next order of business? Representing District 6 on the Phoenix City Council. Where are you from originally? My dad was an Air Force guy, so we moved around a lot. We landed here toward the end of his military career in 1974. My folks, who are from the Pittsburgh area, decided they wanted to stay here. I’ve lived in the Philippines, Italy, and from New Hampshire, New York, Delaware, and D.C. We then came out west from New Mexico to Phoenix. Which place is your favorite? I love Phoenix except for July, August and parts of September. It’s grown on me, and all the years I’ve lived here, you get acclimated to it, but I just don’t like it. We moved here in November, and it was like, ‘there’s nothing on the ground. This is different,’ but then I remember the first summer, and it was like, ‘What did we get ourselves into?’ Did you attend school in Arizona? I went to Trever Browne on the west side. Back then, it was the newest high school in the Phoenix Union high school system. I think I was the second four-year class to graduate. The city wasn’t nearly as big as it is now – it was a trek to get to Mesa. Gilbert was really small. Scottsdale had its own persona. Now, you look at the entire Valley – and it’s millions more people than it was then – but the Valley still has a little bit of that small-town feel. No matter where you go, you’ll run into someone you know. Did you always know you wanted to be a police officer? Always. My mother would have told you that when I was six years old, I would say that I wanted to be a police officer. I watched Adam 12, Dragnet, and the FBI on Sunday evenings. The one constant was that they helped people, and that was something I was raised with. Much to my mother’s chagrin – she didn’t want one of her babies to be a police officer. But I was able to live that dream. What positions did you hold in policing? I started with the Phoenix PD in August 1980. My first assignment was out of the old 700 Precinct at 24 th Street and Lincoln. My first beat was the Arcadia neighborhood. That’s where I cut my teeth as a police officer in the early 80s. I spent seven years working in east Phoenix, mostly the midnight shift. I’d go in at nine at night and get off at seven in the morning. You saw a little bit of everything. I was assigned for a short time to the police recruitment bureau and the training academy. I did a small stint as an undercover officer, where we had to stay close to a homicide suspect. That was a month that seemed like a year. I was a walking beat sergeant in the homeless shelters and housing projects for a couple of years. I was a field training officer, training officers fresh out of the academy. I was in the middle of that, having a great time – I was applying to be transferred to the training academy, which is what I wanted to do, and I got a call to come down to police headquarters. The assistant chief asked if I wanted to be the spokesman for the Phoenix PD. I said it wasn’t what I wanted to do, and the chief said, ‘Let me ask you this a second time and let’s see if you get it right.’ And I was assigned there the following Monday. I did that for about four years. I got promoted to lieutenant. Then I eventually went to Central City Precinct. I was briefly in Internal Affairs and then promoted to commander of the Maryvale Precinct. Then before I knew it, I was promoted to the assistant chief of police, where I spent 13 years. I retired after 36.5 years with the Phoenix Police Department. What did you do after that? I started teaching at Arizona State on a full-time basis. I’ve taught a few classes a semester for ASU part-time since 1999, but they asked me to come on full-time after I retired. For the past six years, I’ve taught around five classes a semester in a criminal justice arena or sometimes leadership courses. I was doing that, and about 18 months ago, a group of people approached me and asked me to consider running for Phoenix City Council. After some thought and reflection, I realized I could do a good job based on my experience with the city. So I ran for office, and here we are. I’ve assembled a great team that’s a great fit, and we were able to hit the ground running. The pressure of situations you dealt with while with the Phoenix PD – will you use the same tactics to stay calm in your new position? That’s my intent, my hope. I like to slow things down. It gives you a chance to reflect and understand things more completely. I’m hoping I’ll be able to do that as we make decisions in our office, not just for constituents in District 6 but throughout the city and region. My wife says I don’t get rattled easily, and I think that’s because of my experience in law enforcement. I’ll take everything one step at a time. The best decisions are made when you have as much information as possible. It’ll allow you to understand all sides of the issue. What are some issues you find important in regard to the City of Phoenix? What’s important to me is what I heard on the campaign trail for 18 months. As a group, we knocked on 12,000 doors and consistently heard three things: public safety – fire and police services; homelessness and home affordability, and the issue of water and how it’s used in Phoenix. How do you decide which one to work on first? The good news is I have some great people with me, so we’re working on all three at the same time. We’ll attend conferences – the more we know, the better, right? We’ll be able to approach it appropriately and figure out what more the City of Phoenix can do. Some things may work in one place and not another, so it’s good for us to garner as much information as possible about the issue. Public safety met with the executive fire chief over several issues within fire services, so they’re keeping us up to speed on that. We met with the police chief and his team about crime suppression issues. Mayor Gallego has placed me on the public safety and justice subcommittee that has some direct involvement with emergency management, police and fire. I’ve spent some time with the city water department, with experts inside and outside the city, so we understand more completely what’s happening. We took a helicopter tour of the Salt River watershed, and they explained how it gets down here to the Valley and what it’s being used for; it was an opportunity to understand more completely what our water situation is and how we can be more efficient with our use. I learned that, per household, we use less water now than we did 60 years ago. We’re a lot more efficient. We also talked about replacing old pipes and fixing leaks promptly so we can preserve and reserve. So all three issues are being attacked because that’s what is important to the constituents of District 6, and I want to make sure we deliver on those. What does a day in the life of Kevin Robinson look like? This morning started with a staff meeting. I’ve got no less than 100 pages of reading I need to get done. These three – Jennifer, Cody and Jack [Kevin’s team] – are doing all the heavy lifting. They’ve been talking to constituents about concerns, everything from pickle ball courts to homeless issues…a little bit of everything. It’s a fast moving office because we have a constituency that really cares about their city and what goes on. There’s a constant stream of things that have to be done. I have a list of folks who have called in, and I don’t know that they’re expecting a return call, but I think it’s important for me to call them and let them know that we received their information and understand their concerns. What would you like readers to know? We put out a newsletter outlining where we will be every other week. We’ll be in different parts of the council districts at different times to talk to the communities about what they want to discuss and to stay up to speed on what’s important to them. If folks have concerns, they can call or email, and we will respond and find out what we can do to help. I want to be as responsive as I possibly can be. I want to give them the service that they deserve. Meet the new District 6 City Councilman out what more the City of Phoenix can do. Some things may work in one place and not another, so it’s good for us to garner as much information as possible about the issue. chief over several issues within fire services, so they’re keeping us up to speed on that. We met with the police chief and his team about crime suppression issues. Mayor Gallego has placed me on the public safety and justice subcommittee that has some direct involvement with emergency management, police and fire. department, with experts inside and outside the city, so we understand more completely what’s happening. We took a helicopter tour of the Salt River watershed, and they explained how it gets down here to the Valley and what it’s being used for; it was an Kevin Robinson

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