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Drop perfect life idea, says Mayor Kate Gallego about her success path
When Kate Gallego was weighing her first run for mayor in Phoenix, she was newly divorced, had recently given birth, and her mom had just been diagnosed with cancer. None of the largest cities in the United States had a female mayor and she had trouble envisioning people taking a “short young woman” seriously. But she was wrong.
“People, it turns out, don’t want elected officials who have perfect lives,” said Mayor Gallego (D-AZ), who is now in her third term running America’s fifth-largest city. “They want elected officials who will help make their lives better,” Gallego told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin in the latest episode of the “CNBC Changemakers and Power Players” podcast.
The pivotal moment in her decision to first run for mayor came when a group of girlfriends took her out and assured her that if she wanted to go for it, they would provide the support she needed to be a great mom and candidate. They also gave her some straight talk: “You are going to hate yourself forever if you don’t do this,” Gallego recalled.
The doubts didn’t go away during her first mayoral campaign. When working the phones to raise money, she worried that no one would take her seriously to run the city if she couldn’t stop her newborn from crying in the background. “But it turns out, there are a whole lot of parents out there who have also not been able to quiet a baby every second they would like to,” Gallego said. “People were willing to judge me based on my record on the City Council and look a little bit past my immediate circumstances.”
Mayor Kate Gallego, of Phoenix, Ariz., at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 91st Winter Meeting at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., Friday, January 20, 2023.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Today, her vision for transforming Phoenix into a future-forward technology and bioscience hub is well-underway. During her tenure, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) announced plans to invest $165 billion in advanced semiconductor manufacturing operations and jobs in Phoenix; Arizona State University, with HonorHealth, has committed to building a new medical school expected to open in fall 2026; and Sky Harbor Airport has become the first airport to offer an autonomous robotaxi service, partnering with Waymo.
“We were definitely nervous,” Gallego said. “It’s always easiest to be the mayor who goes third because someone else works out all the kinks, but if you want to build the city of the future, you have got to go first.”
Gallego was named to the second annual CNBC Changemakers list in 2025.
Today, the city has the largest autonomous vehicle zone in the U.S. Travelers can ride in a robotaxi from the airport right into downtown Phoenix. Still, not everyone is onboard with driverless taxis. “That is an issue that has even divided my own household,” Gallego said. “My dad is not a fan of Waymo.”
Gallego says she relishes feedback from the community and often gets great ideas, as well as requests for help, from Phoenix residents while out and about. Still, as a self-described introvert, there are times when she craves anonymity. “I do sometimes go grocery shopping in a baseball hat and sunglasses,” she joked. “Particularly if you’re sick, I’m like, ‘please don’t notice me!’”
To combat anxiety around meeting new people, Gallego has learned to over-prepare for important meetings – which she says is also helpful in the long-run, giving her a deep knowledge of the issues at hand. When it comes to deal-making, she doesn’t need to be at the forefront, and is happy to be part of a team, a trait that she says came in handy in the deal with TSMC, which required every level of government to pull together.
“We often talk about, if you want to go far, you go with a group, and that has definitely been a benefit of being an introvert,” Gallego said.
Gallego says she wants to restore people’s faith in government and show that, through collaboration with universities, nonprofits and the private sector, communities can come together and achieve great things. In this fraught political environment, Gallego says she focuses on issues that have broad support across party lines, for example, drawing more high wage jobs to Phoenix and improving cancer diagnosis and care. She also makes a point of having dinner once a month with someone with a very different political perspective. “I always learn something,” she said.
Follow and listen to this and every episode of the “CNBC Changemakers and Power Players” podcast on Apple and Spotify.
CNBC is accepting nominations for the third CNBC Changemakers: Women Transforming Business list. The unranked list will recognize a distinguished group of women whose accomplishments have left a mark on the business world and who are paving a path forward.
