Between 2014 and 2023, there were more than 2,500 accidents on SR-347.
Let that sink in. That is not 2,500 close calls. That is 2,500 crashes. More than 80 of them resulted in fatalities or serious injuries. And if you were on that road during the morning commute, between 5 and 8 a.m., you were sharing pavement with 90 or more of those accidents just during those hours alone. The same spike hit again from 11 in the morning through 7 at night. Day after day, year after year.
The frustrating part was not the danger itself. It was that none of this was a secret. Residents knew. Local officials knew. The data existed. Maricopa was growing fast and SR-347 was the main artery connecting this city to the rest of the region. Everyone could see what was happening. And for years, nothing changed.
SR-347 was not on ADOT's radar. It was not a priority. Families in Maricopa kept getting into accidents on that road while the people with the power to fix it looked the other way.
A group of concerned Maricopa residents got tired of waiting. We started meeting regularly with Representative Teresa Martinez and Chris Lopez to push for action and keep the pressure on. And out of those conversations came an idea: build something that could scale our voice beyond what a monthly meeting could do.
I built 347facts.com. It launched in September 2023 and it was the group's digital tool for turning community frustration into direct action.
The site did two things. First, it put all the accident data in front of residents in plain language. No technical jargon. No buried reports. Just the facts, laid out clearly so any Maricopa resident could understand exactly how dangerous that road had become and exactly how long it had been that way.
Second, it gave residents a direct line to the people who could actually do something about it. With one click, anyone could send an email to elected officials and ADOT board members. We removed every possible excuse not to act. No hunting down contact information. No figuring out who to write. Just one click and your voice was on record with the right people.
The response was immediate. The site took off fast. Maricopa residents had been frustrated for years and they had been waiting for somewhere to put that energy. The emails started coming in and they did not stop.
By the time it was over, more than 120,000 emails had been sent.
That is 120,000 Maricopa residents telling the people in power: fix this road. Not a petition that gets filed away. Not a comment at a public meeting that gets forgotten. Direct emails, at massive volume, to the exact decision-makers who needed to hear it.
It worked.
In June 2025, SR-347 was added to ADOT's 5-year plan. Construction starts this summer.
That did not happen because someone in Phoenix decided to look out for Maricopa on their own. SR-347 did not get fixed because one person made the right speech at the right meeting. It got fixed because a group of residents organized, stayed consistent, and created sustained pressure that could not be ignored. My role was building the tool that helped scale that pressure to 120,000 emails. But every person in that group and every resident who clicked that button deserves credit for what is about to be built this summer.
The work did not go unnoticed. Our group was recognized as one of seven Community Champions at the 2025 Maricopa State of the City, an acknowledgment that belonged to every person who showed up and every resident who sent an email.
What does this have to do with my campaign for City Council?
Everything.
SR-347 is exactly the kind of problem I want to keep solving. Getting the improvements funded was not the finish line. It was a proof of concept. Maricopa still has real transportation challenges in front of it. Regional connectivity. Expanded transit options. Infrastructure that actually keeps pace with how fast this city is growing. Those are fights worth having.
But more than any specific issue, 347facts.com taught me something about how change actually happens. It is not about one person making the right speech at the right meeting. It is about giving residents the right information, pointing them at the right target, and letting the community do what communities do when they are organized and motivated.
I want to bring that same approach to City Council. The people of Maricopa are not waiting for someone to speak for them. They just need someone willing to hand them the tools.
We proved that works.