Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego is about to pull off one of those political stunts that makes some of us cringe — in a good way.

That’s a rarity in the current political environment and when it does happen, we must recognize it and appreciate it.

Gallego, who last year effectively master-minded an effort to kill an ordinance that would have required the city to pay construction workers prevailing wages, is now poised to get it through the council this week.

“Workers deserve a living wage — and we can deliver that through a robust, public process that doesn’t put the city in legal and financial jeopardy,” Gallego said in April when the City Council repealed the ordinance.

Gallego could’ve just killed the idea

I didn’t believe her and criticized her at the time for killing the ordinance that would have benefited construction workers.

I still wish she would have kept that ordinance because it covered a lot more than the new one that will go before the City Council this week.

Still, I like it when people and especially politicians keep their word. A single action doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole of one’s character, but it does go a long way.

What changed? Politically, not much.

State law that she and others cited to reject the ordinance in the first place still exists. Conservative council members also are unlikely to change their minds.

But Attorney General Kris Mayes issued an opinion indicating that cities, towns and counties can pass prevailing wage regulations, clearing the way to do so.

And Gallego does have enough fellow council members on her corner to do just about anything she wants (another one of her maneuverings).

What the new wage ordinance does

What changed is the substance and the process of drafting the ordinance, the mayor’s chief of staff Seth Scott explained.

“This time the city really engaged in a thorough process that talked to everyone … from labor to contractors,” he said. “If this gets to become law, it is going to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”

The new ordinance, just like the old one, would require the city to pay construction workers prevailing wages, or the rate contractors and vendors must offer employees working on government-funded projects.

Another view: Phoenix’s prevailing wage effort is illegal

A lot is different, though. Under the new ordinance, the city would be required to pay prevailing wages for construction projects of more than $4 million, instead of $250,000.

It also exempts projects under the recently approved $500 million bond program and will phase its implementation to minimize the budget impact to city coffers.

“What we think we have here is an ordinance that captures major projects the city is working on and one that’s going to benefit working families and the people working on the front lines on those projects,” Scott said.

It’ll be a fight, but one worth having

Councilwoman Betty Guardado, a former union organizer who has led the prevailing wage ordinance, said she’s pleased with the new proposal.

“Do I wish it was better? Of course,” Guardado said. “In the end, tough, there will be a lot more workers who’re going to have a better life and going to have a better paycheck.”

It’s doubtful that critics are just going to fold. They’ll probably go after Phoenix — legally and by other means — if the council approves the ordinance, as I expect they’ll do.

But now it’s a legal and a political fight that apparently the Phoenix mayor is ready and willing to wage. She could have simply forgotten about the whole thing but didn’t.

Elvia Díaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kate Gallego killed a prevailing wage law, then revived it