Mason Gates: ‘My platform is that of the people, for the people, by the people’
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Scottsdale resident Mason Gates is announcing his candidacy for Scottsdale City Council in the upcoming November 2024 general election.
Mr. Gates, a former United States Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadet and a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, says he hopes to bring a diverse perspective to the table — ideas ranging from entrepreneurial ventures to recent success in commercial real estate.
Mr. Gates says he is committed to transforming Scottsdale through a grassroots initiative, aiming to connect directly with the community.
His boots-on-the-ground approach is focused on engaging with as many Scottsdale residents as possible in an effort to better to understand their concerns and priorities.
“My platform is that of the people, for the people, by the people,” he told the Arizona Digital Free Press. “This campaign is not about pushing my own agenda but reinstating democratic representation and being a voice for my constituents.”
Identifying key issues, Mr. Gates expresses concerns about inflated single-family home prices, the rising cost of living, overdevelopment, long-term environmental sustainability, and the preservation of Old Town’s historic character.
Mr. Gates is an entrepreneur who began in high school with a landscaping company, eventually leading to the creation of his clothing brand, Grind Attire. His leadership skills were recognized when he was appointed president of the Young Entrepreneurs Society of Kansas City (YES KC), an organization fostering and networking young business owners.
Mason Gates: ‘My platform is that of the people, for the people, by the people’
In the realm of philanthropy, Mr. Gates served as the director of development and public relations for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Forty Love Organization, which hosts charitable events benefiting homeless individuals in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Mr. Gates is originally from Kansas City.
Since moving to Scottsdale, Mr. Gates has excelled in the commercial real estate sector as a broker for Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, the largest privately-held commercial brokerage in the nation.
Specializing in the acquisition and disposition of self-storage facilities across the United States, Mr. Gates holds real estate salesperson licenses in Arizona, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
Furthermore, Mr. Gates is an alumni of the American Legion’s boys state program, a prestigious educational initiative for U.S. high school students focused on government instruction.
During his time at Boys State, Mr. Gates achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first citizen to pass the bar exam without attending law school in the program’s 85-year history.
