Election 2022: Phoenix area city and town candidates in November – The Arizona Republic

Phoenix-area voters settled many city races in the August election, but some high-profile contests will come in November.

Arizona’s largest city will see half of the Phoenix City Council seats on the Nov. 8 ballot. Runoff elections between the top vote-getters will be in March if needed, as the city operates on a unique November-March election cycle.

Peoria is the only Valley city with a mayoral race topping the local ticket in November. The city of nearly 200,000 residents is guaranteed a new mayor as Cathy Carlat has reached the two-term limit. 

Three East Valley communities — Mesa, Gilbert and Scottsdale — have a council seat up for grabs.

Early ballots go out Oct. 12. Here’s more about who is on your ballot: 

Phoenix | Peoria | Gilbert | Mesa | Scottsdale 

Phoenix will see at least one new council member as Sal DiCiccio is termed out after three consecutive terms representing District 6. 

Eight hopefuls are competing in District 6, which is the city’s most southeastern district and covers Ahwatukee, Arcadia, the Biltmore area and parts of north-central Phoenix.

Four candidates, including Councilmember Carlos Garcia, are running in District 8, which extends from the city’s southern edge to just north of Thomas Road and, in part, extends from the city’s eastern boundary to as far west as 59th Avenue.  

Registered to vote in Arizona? 6 things to know, starting with the Oct. 11 deadline

Three candidates, including incumbent Jim Waring, seek the District 2 spot in northeastern Phoenix. 

The only uncontested race is in central and west Phoenix’s District 4, where Laura Pastor seeks a third term.  

District 2

Matt Evans: He is a software engineer and part-time Uber driver who was born and raised in Phoenix. He considers himself a conservative-leaning independent and his top issues are homelessness and panhandling.  

Heli Nielson: She works in sales for a global technology research and advisory company. She said she would ensure district residents’ voices are heard and her top issues are water, economic development and infrastructure. 

Waring: He was first elected to the City Council in 2011 and previously served as a Republican state senator. The fiscal conservative’s campaign site says he’s focused on “business-friendly” policies, public safety, transparency and eliminating wasteful spending.    

District 4

Pastor: The current vice mayor was first elected in 2013 and is unopposed. 

District 6

Harry Curtin: He is an entrepreneur who describes himself as a fiscal conservative with moderate political beliefs that would allow him to work with all council members. He’s focused on police recruitment and addressing homelessness with an emphasis on mental health. 

Joan Greene: She is a Phoenix native who owns a marketing firm and considers herself a “community before party” problem solver committed to transparency. She wants to bring more accountability to the council and her top issues are water, housing and economics.

Mark Moeremans: He is senior vice president of entrepreneurship and venture development at the Arizona Commerce Authority. The 32-year-old said it’s imperative to elect “young, fresh and energetic” candidates who will shape Phoenix’s trajectory for at least the next decade. Housing, infrastructure, water, climate and sustainability are among his top issues. 

Kevin Robinson: He is a professor at Arizona State University’s Watts College of Public Programs and Community Solutions and he worked four decades for the Phoenix Police Department, moving from officer to assistant chief. His top issues are public safety, affordable housing, water and economic development. 

Moses Sanchez: He is a U.S. Navy veteran and an immigrant from Panama who ran for mayor in 2018. His top issues are homelessness, infrastructure and public safety, according to his website. 

Juan Schoville: He is a part-time security guard who said he’s running to bring “working class” representation to the council. The 24-year-old who ran for mayor in 2020 said his top issues are homelessness, crime and gentrification. 

Sam Stone: He was DiCiccio’s chief of staff and said he would take on the mantle of being an outspoken “counterbalance” to the more liberal-leaning council. He ranks crime and public safety, housing and homelessness as key concerns.

Kellen Wilson: She is a union worker for Unite 11 and said union organizing inspired her to run for office. She said she wants to bring a family-focused mindset to the council, pointing to issues like after-school programs. Her top issues are housing, homeless prevention and public safety response times.

District 8

Denise Ceballos-Viner: She is a dance studio owner who is focused on public safety, the economy, culture and accountability. Her husband works for Phoenix police and “her support for law enforcement is strong, yet she understands the concerns and struggles of the people,” according to her campaign website. 

Garcia: He was elected in 2019 as an anti-establishment candidate who gained prominence for his activism against racial profiling in the Sheriff Joe Arpaio era. He successfully pressed to create a city Office of Accountability and Transparency to look into police complaints. He ranks his top issues in a second term as infrastructure, homelessness and water management. 

Nick Griemsmann: He is a Christian minister focused on improving “community safety, mental health resources and youth empowerment” as he wants to see Phoenix do more to help kids enter trade professions. A history of working in nonprofits would help him guide the city to operate efficiently with low overhead, he said. 

Kesha Hodge Washington: She is a civil and commercial litigation attorney who wants to correct what she calls Garcia’s “monolithic” approach focused solely on public safety. She said she would hold officers accountable but fill police vacancies and improve community-police relationships. She wants to focus on economic development and affordable housing.

Phoenix election news

Candidate Q&As: Phoenix City Council candidates talk housing, homelessness, police and water 

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Backgrounding candidates: Phoenix City Council candidate owed $350,000 in unpaid federal income taxes before run

Court challenge: Phoenix candidate who rented home to run for City Council can stay on ballot, judge rules

Follow the money: SpaceX employee, Blake Masters and Kari Lake, here’s who is funding Phoenix City Council candidates

Taxpayer watchdog or ‘disruptor’? His legacy debated, Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio is coming upon his last year

Voters in the northwest Valley suburb will choose a new mayor in November, and the decision could come down to how satisfied residents are with the city.

Bridget Binsbacher spent seven years on the City Council and helped put many of the city’s current policies in place before resigning to run for mayor as state law requires. She is squaring off against Jason Beck, a Peoria business owner making his first run for political office. 

Beck, the founder of Tyr Tactical, which manufactures tactical gear for law enforcement and militaries, has campaigned on the notion that Peoria has a “soaring crime rate” and public safety staffing hasn’t kept pace with population growth. He’s also pressing to more aggressively land jobs in the city and for the city to play a bigger role in education.

Binsbacher is executive director of the Cactus League, a nonprofit that supports spring training baseball in metro Phoenix. She is campaigning for job growth that benefits workers and quality of life, smartly managing water and public safety. “To me, public safety is too important to be used and exploited during an election,” she said. 

Two of the four council seats on the ballot are contested. 

Acacia District

• Jennifer Crawford: She is a real estate office manager making her first run for City Council. Her top issues include ensuring public safety is properly funded and staffed, engaging more with residents and economic development with “a balance in commerce and jobs to population.”
• Vicki Hunt: She is a former high school English teacher who served on the council from 2003 to 2010 and 2014 to today. She similarly ranks public safety funding among her top focuses, along with quality of life in the district and improving the city’s historic downtown. “Old Town remains our greatest asset and opportunity,” she said. 

Mesquite District

• Diane Douglas: She is a former financial analyst who served one term as Arizona schools superintendent and served on the Peoria Unified school board. She ranks public safety, water and development among her top concerns. She criticizes the city for “an appalling lack of communication and transparency with residents” regarding a development project near her WestWing neighborhood and says she will keep residents better informed. 
• Brad Shafer: He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a former emergency medical technician who works in the health care industry. He served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission and was appointed in April to fill the council vacancy created when Binsbacher had to resign to run for mayor. Community safety, protecting the city’s water supply and “balanced growth that brings high value businesses” are among his top focus areas. 

The uncontested races include:

•  Michael Finn in central Peoria’s Palo Verde District.
• Denette Dunn in southwest Peoria’s Pine District.  

Peoria election news

Candidate Q&As: Mayor, city council candidates tackle questions on water, housing and development

Backlash over campaign rule error: Peoria officials admit mistake but face public scrutiny

Peoria election: A competitive mayoral race is shaping up as Cathy Carlat faces term limits

Have a Peoria election question? Email taylor.seely@arizonarepublic.com.

Gilbert voters decided three out of four Town Council races in August, but Bill Spence and Bobbie Buchli are headed to a runoff election for the final seat.

Buchli: She is a real estate broker who has spoken out against building more apartments and commuter rail in Gilbert. She also says the town must attract businesses to be “mindful of what will bring in the most revenue to sustain the town once buildout happens.”

Gilbert expects to approach buildout by 2030. 

Spence: He is a retired Naval lieutenant commander and nuclear engineering officer who was appointed to the council in 2020 but lost his election bid later that year. He similarly has dismissed building more apartments as a solution to unaffordable housing prices, saying “blindly building more apartments will not solve our housing problems.”

A top concern for him is managing the inflationary environment to ensure priority projects such as a water treatment plant and road improvements to ease traffic congestion aren’t delayed. He also notes the need to attract and retain city employees, including police and fire. 

Gilbert election news

Candidate Q&As: Buchli and Spence talk commuter rail, water, leadership

August election roundup: Here’s who won and who’s headed to runoffs in Gilbert and other Valley communities

Gilbert forum: Council hopefuls talk leadership, growth and how to make the town more welcoming

August candidate Q&A: Where Gilbert candidates stand on transportation, housing and political infighting

Have a Gilbert election question? Email reporter Maritza Dominguez at mcdomingue@gannett.com. 

Mesa voters settled one competitive City Council race in August and sent the other to a runoff. 

District 4 Councilmember Jen Duff will face political newcomer Trista Guzman-Glover in November. 

Duff: She is a business owner seeking a second term on the council. She has ranked affordable housing and homelessness as two key issues facing District 4, which includes downtown Mesa. 

“Whatever your stage of life, you should not have to leave the community you call home to meet your housing needs,” Duff said.

Guzman-Glover: She previously served as director of the Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions. She ranks improving high public safety response times and updating aged infrastructure as key areas of focus for the district.

“We need to provide our public safety departments with the resources and staffing they need to respond to the needs of residents,” Guzman-Glover said.

Mesa election news

Candidate Q&As: Duff and Guzman-Glover talk downtown Mesa improvements, water and leadership

August election roundup: Here’s who won and who’s headed to runoffs in Mesa and other Valley cities

August candidate Q&A: Where Mesa council candidates stand on water, housing, job growth

Have a Mesa election question? Email reporter Maritza Dominguez at mcdomingue@gannett.com. 

Scottsdale voters reelected two City Council incumbents in August and sent the next two highest vote-getters to a runoff election for a third open council seat.

Barry Graham and Pamela Carter will square off on Nov. 8. The winner will replace term-limited Councilmember Linda Milhaven. 

Graham: He is a Scottsdale native and an accountant who has served on Scottsdale’s Planning Commission since 2020. Graham said the biggest issue he hears from residents is that councilmembers don’t listen to their concerns about growth and development. “I am committed to changing that situation by respecting residents’ input and ideas and factoring them into my decision-making,” he says.

Carter: She owns an athletic facility in Scottsdale and runs a nonprofit that produces faith-based and family-friendly films and content. She has criticized the urbanization of Scottsdale, saying she would oppose the “unnecessary development of high-rise, high-density apartments flooding our skyline.”

Scottsdale election news

Candidate Q&As: Carter and Graham talk housing, short-term rentals, abortion

August election roundup: Here’s who won and who’s headed to runoffs in Scottsdale and other Valley cities

August candidate Q&A: City Council candidates share ideas on development, vacation rentals and homelessness

Have a Scottsdale election question? Email reporter Sam Kmack at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com.

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