Gallego reelected in Phoenix; Peterson and Ortega hold leads in Gilbert and Scottsdale
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego was decisively reelected on Tuesday, while two other Valley cities will see new mayors.
Brigette Peterson will lead Gilbert and David Ortega will lead Scottsdale if early results hold.
The mayors will lead their communities at a time of ongoing public health crisis. Gallego on Tuesday night said that COVID-19 was top of mind for voters.
“Tonight was a big night for candidates who took public health seriously,” she said.
Gallego has pushed for more testing and other health precautions, such as mask wearing in public.
Gilbert and Scottsdale, both communities of more than 250,000 residents, have rescinded or let expire local mask mandates put in place during Arizona’s surge of cases in June. Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane, who was unable to run again because of term limits, took heat from local business leaders for ending the city’s mask mandate in September.
Ortega said Lane’s move sent the wrong message, while his opponent had supported Lane’s decision.
In more conservative Gilbert, neither mayoral candidate supported a local mask mandate. Peterson favored the countywide mandate that is in place, saying it offers consistency to Valley residents, while the other candidate opposed any government mask mandate as part of his limited government and individual liberty philosophy.
Arizonans cast their ballots as cases of COVID-19 in the state begin to rise again, although they so far remain well below the summer surge.
While the pandemic weighed on the minds of voters, other issues likely drove the election as well, from growth and development concerns in Scottsdale to in
sider versus outsider political dynamics in Gilbert.
Beyond the mayoral races, Phoenix and Scottsdale council seats were up for grabs.
Phoenix mayor and council
Gallego had a sizeable lead over challengers Merissa Hamilton and Tim Seay in early results, leading the incumbent mayor to call the race on Tuesday night.
“I am looking forward to getting to work with all of you to build a city that works for everyone,” she said. “We have gotten a great start, but we have so much work to do. And it’s going to be a great journey.”
Gallego earned her seat in 2018 after a heavily contested special election when former mayor and current U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton resigned to run for Congress.
Phoenix also had four of eight council seats on the ballot, each of which was contested.
The two incumbent councilmembers — Debra Stark in District 3 and Betty Guardado in District 5 — running for reelection were ahead in their races. Guardado was far out in front of her competitors, and she declared victory. But, as of early Wednesday, Stark did not have enough votes to avoid a runoff with challenger Nicole Garcia.
New councilmembers will be elected to District 1 and District 7, because Thelda Williams and Michael Nowakowski face term limits.
In District 1, Ann O’Brien led competitor Dave Siebert. In District 7, Yassamin Ansari led four competitors: Cinthia Estela, G. Grayson Flunoy, Susan Mercado
Gudino and Francisca Montoya. Ansari and Estela held substantial leads in early results, indicating that those two candidates will go on to a March runoff.
Scottsdale mayor and council
Ortega led opponent Lisa Borowsky in early election results on Wednesday. It was the first mayoral bid for each of the former council members, who had similar stances on development but differed on issues like mask mandates and implementing a non-discrimination ordinance.
Ortega said the race came down to who voters thought would best lead Scottsdale.
“Leadership was the deciding factor in this race,” he said. “I think leadership is what the city needs. The citizen voices are really what won tonight.”
Also up for grabs in Scottsdale were three council seats. Newcomers Betty Janik, Tammy Caputi and Tom Durham were leading by narrow margins on Wednesday.
Former city manager John Little was just behind in fourth place, while Guy Phillips, the only incumbent in the race, trailed further back in fifth place.
Gilbert mayor
Peterson, a former councilmember and veteran of town politics, ran against political newcomer Matt Nielsen. The two candidates leaned right to differing degrees on some issues, leaving it to voters to decide the level of conservatism they want for the town.
Peterson, who watched results roll in with friends and supporters at a Gilbert wine bar patio, said she teared up as she saw her sizable lead over Nielsen.
“Those were great first results,” she said. “It’s an incredible feeling when that many people turn out to vote for you.”
It was the first mayoral run for each after former mayor Jenn Daniels opted not to run.