Michael Lafferty running for Phoenix mayor
Businessman, 56, owns an apartment complex near downtown Phoenix
The race to replace Phoenix Mayor Stanton just got a little more crowded.
Longtime Phoenix resident and businessman Michael Lafferty told The
Arizona Republic Thursday that he is entering the race for the city’s top spot.
Lafferty is a registered Republican, according to Maricopa County election records, but said he is running as an independent and plans to change his party affiliation. City elections are nonpartisan, but politics often play a role in Phoenix.
“I’m running as a Phoenician and then an independent candidate,” Lafferty said. “I don’t believe that the mayor’s office is a Democratic or Republican office.”
Lafferty, 56, has spent 34 years in the Phoenix business sector, founding both Lafferty Electric and Lafferty Development. His company currently owns a 1,500-unit apartment complex in downtown Phoenix near the 12th Street light-rail station.
Lafferty said his role in the real-estate and construction industries has made him well-acquainted with Phoenix’s processes and leadership. But, he said it’s time for someone outside of City Hall to take over the mayoral post.
“I really feel it’s time to bring an outsider in with real business experience, and so do the people that are telling me to run,” Lafferty said.
He said his priorities as mayor would be to foster downtown Phoenix’s growth and build a stronger economy for the city as a whole.
“Whoever is mayor is running a $5.2 billion company with a lot of moving parts. That’s where I have an advantage,” he said.
Lafferty joins libertarian Nicholas Sarwark, Republican Moses Sanchez and council members Daniel Valenzuela and Kate Gallego, both Democrats, in the race to replace Stanton, also a Democrat.
Stanton, who is running for Congress, has not yet resigned or said when he intends to do so. He must resign by May 30, but he could resign before then.
If he resigns prior to April 20, the election to replace him will be held in August. If he resigns after that, the election would be in November.
“I’m running as a Phoenician and then an independent candidate. I don’t believe that the mayor’s office is a Democratic or Republican office.” Michael Lafferty Businessman and Phoenix mayoral candidate