Glendale leader resigns, turns focus to mayoral election

Ahead of his run for Glendale’s mayoral seat this election season, Jamie Aldama announced Tuesday night that he is stepping down from the city council.

Aldama, the Ocotillo District representative, will resign from local office effective April 1, allowing him to continue campaigning for mayor. That role has long been held by incumbent Jerry Weiers who is looking to run for a fourth consecutive term.

The resignation satisfies Arizona’s resign-to-run law, which requires officeholders to vacate their seat before seeking another.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the residents of Glendale as Councilmember and Vice Mayor,” Aldama stated in his resignation letter, which he read aloud near the end of the council’s meeting Tuesday evening.

In 2022, Aldama held the position of Glendale’s vice mayor, which is rotated among councilmembers annually.

“Together we have worked tirelessly to improve the city and Ocotillo community, and I am immensely proud of what we achieved,” he continued.

Such improvements, he touted, include launching a community health clinic in his district, increasing available and affordable housing options for working-class families and opening community centers so kids can enroll in learning programs.

How are the mayoral, council races shaping up?

Based on candidacy paperwork filed with the city as of Wednesday morning, Aldama and former State Rep. Paul Boyer will campaign to oust Weiers, who was first elected in 2012.

With nearly 51% of the vote, Weiers narrowly won his 2016 reelection bid against Mark Burdick. He had a bigger margin of victory in 2020, when he defeated challenger Michelle Robertson, receiving 53.6% of the votes.

In both races, he won outright during the city’s primary elections.

Boyer, a Republican, represented Glendale and parts of Phoenix while in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023.

Three council seats are also up for election this year. Voters in the Cactus, Sahuaro and Yucca districts will decide their representatives at Glendale City Hall.

Incumbent Councilmember Ian Hugh of the Cactus District has one challenger so far, Jose “Lupe” Guadalupe Conchas Jr.

In Sahuaro, incumbent Councilmember Ray Malnar is running unopposed.

After serving on the council off and on for three decades, long-tenured Councilmember Joyce Clark of the Yucca District is resigning from her seat at the end of the term.

Her upcoming departure from the council means at least one new member will be seated this winter.

Lupe Encinas, Dianna Guzman and Patty Ortega have expressed interest in running for the Yucca seat, according to the city’s elections webpage.

Those looking to qualify for this year’s elections have until 5 p.m. on April 1 to file their nomination paperwork. Write-in candidates have until June 20 to file, according to the Glendale City Clerk’s Office.

The Primary Election will be held July 30. The Nov. 5 General Election will serve as a runoff for the top two vote-getters in races where a candidate did not win more than 50% of the vote.

What happens to Aldama’s seat?

With Aldama leaving a vacancy on the council, Glendale leaders are expected to appoint someone to the seat for the remainder of his term, which expires in 2026.

Aldama’s resignation also comes as he prepares to move out of the Ocotillo District, which he has represented since first taking office in 2014.

The area includes Glendale’s historic downtown and is roughly bounded by Northern Avenue and Camelback Road, between 51st and 75th avenues.

While councilmembers must live within the district they serve, the mayor is an at-large position and isn’t restricted to any region of the city.