Making sense of Phoenix's most crowded City Council race
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Four seats on the Phoenix City Council are up for grabs this cycle, and the most intriguing and unpredictable is the wide-open, eight-candidate race to represent District 4.
Why it matters: The race, to replace termed-out Councilmember Laura Pastor, features a host of mostly left-of-center candidates who could tip the Democrat-heavy council in a more progressive direction.
Here are the candidates:
- Ed Hermes, a lawyer with Snell & Wilmer
- Ashley Harder, a real estate developer
- Patricia Jimenez, an Isaac Elementary School District Governing Board member
- Robb Olivieri, who runs the Luminosity Lab at ASU
- Michael Mazzocco, owner of an events business
- Megan Schmitz, Pastor's former chief of staff
- Zachary Lauer, who works in health insurance
- Cassandra Hernandez, the daughter of state Rep. Lydia Hernandez
How it works: If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote on Election Day — which seems likely, given the depth of the field — the top two vote-getters will head to a runoff election on March 9.
The intrigue: Pastor has not endorsed a preferred successor, though Hermes has picked up endorsements from several notable Democrats.
- Those include District 7 Councilmember Anna Hernandez, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, and several state lawmakers.
Follow the money: Based on campaign cash reported through June 30, Hermes leads with $230,000 on hand.
- Harder was second with $191,000, though she also lent her own campaign $150,000.
- Mazzocco, Olivieri, Schmitz and Jimenez had reserves between $16,000-$57,000, while Hernandez hadn't raised any cash and Lauer had only $544.
Driving the news: For a digestible look at what the candidates believe, Axios sent seven of the eight hopefuls a short survey on hot-button issues in Phoenix.
- Six responded.
Their answers offered interesting contrasts among a cohort that largely agrees on many issues:
- Olivieri was the only one who would have voted for the city's controversial ordinance to restrict groups giving food and medical treatment to unhoused people in parks. He said the ordinance, which Pastor voted against, isn't perfect but the "current situation in many parks has become untenable."
- Mazzocco and Harder wouldn't pause data center approvals but would impose a rigorous review process, with Harder noting that a 2025 zoning ordinance change by the city has already created a de facto pause.
Zoom in: Hermes wouldn't favor exempting historic neighborhoods — many of which fall in District 4 — from new laws to promote middle housing development, but said he would strengthen design standards and enforcement.
- Harder, Hermes and Mazzocco said the Phoenix Police Department needs more independent oversight.
- Jimenez and Schmitz suggested the city's Office of Accountability and Transparency and Civilian Review Board can perform those functions. Olivieri said he wants local and not federal oversight.
Yes, but: Residents hoping to do away with much-loathed 7th Avenue and 7th Street reverse lanes — a feat Pastor tried and failed to accomplish — will have a champion in all six candidates.
What's next: Early voting begins Oct. 7.