3 candidates are running for Peoria City Council's Mesquite District seat. What to know

Early voting in Arizona’s July election is here. When voters in Peoria’s Mesquite District open their ballots, they’ll see a slate of three candidates vying to fill the seat that Councilmember Brad Shafer is vacating at the end of his term.

The Mesquite District race could be decided on July 30 if one candidate locks up more than 50% of the vote. If none receive majority approval, the top two vote-getters will move on to a runoff race in the Nov. 5 general election.

That’s also when voters in the Ironwood and Willow districts decide who will be their representative at Peoria City Hall.

Incumbent Councilmember Jon Edwards, 58, is running for reelection in the Willow District. A write-in candidate, Angeli Wesson, is challenging him in November.

Newcomer Rick Stokes, a former telecommunications engineer with the U.S. Air Force and an information technology consultant, qualified to get on the ticket for the Ironwood District race. During the general election, he’ll face write-in candidate Homer Landreth, a control systems engineer and independent contractor.

For now, Mesquite District voters will have a small field of candidates from whom to choose.

On one side, they'll have two candidates who staunchly oppose Mayor Jason Beck's goal of landing an airpark in Peoria. And on the other, they'll find a "Beck Brigade" member who is all in on the mayor's development initiatives.

Beck and city leadership have flaunted their economic development plans for Peoria, which include the proposed airpark and an innovation and technology corridor on 6,700 acres of State Trust land.

Following the election season, the new and returning faces will enter office at a time when the West Valley is seeing rapid expansion and cities are bracing for revenue shortfalls resulting from new state policies.

As city leaders, they’ll also oversee Peoria’s nearly $1 billion city budget and shape policies that will immediately impact residents’ day-to-day lives.

Arizona local elections:Read our full coverage of the Peoria council race

Early voting began July 3. Voters can check on the status of their mailed-in ballot on Maricopa County’s website at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/voter-dashboard-login. Those who choose to vote by mail are advised to mail their ballot by July 23 or drop it off at a ballot drop-off location or voting location by July 30.

Who’s running four Peoria City Council?

With Shafer and Councilmember Bill Patena of the Ironwood District exiting office this year, the council is guaranteed to welcome two new faces in the next term. One of those faces could emerge from the July 30 election.

Thomas Bottorf, Matt Bullock and Laura Page are campaigning for Shafer’s seat in northern Peoria, the city’s largest geographical area, which includes Lake Pleasant.

Bottorf, 69, spent nearly 30 years as an engineer in Arizona focused on semiconductors. In 2005, he started a business out of Dana Point, California, called GetCollegeFunding Inc. It aimed to assist families in the college admission process and applying for financial aid. Bottorf retired in 2023.

Locally, he started the Peoria Pickleball Association, an organization meant to connect northwest Valley pickleball players and provide information on courts.

As an active community member, regularly attending council meetings and participating in the city's leadership programs, Bottorf has stated that he’s running to give back to the Mesquite District.

On his campaign website, he referred to himself as a “dedicated Christian Constitutional Conservative” who wants to advance Mayor Jason Beck’s agenda on public safety, economic development and public infrastructure.

Bullock, 58, is a businessman who founded two technology companies, Prodatix LLC and Nova Mesa Computer Systems LLC.

He served on the Peoria Unified School District’s governing board as president from 2013 to 2016.

In 2018, Bullock ran unsuccessfully in the primary election against fellow Republicans Ben Toma and Frank Carroll for the Arizona House of Representatives' District 22 seat.

Toma — who's running for a U.S. House seat in Arizona's 8th Congressional District this election — would later win the general election and now serves as state speaker of the house.

He believes that with the right planning, the city can maintain Peoria as a “Mayberry” community and make it the next Silicon Valley.

Page, 64, is the senior adviser for U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California's 1st Congressional District. Before that, she was the deputy chief administration officer in Butte County and the disaster recovery director in the town of Paradise following the 2018 Camp Fire.

The wildfire, the deadliest in California’s history, nearly destroyed the small town in November 2018, burning more than 150,000 acres and killing 84 people.

Approaching retirement, she’s turning her attention to local government to campaign on a platform of responsible growth and water quality.

Where do they land on Peoria’s proposed airpark and future development?

One of the key issues of this year’s race is the plan to develop a $150 million airpark on vacant land in northern Peoria. Mayor Beck believes an airpark that rivals the Scottsdale Airpark would fuel a new economic corridor called the Peoria Innovation Core.

That’s all part of a broader initiative to have the Arizona State Land Department unlock 8,300 acres of Peoria’s untapped desert and auction parcels off to prospective developers.

First, the city must zone the land under an update to Peoria’s 2040 General Plan — a municipality’s road map for long-term growth that the state requires each Arizona city to prepare and maintain.

As the city proceeds to study the airport's economic viability and amend the General Plan, only one council hopeful has offered a full-throated endorsement of the overall plan.

For Bottorf, a strong supporter of Beck and his policies, the General Plan amendment means future developments in the area will be cohesive, “guided by a unified vision,” rather than blocks of disjointed projects.

While Bullock has called himself the “no-airport” candidate, he supports developing the 8,300 acres. He cautioned though that the council must strike a balance between “smart economic growth and speeding up the permitting and approval process.”

Like Bottorf, Bullock sees the benefit of Peoria maintaining zoning control of the land, so the development projects are consistent and complement one another. He said he’d like to see the land used for restaurants, shops, entertainment, offices and possibly a tech park.

On the airport, Bullock objects to the project because he doesn’t want Peoria to look like north Scottsdale.

During a Peoria Chamber of Commerce candidate forum, Bullock said much of the land in the East Valley city is being encroached by the development from the airpark. It’s prompted people to relocate to Peoria for its open space amenities, according to Bullock.

“I moved here because I liked the open spaces. Am I for non-toxic and a non-caustic facility or a research facility up in north Peoria? Yes, but nothing near what an airpark will bring,” he said. “I do not want that industrial sprawl.”

As for Page, she too is against a Peoria airpark, at least as it’s currently proposed. There isn’t enough information, she said, to say yes to the project.

“They (the city) did this feasibility study. It left me with more questions than answers,” she said at the June 10 candidate forum. “I don't think they're doing a good job of vetting this current airport study.”

Citing her experience attending the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure meetings, Page said she’s heard testimony from small airport operators across the country telling lawmakers they need financial help.

She also said the city is working too quickly to rezone the 8,300 acres, believing the changes proposed in the General Plan should require approval from the voters instead of the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council.

“Why are they pushing it through? They plan on bringing these things, getting through the public process and bringing these things to a vote by the council in September and October. That isn't a lot of time for there to be public input,” she said.

Peoria’s 2040 General Plan was approved in the city’s 2020 elections with roughly 56% of the vote.

Bottorf did not participate in the chamber’s forum but did join the other two candidates in responding to The Arizona Republic’s questionnaire.

Where are Peoria candidates on the state of the local economy and small businesses?

With economic development as a pillar of the election, Bullock and Page have sounded off on their ideas to help local businesses thrive.

Both candidates stressed the important role small businesses play in the local economy. They also shared anecdotes of shop owners lamenting the difficulty in operating in Peoria, as there’s a perception that the city favors big-box stores and chain companies.

“People want to be able to go to their local independent business community to have a meal, to go to a great boutique,” Page said. “It brings character to our community and makes it more valuable, that increases our home value, that increases our quality of life.”

Sharing some ideas to improve the business community and move away from any negative perception, Page said the city shouldn’t overregulate the mom-and-shops with fees and taxes, and should work more closely with the chamber.

“I think there needs to be more partnerships,” she said, adding, “I think we need to do a better job with our economic development director attracting the small businesses here because this is a great place for it.”

Bullock said it’s unreasonable to think that home values would increase and that people would move to a city that “stomps” on small businesses rather than flaunting them.

“Don't mess with small business,” he said. “I would be a very, very loud and angry voice if I'm elected if you mess with a small business.”

On his campaign website, Bottorf stated that he wants to see more of the city’s residents work locally and remove Peoria’s label as a “job desert.”

“Fostering local employment will not only keep families together but also boost tax revenue, ultimately driving services and improvements within the city,” his campaign materials state.

What do Peoria candidates have to say about managing the city’s finances?

City leaders recently approved the $995 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year. Beck has boasted that it included “significant investments” in public safety, economic development and water security, without raising taxes.

For this fiscal year, which began July 1, the city budgeted funds to hire 14 new Police Department positions and 17 new fire-medical department positions. It also set aside $4.8 million toward the downpayment on land the city is eyeing for the airport.

Another $112 million was also budgeted for water infrastructure projects, including the completion of the wellfield/booster pump station at Lake Pleasant Parkway.

Bottorf praised Peoria’s leadership for being fiscally responsible by prioritizing public safety and protecting water infrastructure.

“As we continue to put first things first, bring in new jobs and new revenue, we will not raise taxes,” he said, responding to the Republic’s question on whether he would support tax increases or spending cuts in the face of a deficit.

He added, “I believe that we can weather any political changes and still deliver high-quality services to the citizens of Peoria.”

During the chamber’s candidate forum, Bullock and Page offered varying thoughts on the city’s financial commitments.

Bullock noted that the city’s revenues and its number of full-time employees have increased in recent years, yet “services are pretty much the same.”

The city had about 1,250 full-time employees in 2019. For Fiscal Year 2025, it’s budgeting to employ 1,431 workers.

Some of the city’s coffers, he continued, are going toward its new aviation unit and helicopter, while other funds are paying for the airport studies.

“If I were on this City Council a year ago, I would say don't spend one red cent on any studies, don't even start the process. I don't even want to know the answer because I don't want an airport,” Bullock said.

He added that the city should determine whether its spending will provide the best and highest return on the taxpayers' investment.

Page raised concerns about the city’s debt load to fund capital improvement projects.

According to the 2025 budget, the city’s outstanding debt is $436 million. It’s budgeted to pay back about $52 million in the coming fiscal year.

That debt represents money the city borrowed by issuing general obligation bonds and water and sewer revenue bonds.

“I would like to see what the debt management program is that the city of Peoria has in place so far,” Page said. “I haven't been able to find one and that was one of the first things as your city councilwoman that I would ask for, what is our debt management program?”

Any major endorsements?

Both Bottorf and Bullock have lined up a host of endorsements from key figures and groups.

Mayor Beck, Councilmembers Jennifer Crawford and Edwards, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko are backing Bottorf.

He’s also gotten the support of the Peoria Firefighters Local 493, the Peoria Police Officers Association and the Arizona Police Association.

Bullock has received endorsements from Councilmember Shafer, retired Peoria police Chief Art Miller, former Peoria Unified School District Superintendent Denton Santarelli and Becky Proudfit, the president of Peoria Unified’s governing board.

Page has not listed any endorsements.

As to who has the biggest war chest, that distinction went to Bottorf who raked in $10,905 in campaign contributions as of March 31. He narrowly led Bullock’s $8,870 in donations.

In her latest financial report, Page listed a $153 loan she received.

Shawn Raymundo covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Peoria and Surprise. Reach him atsraymundo@gannett.com or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami.