Few surprising takes from candidates at Chandler Council forum

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Each of the six candidates in an April 21 Chandler City Council candidate forum made at least one eyebrow-raising statement.

But mostly, each candidate’s views came across as pro-business and without much controversy.

The two incumbents and four challengers, who are competing for three open seats in the July 21 election, participated in the Chandler Chamber of Commerce’s candidate forum, held in the Council chamber where each of the six hopes to be sworn into a four-year term in January.

Challenger Joe Granado Jr. had one of the evening’s few surprising takes. In response to a question about the city’s role in housing being affordable for people who live there.

“Let’s get the youth back to work — men and women, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, aviation mechanics, other trades. Kids coming out of school don’t understand their value. They’re used to being in a room playing video games. Let’s get them back to work and show them their value,” he said.

Challenger Ron Hardin said raising taxes seems unnecessary.

“We’ve got capital improvement dollars,” Hardin said, pointing out two bonds city voters recently approved. “So, the answer is, hell, no — we’re not going to raise taxes with that.”

Incumbent Jane Poston, seeking a second four-year term on Council, reiterated her desire to see the Council approve an ethics policy for itself.

The other incumbent, Angel Encinas, said one major Chandler strength is that the city he grew up in “knows who it is” and isn’t searching for an identity.

Challenger Cicely Rocha-Miller said one overlooked aspect of some Kyrene School District campuses shutting down this year is the “human element,” saying city staff should reach out to displaced families from those closures and ensure their needs will be met.

Challenger Lisa Askey, when asked if there was a recent Council decision where she’d have gone “the other way,” said quickly creating proposed charter amendments is not nearly as transparent a process as setting up a committee to carefully study changes.

Watch the entire forum by clicking here.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.