The only two candidates on the ballot for the July 21 Chandler mayoral election took part in a lively April 28 debate.
Current Councilmember Matt Orlando didn’t launch quite as many jabs as his opponent, former council member and current state Rep. Jeff Weninger, during the 80-minute debate hosted by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce.
Both made multiple cases on their themes — Orlando’s experience and role in the city’s recent successes, versus Weninger’s push to make new efficiencies happen and solve longstanding problems — in their efforts to be sworn in next January to replace term-limited Kevin Hartke.
Weninger and Orlando are well-known to each other and to many city voters. They represent different generations and segments of Chandler’s populace. Orlando is a retired National Guard colonel and U.S. Air Force veteran who worked in tech sales, while Weninger is a longtime local restaurateur.
Weninger took his first jab at Orlando in response to moderator Lisa Simpson’s first question of the evening, about what transparency and accessible leadership look like to each candidate. Weninger said he believed putting major decisions about ordinances, charter amendments or fiscal investments shouldn’t be done solely in time to meet open-meeting requirements.
“We had a situation when I was on council where we were going to give a company $10 million as they built what turned out to be mostly data centers now, slapped onto the agenda with 24-hours notice,” Weninger said. “So I voted against that and I would do it again. I criticized how it was done at the time, because it could have been publicly noticed much better.”
Orlando said transparency is a cornerstone of how Chandler operates, while criticizing the Legislature where Weninger’s serving as a body that “has a caucus go into a private room, they come out and they all vote yes.”
Weninger echoed sentiments heard during the April 21 Chandler Chamber forum for city council candidates about keeping up with aging infrastructure. He said a 2018 report showed 200 miles of water mains were in critical condition, and yet the city is only rehabilitating or addressing a half-mile to a mile per year.
“Now, we’re seeing a few water mains break per month,” Weninger said. “I have a plan of accelerating that, responsibly. And I have a plan for our parks, too.”
The two candidates had at least one back-and-forth about data centers. Orlando and his fellow council members voted 7-0 in December to reject a development plan and infrastructure agreement for Active Infrastructure — a firm whose CEO said he wanted to build a large “AI data center” on the site of vacant Price Road industrial buildings.
Weninger quoted Orlando, from that Dec. 11 meeting, as saying “I don’t care about the water,” which Orlando said, during the debate, was quoting him out of context and Orlando’s doubts about Active Infrastructure’s ability to turn a profit were unfocused.
“Let’s not cherry-pick what I said,” Orlando said.
Weninger insisted that discussing the viability of a business model during a land-use hearing is inappropriate.
Weninger said not only should the city prioritize water mains and other critical infrastructure ahead of projects such as walking trails, there are other items, such as grass athletic fields, that need to be rehabilitated, reseeded or replaced with artificial turf to improve conditions.
Both candidates said they wouldn’t vote to raise taxes or fees as mayor; Weninger criticized Orlando for voting inconsistently on the 2025 cycle of utility rate increase proposals.
Orlando, speaking about new taxes, said, “No, but we’ve got to keep working at it.”
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.
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