Chandler charter dispute: Mayor term decision could happen Thursday
Independent Newsmedia file/Jason W. Brooks
Chandler mayor Kevin Hartke speaks at a late 2024 meeting. The mayor said controversy has arisen over what he calls “ambiguous language” in the city charter that makes it unclear whether council members can run for mayor without sitting out the race at the end of the second of their two terms.
After the Chandler City Council met in a closed-door executive session Monday, May 19, along with a public meeting, Mayor Kevin Hartke acknowledged he couldn’t say much.
He did say a controversy that has resurfaced over city council members running for mayor isn’t new — nor has it ever been completely resolved.
”Mayor (Jay) Tibshraeny ran directly for mayor while he was on council,” Hartke told the Chandler Independent. “So did Mayor (Coy) Payne, Boyd Dunn and Kenny Thomas. So there’s a precedent of multiple mayors who were on council while running for mayor. Through different charter changes, the intention has been to follow that flow (of precedent).”
Hartke said it’s unclear whether Council member Matt Orlando — the only current council member whose maximum of two consecutive terms ends in 2026 — will be permitted, under the city charter, to run for mayor.
“That will be determined,” Hartke said. “We’ll be bringing something Thursday (May 22) to potentially address that.”
Hartke said he sees no reason why he should resign now, nor does he plan to run next year for what appears to be a clearly barred third term.
Hartke was serving as a Council member when he ran for and won the 2018 mayor’s race, easily winning re-election to a second and final term in 2022.
“The language in the charter has gotten convoluted along the way, through different charter changes,” Hartke said regarding mayoral terms and who can seek them. “It’s just unfortunate that as some language was changed, some other language was left on that supported language that was omitted, so that seems to still be the issue we’re in today.”
The posted purpose for one of the May 19 executive sessions was “discussion or consultation with legal counsel for legal advice relating to city charter appointive officer requirements.”
Chandler has been a charter city since 1965. Hartke said term limits have been part of the charter since 1972. In 2012, Hartke said, the charter was changed to extend mayoral terms from two years to four years, making Tibshraeny the first beneficiary of such a change, and Hartke is the second.
The mayor said the history of both actual practice and multiple interpretations of what the charter means leads him to believe that nothing dramatic will change regarding the mayor’s position.
“I have no reason to expect that,” Hartke said. “We’ve got a long process and a long history. The language is ambiguous and has been interpreted differently. I think it’s ambiguous enough that we’ll see where we go with this.”
The Thursday, May 22 regular meeting is public and is set to be held at City Hall, 88 E. Chicago St., downtown Chandler.
The agendas for Thursday council meetings are typically posted to the city’s website late Wednesday afternoons to meet the 24-hour minimum notice requirement for public meetings.
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.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here