Orlando touts victory, Weninger concedes in Chandler mayor's race

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Even with some ballots possibly still to be counted, one  Chandler mayoral candidate had a significant-enough lead over his opponent the morning after the July 21 election that both made statements that declared the margin insurmountable. 

Matt Orlando held nearly 18-point lead  over Jeff Weninger in the first batch of Maricopa County Elections reporting after the polls closed. Orlando, the longtime City Council member, earned 18,170 of the first 31,291 votes reported. 

And while Orlando's margin was about the same the following morning, when nearly 39,000 votes were in. Orlando and Weninger both posted to social media to declare the race was over.

As of 3 a.m. July 22, Orlando had 21,654 votes, or 58.33% of the vote in the two-candidate race. Weninger had 15,472 votes, or 41.67%.

"Today, I am honored and humbled to have been elected the Mayor of Chandler to finish the job I started 30 years ago," Orlando stated on his Facebook page.  "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to lead Chandler into our next chapter. As mayor, I'll work every day to represent every Chandler resident, whether they voted for me or not, because that's what leadership requires."

Weninger, a restaurateur, state representative and former councilmember, is hoping to beat Orlando, who has served on council for two consecutive terms and was first elected to council in 1990. 

"While the results are not yet official, it's clear that we came up short," Weninger wrote the morning of July 22. "I want to sincerely thank everyone who believed in me, prayed for me, volunteered, put up signs, knocked on doors, made phone calls, contributed to the campaign, shared a post, or simply encouraged me along the way. ... Running for Mayor of Chandler has been one of the greatest honors of my life because it gave me the opportunity to meet so many incredible people and hear your stories, your ideas, and your hopes for our city."

Weninger said those who love the city as much as he does will join him in rooting for Orlando and the city government and its people to all prosper.

"Congratulations to Matt Orlando on his victory," Weninger wrote. "I wish him success as he leads Chandler, because when Chandler succeeds, we all succeed." 

Results are unofficial until certified. The new mayor will be sworn in the first week of January.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jjbrooks@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.

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.