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Election 2024
Incumbent withdraws from 2024 Florence council race
Town of Florence
Florence Town Councilmember Arthur “Snake” Neal stands in front of the newly unveiled plaque for the Viney Jones Library and Community Center in November. Neal has just announced he will not be running for reelection this year.
The only incumbent left in the Florence Town Council race has withdrawn his candidacy.
Arthur "Snake" Neal cited competing personal and professional priorities and a desire to spend more time with his family, according to a press release from the town.
The announcement became official on Wednesday when the town clerk’s office received Neal’s formal withdrawal notice. Neal, who has served as a council member since 2020, will continue in his seat until his term ends in December 2024, when the newly elected council will take office.
Three candidates remain vying for the three council seats open this election cycle: Sherrie L. Bedford, James “Tony” Bencina and Tracy Flora.
Another seat on the council has been left vacant following the resignation of Michelle Cordes who is now running for mayor. She faces former town fire marshal Keith Eaton. Current Mayor Tara Walter opted not to run for reelection in order to run of Pinal County school superintendent.
Cordes’ was reelected in 2022 with her term set to expire in December 2026. Since Cordes resigned fewer than 30 days before the election filing deadline, the town council must now advertise and appoint a new member to fill out her term.
Born and raised in Florence, Neal graduated from Florence High School in 1996 and went to Eastern Arizona College on a football scholarship. When he returned to Florence, he began working with his older brother at the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department.
He retired after 20 years of service in 2017 and worked for the Florence Unified School District as campus security. He is now working court security at the Pinal County Courthouse. His wife is a first-grade teacher at Florence K-8. Together they have 10 children. They had five together and three nephews they have raised for about 10 years, as well as two great nieces. Neal stated that his family’s lives are fully integrated into the Florence community, and they want to help make it the best.
Neal is a town liaison for the Charles Whitlow Rodeo Grounds Advisory Board, Florence Industrial Development Authority Inc. and the Pinal County Water Augmentation Authority.
