Goodyear City Council elector Beckles looks forward to January

Benita Beckles is one of three new city council elect members who are scheduled to begin their four-year terms in Goodyear in January 2025.

She ran alongside six other candidates and secured her role this week after votes were canvassed from Arizona’s primary election.

Originally from Chicago, Beckles got her education from Hampton University in Virginia in her undergraduate years and graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with her master's degree. Her education equipped her to serve in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, retiring as a colonel.

“I’m a lifelong public servant and that’s pretty much all I’ve done my life,” Beckles said.

Beckles moved to Arizona as a retiree saying she was seeking warmer weather.

“After I got here, I was like OK, what do I do next with my life,” Beckles said.

After getting settled, she found herself working for the city of Phoenix for eight years and moved on to leadership roles as a board member on various West Valley councils. She was prompted to run for the 2022 election by a community member.

“One individual came up to me and said you have a great background to run for city council, and I never thought of it that way so I began that adventure, and it was quite an adventure,” Beckles said.

In 2022, Beckles lost a seat on the concil 672 votes. In 2024, she secured her council seat by 184 votes, according the the Maricopa County Board of Directors.

During the two years between election cycles, Beckles said she only missed attending three city council meetings.

“It was a matter of getting my name out there, getting to know people and people getting to know me which was something I had not thought about at first. It excited me and made me want to be part of the Goodyear City Council more,” Beckles said, “I’m looking forward to being a voice for the city and to better understand what’s going on in Goodyear as it grows.”