Public safety endorsements, developer contributions christen favored Goodyear council candidates

The endorsements from the Goodyear fire and police unions are not just symbolic gestures; they hold significant weight in the city council elections.

In smaller to midszie cities like Goodyear, these endorsements, along with developer-associated campaign finance contributions, can be the catalyst to propel candidates to victory and shape the municipal political landscape.

In 2022, three of the four Goodyear city council members elected received endorsements from police and fire. Those candidates, Joe Pizzillo, Vicki Gillis and Brandon Hampton were not only elected but also received high amounts of financial contributions from special interests, which played a crucial role in their successful campaigns.

Outside of monetary contributions, public safety endorsements also secure a significant campaign workforce for candidates, dwarfing the efforts non-endorsed candidates can exert.

In May, the United Goodyear Fire Fighters Local #4005 Union posted a picture on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, showing workers placing large signs near roadways for three endorsed candidates.

Twitter

In 2022’s election, one current fire- and police-endorsed council member, Vicki Gillis, received 8,784 votes in a city with over 100,000 residents. That translates to, give or take, 8% of Goodyear's population. The council member who received the next highest vote total, Brannon Hampton, received 1,833 more votes than Gillis, a difference of approximately 2% of the population.

Hampton was also endorsed.

Gillis edged out candidate Benita Beckles for third, who was not elected, by a narrow margin of 672 votes. This difference is roughly half a percentage point of Goodyear’s total population, underscoring the influence endorsements and contributions have on election outcomes.

This year, 2022 council runner-up Beckles, is vying for one of the three council seats with her new endorsement.

This year fire and police have endorsed incumbent Laura Kaino, newcomer Trey Terry, and Beckles.

Some question first responder endorsements, specifically noting council members essentially pass pay increases, approve benefits, and initiate the construction of police and fire facilities, which can cost upwards of several millions of dollars, all through the city's budget.

In the 2023 special election, Goodyear voters approved the issuance of a $80 million general obligation bond for public safety. The bond measure was brought on by Goodyear’s council as an essential need, seeks to build a public safety training facility for police and fire and a fire resource management facility.

The bond cannot raise the salaries of police or firemen, but it can give endorsees better working conditions.

A golden ticket

The public safety endorsement can often be seen as the golden ticket for candidates. The reasons behind this are simple: voters want to be safe and hold firefighters and police officers in high regard.

According to a 2023 commissioned survey, residents overwhelmingly saw the services provided by Goodyear Police as outstanding, with 88% responding with a positive rating. Similarly, Goodyear Fire received a 92% positive rating.

Developer approval of a candidate is also an indicator of success in Goodyear. The U.S. census regularly classifies Goodyear as one of the fastest-growing cities in America.

Recently, in the 2023 annual commissioned survey, voters' approval of development decreased from 71% to 62%.

Despite the failing grade on development,  representatives for developers and their applications ultimately see their projects get approved by the elected city council members they've financially backed. These attorneys, representing developers, are seen on campaign finance reports for council members before successful campaigns.

In April, police- and fire-endorsed Beckles and received 23 donations from development-associated attorneys and business owners. For that quarter's reporting period, she received more than $17,000 in contributions.

In January, police- and fire-endorsed Vice Mayor Laura Kaino, received more than $34,000 in contributions for her reelection, also mainly from developer-associated individuals.

Candidate Trey Terry, according to his reports, is mostly self-funding.

Developer money can be tied to decisions made in Goodyear, as some of those contributing may have projects that eventually will find their way to council.

In November, elected officials unanimously approved a rezoning application with donor ties, converting land near the Sedella residential community from commercial to industrial despite strong neighborhood and popular opposition.

The approval allowed the construction of four buildings with approximately 28,600, 41,400, 190,000, and 270,800 square feet of space near the new homes in Sedella. 

Ed Bull from Phoenix law firm Burch and Cracchiolo PA was the development partner and speaker at the meeting. Reps from Burch and Cracchiolo donated to Mayor Joe Pizzillo’s 2022 campaign, according to a filed finance report.

Also in attendance during the November governing board meeting was Nico Howard from the development owner Southwest Next. Howard donated $1,000 to a political committee "Building a Better Goodyear," which is a site backing the group Yes for Goodyear. That group is supporting a bond of $135 million for transportation projects, $80 million for public safety and $17 million for parks.

According to polling from MayDay America, a campaign finance reform group,  92% of Democrats and 94% of Republicans think special interest money has too much influence in politics. Polling from MayDay America also suggests 80% of all voters think the campaign finance aspect of politics needs serious reform.

In 2019, the city of Los Angeles passed an ordinance requiring real estate developers to refrain from making political contributions to Los Angeles city officials when the city considers approvals for projects.

Developers face a year's restriction after a final decision on each application.

Truth in taxation

During a 2023 work sessions, prior to a $227 million 2023 bond vote, Goodyear staff explained that property appreciation and growth would level out the primary and secondary tax rates to maintain a current rate of taxes.

According to comments from a local Facebook group, some residents see the $80 million bond issuance as a balancing act between expiring primary property taxes and new, higher secondary property taxes.

“They already blew a lot of money on a shiny new building for Public Safety,” Cathy Christensen wrote in the Facebook forum. “They made a shiny new building for themselves first. Raises for Police, etc. should have come first, especially with the havoc that they have created with their 'growth' here. I think that shiny stuff and tax dollars come first for these 'Politicians’ here in Goodyear. I am voting all of them out.”

Christensen’s response was posted as a comment below an opinion piece by Mayor Joe Pizzillo in a group called Goodyear Everything Page before the election.

According to Goodyear’s recently approved $818.1 million budget for fiscal year 2024-25, primary property tax rates decreased slightly, with the net money levied increasing from either property appreciation or expansion.

Secondary property tax rates increased for the second year in a row. These rates specifically fund bond issues, budget overrides, and special district funding, according to the Arizona State Board of Equalization.

The combined tax rate remained the same.