Incumbents hold top spots in unofficial Goodyear election results

Incumbent Mayor Joe Pizzillo and a slate of leading City Council candidates held leads after the Maricopa County Elections Department released updated  ballot statistics on Wednesday, July 22 at 10 p.m., with 99% of the community's votes counted.

County officials said that while nearly all ballots have been counted in the race for local leadership roles, official results remain pending the formal canvass scheduled for Aug. 4.

In the mayoral race, Pizzillo secured a decisive lead over challenger Bill Stipp. Pizzillo, who has served as mayor since 2021 and previously spent over a decade on the City Council, garnered 12,408 votes (77.52%). Stipp, a former three-term council member, trailing behind with 3,599 votes (22.48%).

Pizzillo’s platform relied on four decades of experience in state and local government finance, positioning  to oversee municipal operations and fiscal policy during the city's expansion.

Meanwhile, four candidates competed for three open seats on the Goodyear City Council:

• Brannon Hampton: 10,782 votes (26.84%)

• Sheri Lauritano: 10,358 votes (25.79%)

• Vicki Gillis: 9,673 votes (24.08%)

• Jason Kish: 9,352 votes (23.28%)

Hampton, Goodyear’s current vice mayor, led the field. First elected to the council in 2017, Hampton brings a background in operations, quality assurance, and financial planning. Lauritano, a small business owner, former prosecutor, and pro tem judge who previously served three terms on the council and sat on the Planning and Zoning Commission, held the second position. Gillis, an incumbent first elected in 2022 who focused her campaign on public safety and managing municipal growth, captured the third-highest tally.

Kish sat in fourth place, trailing Gillis by 321 votes.

Under the Goodyear City Charter, candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected if each receives more than a majority of the votes cast for that office. Terms for newly elected seats will begin on Jan. 1, 2027.

The Maricopa County Elections Department will continue processing remaining eligible ballots and updating tallies daily until all tabulations are complete.