Two residents have put in statements of interest to fill the seat of former Peoria City Council member Bridget Binsbacher.
The possible candidates for the November special election are former Planning and Zoning Commissioner Brad Shafer and Diane Douglas, former state schools superintendent and Peoria Unified School District board member.
Binsbacher recently stepped down from her council seat to run for mayor, as current Mayor Cathy Carlat will term out at the end of the year.
Binsbacher represented the Mesquite District in northern Peoria, which has received the majority of the city’s growth durng the past decade.
Douglas lives in the West Wing neighborhood of north Peoria.
Shafer also lives in north Peoria and stepped down from the planning commission, April 7, with eyes on Bisnbacher’s vacant seat. He was the only candidate who applied for the interim position, which council is expected to consider, April 28.
The interim council member will fill the position from that day until the business day after the special election has been canvased.
The deadline for Shafer and Douglas to submit signatures to appear on the November ballot is July 11.
The elected council member will serve in the seat until the end of 2024.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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