In this edition of Get to Know the Candidates, Peoria Independent asks the city's mayoral candidates about the three most important issues they believe Peoria is facing.
Former city council member Bridget Binsbacher and newcomer Jason Beck are facing off to become the city's top leader.
The Peoria Independent will be hosting candidate forums to learn more about where candidates stand on specific issues that affect residents.
But first, residents can gain some insight as to who the candidates are through a questionnaire the Independent sent out to those in competitive races.
Learn more about the mayoral candidates' top issues and get to better know your possible future representatives.
Bridget Binsbacher
What do you believe are the three most important issues facing the city of Peoria?
Leadership and experience matter a great deal when leading a city. I am the only candidate with a proven track record of leadership and success.
• Protecting the taxpayer and controlling city spending. As a councilmember, I have fought hard for fiscal responsibility, accountability, balanced budgets, and no tax increases. I am a firm believer in conservative local government that is dedicated to transparency and protecting the taxpayers. We have held the line on taxes and found ways to do more with less. I will continue to do so as mayor.
• Supporting public safety. Keeping the public safe is the number one priority of local government. This isn’t something I take lightly; my husband and I live it every day and know full well what first responders go through to keep us safe. Our public safety has been able to keep up with growth and keep response times low. During my time on council, we have been firmly committed to public safety — investing in the Pinnacle Peak Public Safety Facility, investing in police and fire staffing and recruitment, and supporting our internal ambulance service and innovative community paramedicine program. I will continue supporting public safety, it will always be my top priority.
• Ensuring responsible growth and attracting jobs. The population of Peoria has grown by almost 70% in the past 20 years. With the current population at 191,000 citizens, we need to keep up with growth and make sure that public safety can be there when we need them most. Commitment to responsible growth maintains our high quality of life and protects property values.
Please describe the approach you would take to solve each of these issues if elected.
The first step is understanding local government and how a functioning council works together to serve the citizens we represent. I have fought hard to give our public safety professionals what they need to do their job and will continue to do so.
As for growth, I am committed to ensuring responsible growth through a public process and design standards that keep our city an attractive place to live with well-maintained public amenities throughout the entire city. In Peoria, water conservation is a way of life. I will work tirelessly to protect and preserve its varying water supply through aquifer recharge, direct reuse of reclaimed water for landscaping and other non-drinking water demands, as well as planning and building reliable water infrastructure.
I am the only candidate with knowledge and experience necessary to protect Peoria’s water future.
As for economic development, I will work to continue to hit home runs when it comes to attracting jobs and economic opportunities. The city was ranked 4th Best Place to Get a Job (Wallethub, 2018) and the No. 1 city with booming employment growth by CNBC (2017). The proof is in job numbers as well — Peoria’s labor force commuting to jobs in other cities is down to 69% from nearly 90% just a few years ago. Our city also remains a top tourist destination, racking up recognition as Best Winter Destination in the U.S. (Expedia, 2017) as well as a Top 10 Unique Destination by USA Today (2019).
Jason Beck
What do you believe are the three most important issues facing the city of Peoria?
The top three priorities for Peoria are simply public safety, economic development and elevating our workforce through sustainable long-term growth and infrastructure.
• Public Safety. The number one priority for government is public safety. My platform is committed to ensuring our first responders are fully staffed and have adequate resources. I am committed to reducing critical response times, decreasing crime, and ensuring our first responders receive full and proper training they need to not only take care of our citizens but come home to their families.
Unfortunately, public safety is not the number one priority for this administration or my opponent. It is one thing to say it’s a priority, it is another thing to take action. Talk is cheap. Contrary to statements by the current administration, public safety is understaffed and under-resourced. All one needs to do is look at the facts. We are way below national and regional metrics. Why does it take my entrance into the mayoral race to get the current establishment to fund more police and fire personnel? — An action that was way too little and way too late, by the way.
• Economic Development. This is an absolute priority, to drive revenues for the city, which is necessary to pay for city services like public safety, roads, infrastructure, events, parks, and recreation, etc. Without a focus on business, Peoria is simply not financially sustainable over the long-term. The city has recently put out a number of “puff pieces” that try to mislead citizens. I think citizens are far smarter than this administration gives them credit for. They know the reputation is not good and we need to change the way Peoria does business.
My vision and plan create economic engines placed strategically throughout the city, that creates billions in annual economic impact and tens of thousands of quality jobs. It includes building a pro-business culture that moves at the speed of business. It includes changing the city’s reputation with investors and the private sector from a place to avoid, to a place where they have confidence to come to Peoria, have a great experience and thrive here. Business invests in confidence, and as a business leader, I bring the experience and pedigree to give them the confidence to make the decision to come here and invest here.
• Elevating our Workforce. The number one challenge facing business today and into the foreseeable future, is workforce. Instead of ignoring this fact, let’s build an outstanding workforce of the future, right now, today. If we are going to realize our full potential and become a highly prosperous city, we need to solve this problem. Our future workforce resides in our schools. My platform is simple. I support working in partnership with our schools to find innovative and accountable solutions to continuously improve our schools. When we continuously improve educational attainment in our city, we are building the workforce of the future. We are building prosperity. We are building community.
Please describe the approach you would take to solve each of these issues if elected.
I am a servant leader, and this means my approach is rooted in complete transparency with our citizens, building consensus, and a collaborative approach to finding solutions. The stakeholders of this city will finally have a seat at the table and their input valued. It is time to have a mayor who truly listens to its citizens, instead of lip service. One only needs to look at the recent redistricting fiasco and the trailhead development to see first-hand how the current administration does not value the input of its citizens.
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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