Here’s what you need to know about Peoria state of city event

By Philip Haldiman
Mail | X: @PhilipHaldiman

This year’s state of the city address gave a hint as to what may be in store for Peoria’s future.

The event took place at Christ’s Church of the Valley, 7007 W. Happy Valley Road.

About 400 were in attendance.

A number of dignitaries were included in that: Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, Arizona Reps. Beverly Pingerelli, David Livingston, Steve Montenegro, Sen. Anthony Kern, Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn, Surprise Mayor Skip Hall and Surprise Councilwoman Aly Cline.

Christ’s Church of the Valley senior pastor Ashley Wooldridge spoke and gave a prayer.

The Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard gave the presentation of colors and the Trilogy Veterans Club led the pledge of allegiance

Andrea Robinson, lifetime Peoria resident and former Fox 10 reporter, opened the event and Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill also spoke.

He said good things are coming to Peoria and Beck’s vision for the city is “off the charts.”

“(Beck) is such a strategic thinker... And I can’t tell you what we are working on right now. He can’t. But I can tell you, he’s working on some great stuff. It’s in the queue. And you are going to win a disproportionate number of these projects because of the amazing things you are doing with the city of Peoria and because of (Beck’s) sheer will to get the job done.”

Beck said he ran for mayor on a pledge to change the way Peoria does business, and the city’s accomplishments this year would not have happened without the right leadership to carry out this council’s vision.

Since his election, most top city brass have either retired or left Peoria for other municipalities or jobs. One deputy city manager was fired. Under Beck, a face lift has occurred, with new people in the following positions: deputy city managers, presiding judge, city attorney, city manager and numerous department heads.

“Here at Peoria we have worked to find experienced staff who embrace the spirit of innovation and move at the speed of business,” he said. “As I stand here today, I firmly believe, that as a city, we have assembled some of the best professional staff members from across the entire state. Absolutely nothing we have accomplished would be possible without our great city employees.”

Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated the city had never been held at a church before. That was inaccurate. A state of the city address was held at Copper Hills Church.

Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria

phaldiman@iniusa.org

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.