A primary election is Aug. 2 for candidates in Mesa City Council districts 4, 5 and 6, with terms expiring in January 2027.
Candidates filing for a seat in each district are:
District 4: Jenn Duff (incumbent), Trista Guzman Glover and Nathaniel Ross;
District 5: Alicia Goforth;
District 6: Scott Somers and Darla Trendler.
As the primary election nears, the Independent is conducting Q&As with each council candidate to get their opinion on various topics having to do with the city of Mesa. In this installment are the answers to “How can the city balance the needs of residents with horse property and a rural lifestyle and those who prefer a more urban lifestyle?”
As the election gets closer, keep an eye on yourvalley.net/mesa-independent and the print edition of the Mesa Independent for more from the Q&A series.
For the following, candidate Alicia Goforth didn’t respond to emails.
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Scott Somers
Scott Somers, 54, is a firefighter, paramedic and professor of practice. He has lived 27 years in Mesa District 6.
How can the city balance the needs of residents with horse property and a rural lifestyle and those who prefer a more urban lifestyle?: Unique neighborhoods are part of what makes Mesa a dynamic city that can fit the needs of any sort of lifestyle and people of all ages from retirees to students and young families. During my time on council, we worked for two years with residents to create a new general plan that builds diverse neighborhoods like Eastmark, Lehi and the Desert Uplands. Whether urban or rural, my focus is maintaining safe, clean, and vibrant places for people to live.
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Darla Trendler
Darla Trendler, 49, is a small business owner. She has lived in Mesa for 22 years.
How can the city balance the needs of residents with horse property and a rural lifestyle and those who prefer a more urban lifestyle?: Mesa started as an agriculture and livestock community and it is important to remember those roots while also balancing our modern needs. I value hearing from all stakeholders and will work hard to listen and learn from residents who know the unique needs of our neighborhoods. What makes sense in one area of the city may not be advantageous in another area, especially in District 6, so I will prioritize communicating with neighbors and getting input from people in our community who have expertise in livestock and our community’s heritage.
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Jenn Duff
Jenn Duff, 62, is vice mayor of Mesa and a small business owner. She has lived in Mesa for 62 years.
How can the city balance the needs of residents with horse property and a rural lifestyle and those who prefer a more urban lifestyle?: Mesa is quickly becoming one of America’s larger cities. It is approximately 138 square miles and therefore it is a city that has a place for people who want a suburban, rural or urban feel. Strategic zoning and an engaged public process will provide appropriate transitions from one type of property to another when those situations arise.
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Trista Guzman Glover
Trista Guzman Glover, 33, works as a faculty associate. She has lived in Mesa for six years.
How can the city balance the needs of residents with horse property and a rural lifestyle and those who prefer a more urban lifestyle?: The city can have different zoning overlays for various communities. In more urban areas, they should adopt form-based code to promote infill projects. In rural areas, they need zoning overlays to complement the existing neighborhoods. It is vital to maintain Mesa’s past as we look to the future.
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Nathaniel Ross
Nathaniel Ross, 21, is a biology graduate student at ASU. He is a lifelong Mesa resident.
How can the city balance the needs of residents with horse property and a rural lifestyle and those who prefer a more urban lifestyle?: The city should balance the needs of residents with diverse lifestyle situations by ensuring that residents have access to city services regardless of ZIP code. This includes services from accessible public transportation options to responsive public safety resources. Mesa is a big city with the feeling of a small town. Our downtown district is not the typical urban setting of high-rises and stadiums, and I want to maintain that feeling for future generations. I believe downtown Mesa can be the place to bring people from urban and rural lifestyles together, and build community within the city.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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