Voters to decide if Apache Junction mayor’s term increased to 4 years

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

City of Apache Junction employees are drafting documents for an election to be held to allow voters to decide if the mayor’s term of office should be lengthened to four years from the present two years.

The Apache Junction City Council voted unanimously Feb. 18 to direct staff to take action and bring forth any and all resolutions necessary to change the mayoral term from two years to four years.

The mayor presently is elected to serve a two-year term and six council members each are elected to serve four-year terms.

The salary for the position of mayor is paid at the rate of $1,000 per month, for vice mayor it is $900 per month and for a council member it is $800 per month, according to Apache Junction City Code.

A resolution is the first step to get the question before voters at the next election, City Attorney Joel Stern told council prior to the vote.

“This is the first step. So if you do this — and the motion is before you — then at the next meeting you will have a resolution that calls the election and also provides the question for the voters. And the city clerk and I have been working on this and so we do have a time line, and it is possible to get this on the election for November,” he said.

Mayor Chip Wilson, who previously said he will not be running for mayor again, said during the Feb. 18 meeting he brought up the possibility of a change to a four-year term.

“No. 1, running every two years — granted I just got elected for two years again — well, really and truthfully in about four months I’d be out starting to get signatures to get back on the ballot again for next year. So you’re just every other year you’re doing it,” he said. “I do believe it’s for a smooth working council, being a four-year term is the best thing for it,” he said.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

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.