Eight running for San Tan Valley’s first elected town council

The slate of candidates for the town of San Tan Valley’s July 21 primary election is set.

This is the first election for the town which was incorporated in January. After the council members are elected, they will appoint a mayor and vice mayor from among themselves.

Tyler Hudgins, Daniel Oakes, Daren Schnepf, Brian Tyler and Rupert Wolfert currently serve on the town’s inaugural council after being appointed by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.

After their appointments, the council selected Schnepf to serve as mayor and Hudgins to serve as vice mayor.

Also running for the seven-member council are Diane Combes, Jean E. (Jeanne) Stockton and Alex Stovall.

Here’s a look at the candidates based on information from their campaign websites:

Diane Combes

Diane Combes is a former admissions officer for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and served as treasurer of San Tan Valley Inc., the organization that led the successful incorporation effort.

She was interviewed by the board of supervisors for a seat on the inaugural council. She has lived in San Tan Valley for five years and serves as a substitute teacher and as vice president of her HOA.

Combes holds a bachelor’s degree in education and was raised in Ohio.

Tyler Hudgins

Tyler Hudgins serves as vice mayor of the San Tan Valley Town Council after being appointed by the board of supervisors.

Before joining the town council, he chaired San Tan Valley Inc., the committee that led the successful effort to incorporate the community of nearly 100,000 residents.

His experience spans local government, small business, nonprofit leadership, vocational ministry and communications.

He holds a master’s degree from Calvin Theological Seminary.

Daniel Oakes

Daniel Oakes serves on the San Tan Valley Town Council after being appointed by the board of supervisors.

He has called San Tan Valley home for more than 23 years and is the founder and director of the Arizona Family Institute, a locally based mental health practice serving families throughout the East Valley.

Oakes “believes local government works best when it is transparent, fiscally responsible and closely connected to the people it serves,” according to his campaign website.

He and his wife, Shannon, raised five children who all attended area schools.

Daren Schnepf

Daren Schnepf currently serves as the mayor of San Tan Valley after being appointed to the council by the board of supervisors.

He has lived in the area for 22 years, not including the first few years of his life on his family’s farm. His family roots date back to 1941 in the areas of San Tan Valley and Queen Creek.

As a manager at a local private water utility company, H2O Inc., he helped lead the company’s growth of up to 10,000 meter connections. Schnepf serves on the Pinal County Planning & Zoning Commission and was part of an earlier effort to incorporate San Tan Valley. As a resident, he provided input for the San Tan Valley Special Area Plan that Pinal County developed to help guide the growth of the unincorporated area.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and a master’s degree in business administration.

Schnepf and his wife raised five children in San Tan Valley.

Jean E. (Jeanne) Stockton

Jean E. (Jeanne) Stockton has lived in San Tan Valley since 2009 and is a mother and grandmother.

Stockton has been involved in many local activities and believes in building “a stronger, safer and more connected community where everyone feels valued” and is “ready to bring that same heart and energy to the town council,” according to her campaign website.

Alex Stovall

Alex Stovall is currently serving as first vice chair of the Pinal County Republican Committee and president of the Arizona Republican Assembly of North Central Pinal County.

Born and raised in Tucson, he joined the U.S. Army in 2013, deploying alongside an infantry division as a supply sergeant, and later direct commissioned as an Army chaplain candidate, retiring with the rank of first lieutenant.

Stovall studied to become a reverend, earning his license from the International Ministerial Fellowship. He earned his bachelor’s degree in theology with an emphasis in biblical studies from Grand Canyon University. He then went on to earn his master’s degree in divinity.

Stovall is now working toward a doctorate in psychology with an emphasis on human behavior.

Brian Tyler

Brian Tyler serves on the San Tan Valley Town Council after being appointed by the board of supervisors.

He is a utility meter specialist for the town of Queen Creek and was a member of San Tan Valley Inc.

Tyler and his wife have lived in San Tan Valley for the past 17 years and have raised four children.

While coaching youth football and baseball, as well as working with youth organizations through local churches, Tyler saw how San Tan Valley families often had to travel out of the area to find places for kids to practice and play because of a lack of local facilities.

“That experience opened his eyes to larger issues facing the community and the need for local representation and long-term planning,” Tyler’s campaign website stated.

Rupert Wolfert

Rupert Wolfert serves on the San Tan Valley Town Council after being appointed by the board of supervisors.

Wolfert is a U.S. Army veteran who served two deployments to Afghanistan. He has lived in San Tan Valley for 10 years.

Rupert works at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and has experience at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Social Security Administration.

He holds master’s degrees in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, public administration and policy from American University, and leadership and management from the Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.