New Queen Creek council members sworn in

By Janet Perez
Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

The Queen Creek Town Council started the new year with the swearing in of reelected and recently elected members.

Council members were sworn in during Queen Creek’s first meeting of 2021 on Jan. 20.

Council members Robin Benning and Jeff Brown were sworn in for their fourth term. Council member Leah Martineau was sworn in for her first term.

Also, council member Dawn Oliphant was appointed vice mayor for the upcoming year by Mayor Gail Barney. 

“As a Council, we are committed to serving this fantastic community,” stated Mr. Barney. “I am pleased to have council member Oliphant serve in the vice mayor role for 2021 and continue to work with my fellow council members on moving Queen Creek forward. And a special welcome to our newest council member, Leah Martineau.”

Ms. Martineau is an Arizona native who graduated from Arizona State University with a teaching degree. She currently teaches part-time at a Mesa high school, serves as Maricopa County Precinct Committeeman in Legislative Districts 12 and 16 and is a Queen Creek volunteer team leader with Operation Underground Railroad. Ms. Martineau and her husband, Shaun, have three children, Ryker, Amelia and Rigdon.

The reelected and newly elected members join Mr. Barney and council members Ms. Oliphant, Emilena Turley and Julia Wheatley. Council members and the mayor serve four-year terms. 

Outgoing council member Jake Hoffman was thanked for his years of service to the community. Mr. Hoffman served one term on Town Council before being elected recently to the Arizona House of Representatives

Janet Perez
News Editor | Queen Creek & San Tan Valley
@AzNewsmedia

jperez@iniusa.org

Meet Janet
Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State  University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.

Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.

Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science. 

Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.  

Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.