After the March 23 signature petition deadline, only two candidates ended up on the July 21 mayoral election ballot: Jeff Weninger, left, and Matt Orlando.
Chandler will have a new a mayor in January.
In fact, residents won’t even have to wait until November to find out who it will be, as there are only two candidates in the July 21 primary — Matt Orlando and Jeff Weninger — negating the need for a runoff.
One of the two candidates will replace Kevin Hartke, who is term-limited. The two are well-known not only to each other, but also to anyone who’s followed local politics at any point over the past decade.
Orlando is a current and longtime Chandler City Council member. Weninger served on Council as well, and he is finishing up his most recent term as a state representative.
Matt Orlando
Orlando is a native of Newark, New Jersey. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University and an MBA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Orlando retired as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force after serving 30 years on active duty and in the Arizona Air National Guard. Orlando has been a resident of Chandler since 1983; he was a director of technical sales at Honeywell before retiring in 2016.
Orlando was a Chandler City Council member from 1990 to 1998 and 2004 to 2013, and was elected again in 2018. He began his sixth overall term on the council in January 2023 and served as vice mayor for that calendar year.
Orlando is married to Pat and they have three children and two grandchildren.
As Council member, he serves on local, regional and national committees, including the board of directors for the National League of Cities and Council subcommittees devoted to neighborhoods, quality of life, and sustainability and technology.
Orlando is active in the American Legion and umpiring for both youth and adult softball.
As an umpire, coach and past president of the Chandler Girls Softball League, recreation facilities have been one of his focuses on council, along with public safety, veterans affairs, and commercial and industrial development.
Jeff Weninger
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Weninger first came to the East Valley to help start restaurant businesses. He and his business partner, Shaun Kelley, own the restaurant company Arizona Sandwich Shops Inc.
The company is known for the gourmet sandwich shop Dilly’s Deli and an Italian restaurant in Chandler, Floridino’s Pizza and Pasta.
Weninger has lived in Chandler with his wife, Janet, and three kids for more than 20 years.
After serving about nine years and two elected four-year terms on the Chandler City Council, Weninger was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives for then-District 17, holding that office for the duration and chairing the House Commerce Committee.
After serving, Weninger ran for Arizona treasurer in 2022, but lost the Republican nomination to incumbent Kimberly Yee. She initially jumped into the governor’s race, but eventually dropped out and ran successfully to keep her job as state treasurer.
Weninger then ran for and was elected to one of the two Legislative District 13 House of Representatives seats in 2024.
His priorities are vast, but tend to focus on reducing tax burdens, increasing government transparency and removing red tape — especially for businesses.
His website states he’s an advocate for small businesses, community schools and first responders.
Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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