Phoenix City Council appointed Carlos Galindo-Elvira as an interim council member to fill the vacant District 7 seat on Tuesday. Yassamin Ansari vacated the seat to run for Congress in Arizona’s third district.
Two big things in Galindo-Elvira’s favor were that he pledged to only finish out the current term, which ends in April 2025, and not run for a new term in the November election. He also pledged to donate his council salary to nonprofits in District 7 – but not to the one he works for, Chicanos Por La Causa.
Galindo-Elvira has a mix of nonprofit and government experience. He served in leadership positions for Chicanos Por La Causa, Valle del Sol and the Anti-Defamation League. He served as an assistant to U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini, was a voter outreach coordinator for Pinal County and was mayor and council member of the small town of Hayden.