Both the Peoria City Council and Peoria Unified School Districts have seats open in the 2022 Arizona Primary election in August.
Although it is early in the election campaign, a number of possible candidates have pulled papers in the interest of running for an open seat.
Candidates must collect a minimum number of signatures to make it to the ballot. The filing deadline is April 4.
The election is Aug. 2, with a runoff election on Nov. 8, if necessary.
After more than 17 years on council and eight years as mayor, Cathy Carlat will term out this year, and so far two candidates have officially expressed interest in running for the seat.
Bridget Binsbacher, a current Peoria council member representing the Mesquite District in the northern part of the city, and political newcomer Jason Beck, owner of Peoria-based TYR Tactical, are planning to run for mayor.
Peoria City Council member Vicki Hunt is running to retain her seat representing the Acacia District. Political newcomer Eva Osuna has pulled papers with interest to run for the Acacia District seat.
Peoria council member Michael Finn is running to retain his seat representing the Palo Verde District. Political newcomer Anthony VanGoethem has pulled papers with interest to run for the Palo Verde District seat.
Denette Dunn is running to retain her seat representing the Pine District. Political newcomer Richard Johnson has pulled papers with interest to run for the Pine District seat.
In the Peoria Unified School District, four people have pulled papers with interest in running for the two seats that will be vacated by Cory Underhill and Rep. Beverly Pingerelli, R-Peoria.
They are Devon Updegraff-Day, Heather Rooks, Melissa Ewing and Amy Sexton.
PUSD President David Sandoval is gathering signatures for the Legislative District 28 Arizona State Senate race, but he will complete his term on the school board, which terminates Jan. 1, 2025.
As far as campaign finance, Beck and the incumbents are financially preparing for the coming election.
From Oct. 17 to Dec. 31, 2021:
• Beck received or deposited $56,753. He spent $7,260.
• Binsbacher received or deposited $23,000. She spent $5,530.
• Hunt received or deposited $6,850. She spent $3,760.
• Finn received or deposited $40,000. He spent $135.
• Dunn received or deposited $10,750. She spent $1,328.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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