Shafer sworn in as Mesquite District council member
Brad Shafer has been sworn in as the newly elected Peoria City Councilmember for the Mesquite Distric.
This special election pitted Shafer against former state schools superintendent Diane Douglas, and fills former councilmember Bridget Binsbacher’s seat, who stepped down to run for mayor.
In the race for the Mesquite District, Shafer had 6,438 votes or 52% of the vote, and his opponent former state schools superintendent Diane Douglas had 5,831, or 48%, according to official results.
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Brad Shafer has been sworn in as the newly elected Peoria City Councilmember for the Mesquite Distric.
This special election pitted Shafer against former state schools superintendent Diane Douglas, and fills former councilmember Bridget Binsbacher’s seat, who stepped down to run for mayor.
In the race for the Mesquite District, Shafer had 6,438 votes or 52% of the vote, and his opponent former state schools superintendent Diane Douglas had 5,831, or 48%, according to official results.
Shafer was previously appointed by city council in April to fill the vacancy. His term will run through 2024.
Judge George Anagnost administered Shafer’s oath of office.
In competitive contests Jason Beck was elected mayor and Jennifer Crawford was elected to the Acacia District council seat during the general election. Incumbernts Michael Finn and Denette Dunn ran unopposed. They will be sworn in as councilmembers in January.
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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