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It turns out Mayor Skip Hall will have a challenger in the city election — although not in the traditional sense.
Businesswoman and veteran Cheryl Packham has qualified as an official write-in candidate for the Aug. 4 city election.
The mayor position and four other seats on the Surprise City Council are up for grabs in the primary. If any of the races end up with no candidate receiving at least 50% of the vote, it will move on to the November general election between the top-two vote-getters in that race.
Ms. Packham, 38, is a local businesswoman from Cheyenne, Wyoming, who moved to Surprise three years ago with her husband, Shawn. The couple has five kids between them, four of whom live across the country.
Like many people who find Surprise from out of state, the Packhams have their own unique story of discovery.
After she and her husband medically retired from service in the Wyoming Army National Guard, they began searching the U.S. for spots to retire.
Among the factors on the list were safety, sunshine, real-estate prices and a business-friendly city. A place with low amounts of wind was even on the list, which is important when you’ve grown up on a Wyoming prairie.
Ms. Packham, a self-described “analytical person” made a spreadsheet to sort out the possibilities.
Thanks to recommendations made by influential Surprise blogger “Surprise AZ Mom,” the city was on the family’s radar.
“We found Surprise hit all the items on our list, so we came for a vacation in early 2017,” Ms. Packham said.
The family stayed in an Airbnb rental in Surprise and liked it so much, they ended up buying the home for the owner before they left. They came here for good in April that year.
Since moving here, Ms. Packham founded Codobe Work Spaces in 2018 and launched Local Biz: Networking Education and Support earlier this year.
“When the [COVID-19] pandemic hit, I saw a need for local businesses who needed support and help to get the word out about their current offerings as well as marketing support,” Ms. Packham said. “So, I launched a directory for Surprise and created a Facebook Page to assist with the efforts of supporting small businesses. I am not currently charging businesses for basic listings or marketing support as I know that these are tough times for business owners.”
Mr. and Ms. Packham are both veterans. He fought in Desert Storm, while she saw action in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Ms. Packham will be challenging another veteran, Mr. Hall, 74, who is attempting to be elected for the first full term as mayor.
He is currently serving out the remainder of former mayor Sharon Wolcott’s term. Ms. Wolcott resigned at the end of 2018.
Former NAU Lumberjack who loves going to concerts (or I did), watching sports (or I did) and hanging out with friends (oh, never mind). I also enjoy backgammon, surfing and men who are not afraid to cry.
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