The deadline has now passed for candidates to submit their signatures for the 2024 Peoria City Council election, and five residents have made it to the ballot.
There are three seats open on the council this year.
Two candidates will run unopposed: Incumbent Jon Edwards in the Willow District and Rick Stokes in the Ironwood District.
This year there is one competitive race for the Mesquite District to represent the northernmost district of Peoria, and three candidates will be on that ballot: Thomas Bottorf, Matt Bullock and Laura Page.
The Peoria Independent will feature the candidates in future articles.
The primary election will be July 30, and if needed, a run-off will be on the Nov. 5 general election.
The winners will be sworn in next January.
Ironwood councilmember Bill Patena and Mesquite councilmember Brad Shafer have announced they will not seek reelection this year.
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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