Mesa City Council Election 2024: Meet the Candidates

Eight Mesa City Council candidates are vying to win three seats in the July election.

Voters in District 1 will have to choose a new councilman from four candidates. The four-way race is between candidates Rich Adams, Zachary Hichez, Tim Meyer and Ron Williams. If no candidate receives 50 percent plus one of the votes, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to a runoff in November.

District 2, in the city’s east-central area, has two candidates running for the seat, including incumbent Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury and Melody Whetstone.

Whetstone was the only candidate who did not respond to the Arizona Republic’s questionnaire.

District 3, which includes Sloan Park and the West Mesa Asian District, is a two-way race with incumbent Vice Mayor Francisco Heredia and Marc Lavender.

Mesa voters in each district have the option of maintaining the status quo and choosing candidates who have been involved in city politics for several years or choosing a newcomer who could shake up the dynamics of the council.

Early voting began July 3. Voters can check the status of their mail-in ballot on the Maricopa County website at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/voter-dashboard-login. Those who choose to vote by mail are advised to mail their ballot by July 23 or drop it off at a ballot drop-off location or polling place by July 30.

Arizona Local Elections: Read our complete coverage of the Mesa council race

Mesa City Council District 1 Race

Nestled in the north-central area of Mesa, District 1 is an older, more historic neighborhood in the city. It is unique because of its agricultural roots that date back to the pioneer days of the Lehi neighborhood. Redevelopment is also a major focus of the district.

Rich Adams said he wants to become a District 1 council member to serve and ensure the city remains a place “where people can walk down the street, enjoy our great parks and move around the city without fear.”

Adams has previously served on various municipal boards, including the Planning and Zoning Board, Economic Development Advisory Council and the Falcon Area Vision Commission, among other community-related boards. He comes from a business management background.

He told The Republic that his time on the planning and zoning board taught him “how to balance highest and best use with the character of neighborhoods and the rights of the people who live there.”

Adams received the endorsement of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

Hichez, 28, is a young newcomer to the political scene. He is running for mayor with two main priorities: improving access to public transportation and solving the housing crisis. He is a paramedic for a private ambulance company and is an alumnus of Mesa Community College.

He said he would not encroach on the farming community in the city’s northern suburbs and would focus on policies that would increase housing elsewhere.

Meyer, 62, recently retired from Mesa, where he worked as deputy director of the business services department, managing staff who helped residents with payment processing, city licensing and law enforcement, as well as the city’s call center. His first priority is to look at the budget to “review, reallocate and reduce” spending.

He said he would work with Lehi residents to “make sure their voices are heard and their neighborhood remains the way they want it,” as well as with other neighborhoods in the district. Residents move into a neighborhood for what it offers, Meyers said. As a council member, he said he would work to “make sure future changes are consistent with their wishes.”

Williams, 63, has served on various city and community boards, including the 2050 General Plan Advisory Committee and the Arizona Martin Luther King Celebration Committee. He is an Air Force veteran who served in the Gulf War.

Its top priorities include meeting housing needs, ensuring financial stability and supporting public safety.

A 26-year resident of the Lehi neighborhood, Williams said he would “balance the priorities of the two distinct areas” of his district. Williams received a $200 donation from U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, according to campaign finance reports.

Mesa City Council District 2 Race

Voters in District 2, which encompasses the city’s east-central area, will choose between incumbent Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury and newcomer Melody Whetstone.

Spilsbury, 46, was first elected to the position in 2020. She and her husband ran a small tree-care business for more than 20 years. She has received support from public safety groups, the Mesa Police Association, the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police and the United Mesa Fire Fighters, including a $3,000 campaign donation from the group. She also received support from the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. She also received support from Mayor John Giles.

She said one of her top priorities for her second term is to focus on redeveloping the aging portion of Main Street in District 2.

“I would also like to reach out to the owners and see how we could partner with them to help,” she wrote in The Republic’s questionnaire.

In April, Spilsbury filed an election challenge petition against her opponent, Whetstone, asking the courts to rule on administrative error and challenging her home address as a requirement for candidacy. The judge ruled in Whetstone’s favor, saying she had “substantially complied” with the requirements in her petition papers.

Whetstone, 56, looking to dethrone Spilsbury. She has lived in Mesa since 2009 and has worked in the telecommunications industry for 15 years, with experience ranging from land acquisition to design and construction. She has lived in Mesa since 2009.

She states on her campaign website that she has seen “a significant erosion of Mesa’s conservative values as well as questionable zoning and purchasing decisions by the Mesa City Council.”

The city has “gone off course and ventured into areas outside the city charter,” she wrote on her campaign website. As an example, she wrote about her opposition to the city’s purchase of a hotel for homeless services, saying it’s not Mesa’s responsibility to ensure homeless people have shelter. Instead, it should be up to nonprofit and faith communities to address the problem, she wrote.

She is also running as a write-in candidate for Republican Legislative District 10 committeewoman in Gene Autry’s riding.

She received endorsements from Republican state Rep. Barbara Parker and former City Councilman Kevin Thompson.

Mesa City Council District 3 Race

Located along the city’s western border, District 3 includes significant areas of the city, including Sloan Park, the Asian Quarter, and the former site of the Fiesta Mall.

Now called Fiesta Redefined, the project will be a top priority moving forward. The next council member will have a big say in how the 80-acre site is developed.

Deputy Mayor Francisco Heredia is seeking a second full term on the City Council. He was appointed to the council in 2017 to replace Ryan Winkle, who was removed from office after his arrest for driving under the influence.

Heredia, 42, he owns a local print shop and previously worked for the civic engagement organizations Mi Familia Vota and One Arizona and in community relations at the Maricopa County Clerk’s Office. He moved to Mesa in 2015.

He said developing the Fiesta Mall site was essential to the longevity of the area, both for residents and travelers.

“Making sure we build a quality development that integrates the neighborhood and current locations with a future that can make it a destination has been my feedback on this project to developers,” he wrote in The Republic’s questionnaire.

He received support from Giles, United Mesa Fire Fighters Local 2260 and the United Food & Commercial Workers Union 99, including a $3,000 campaign donation from the group.

Lavender, 53, previously ran for city council in 2018. He moved to Mesa more than 20 years ago and lived in the Dobson Ranch community.

He served as a Republican on the Legislative District 9 Precinct Committee and was selected as Precinct Captain for Dobson Ranch. Professionally, he works as a mortgage broker.

Lavender’s main reason for running is that he believes “Mesa has a spending problem because of a bloated city government.” He points to electric vehicle purchases and non-essential building improvements, like landscaping or new paint, as areas of excessive spending. His “first priority would be to institute a citywide hiring freeze, with the exception of front-line public safety personnel.”

For the Fiesta Redefined project, Lavender said he doesn’t want to see high-density apartments unless they’re integrated with a “mix of restaurants, offices and high-end apartments/condos, and a lot of nightlife.” He said a project like that would be a big draw for Mesa.

Lavender also received support from Parker.