Mayor and City or Town Council In Arizona, most cities and towns operate under a council–manager form of government. The Mayor is the city or town’s chief elected official, providing leadership and policy direction. At the same time, a City or Town Manager, appointed by the Council, oversees daily operations and municipal staff. The Mayor typically presides over Council meetings, represents the municipality publicly, and serves as a voting member of the governing body. In most Arizona municipalities, the Mayor does not have independent veto authority; decisions are made collectively by the Council as defined by state law and local charters.The City or Town Council serves as the legislative and policymaking body. Council members adopt ordinances and resolutions, approve the annual budget and capital improvement plans, set local policy priorities, and oversee city operations. They also respond to constituent concerns through public meetings, correspondence, and coordination with city staff. Most Arizona cities and towns hold nonpartisan elections for Mayor and Council, and four-year terms are typical. Why You Should CareThe Mayor and City or Town Council make decisions that directly affect daily life in Arizona communities. They set priorities and allocate spending for essential local services, including police, fire, and emergency medical services; housing and homelessness programs; streets, transportation, water, sewer, and trash services; parks and recreation; zoning and development; and long-term infrastructure planning. These officials also represent their communities in regional planning efforts related to growth, transportation, water resources, and climate resilience. Voting in these local races gives residents a direct voice in how their city or town is governed and how public resources are used.For additional information:https://www.azcleanelections.gov/how-government-works/arizona-mayorhttps://www.azcleanelections.gov/how-government-works/arizona-city-and-town-council-members
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Public Policy Priorities
My public policy priorities focus on building stronger, more resilient rural communities, especially those that host mining and other extraction industries. First, I support sustainable economic development that helps rural communities diversify beyond one industry. Mining communities carry impacts to infrastructure, roads, public safety, housing, water planning, and long-term land use. More of Arizona’s mining severance tax should return to these communities so they can invest in infrastructure, workforce development, small business growth, tourism, and amenities that create lasting opportunity. Second, I support stronger blight prevention tools for rural towns. Vacant and neglected buildings discourage investment, create safety concerns, and slow downtown revitalization. Rural communities need the ability to adopt vacant building ordinances requiring registration, basic utilities and safety standards, and fees to support inspections and code enforcement.
Qualifications and Experience
My qualifications to serve as Mayor of Superior are rooted in experience, commitment, and proven results. Since being elected Mayor in 2016, I have helped lead Superior through major financial, infrastructure, economic development, and public safety challenges. Our town brought audits current, strengthened its financial position, advanced major infrastructure projects, improved parks, trails, roads, sidewalks, and public facilities, and secured millions in outside funding. I have worked with local, regional, state, and federal partners to make sure Superior’s voice is heard and our needs are taken seriously. My experience includes advocacy for rural communities, water security, responsible growth, economic diversification, blight reduction, and protecting Superior’s long-term future. I understand the challenges facing our community because I grew up here, live here, and have dedicated my public service to helping Superior move forward while honoring who we are.
Memberships & Affiliations
Founding Member Superior Optimist Club; Board member Boyce Thompson Arboretum; Vice President League of Arizona Cities and Towns; Member National League of Cities Hispanic Elected Officials, and Energy Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Endorsements
I have been endorsed by my fellow Council members on the Superior Town Council, Superstition Backcountry Horsemen, and many residents from Superior. More are expected.
Community Service
My community service is rooted in love for Superior and a belief that rural communities deserve every opportunity to thrive. My elected public service began in 2010, when I was elected to the Superior Unified School District Governing Board. I served on the School Board for a decade, retiring in 2020, and was elected Mayor in 2016. I have worked with residents, volunteers, businesses, nonprofits, schools, and regional partners to strengthen our community. My service includes supporting youth leadership, downtown revitalization, small business development, public safety, infrastructure, water security, blight reduction, and regional advocacy. I also enjoy supporting fellow Optimist members with our signature events each year. Trail development is especially important to me because trails connect people to our landscape, history, health, and recreation. My service is guided by a commitment to protect Superior’s future while honoring the people, history, and heart of our hometown.
Education
Graduate of Superior High School; Bachelors of Arts in Communication from Grand Canyon University.
I support economic opportunities that fit Superior’s needs, values, water future, and long-term sustainability. Water is essential to our growth, and we recently executed an agreement with Resolution Copper to help ensure Superior’s long-term water sustainability while protecting our community’s future.
Economic development must be thoughtful, diversified, and not depend on one industry alone. That means supporting new jobs, entrepreneurial development, small business growth, tourism promotion, and responsible investment that strengthens our local economy while respecting our landscape and history.
It also means making sure residents can access the tools they need to succeed, including high-quality child care, strong pre-K through 20 education, job training and career development. By connecting infrastructure, water planning, workforce development, and local business support.
My top budget priorities are public safety, infrastructure, and community programs that improve quality of life. Public safety is one of the largest costs in our budget, and while difficult to change, it is important. We must pay competitively and carefully vet officers to ensure we hire staff who are qualified, ethical, and committed to serve our community. I support more social work and mental health support connected to policing, but our budget limits how quickly we can expand those services.
Infrastructure is a priority because maintaining roads, utilities, sidewalks, and public facilities protects residents and supports growth. Parks, trails, pools, and recreation programs support community health, pride, youth engagement, and economic development. We must also attract businesses that improve our tax base and pursue grants that support community needs. I would allocate resources in a balanced way that protects essential services while investing in Superior’s long-term strength.
Transparency, ethical governance, and meaningful public participation are critically important to me and a deeply imbedded aspect of my governance, and that of our town. We will continue fully comply with Arizona’s open meeting laws, posting public agendas, and conducting town business in an ethical and accountable way. But legal transparency alone is not enough, we must work harder to get information out to residents.
I will continue attending Chamber of Commerce luncheons, provide Talk of the Town updates, ensure monthly Mayor’s Minutes are published, and work more diligently to increase our external communications using social media so residents better understand what is happening, why decisions are being made and how they can participate.
With a small staff and very limited resources, this is not always easy, but residents deserve clear, timely, and accessible information so they can stay informed and involved.
I have a strong track record of bringing people together to solve challenges through partnership, collaboration, and shared responsibility. I believe residents, regional partners, and other levels of government all have a role in building solutions that last.
One example is our Copper Corridor Blight Busters Coalition, which brought communities across the region together to combat blight through a regional EPA Brownfields Grant. Locally, we also built our tourism promotion and destination marketing program, Superior Elevated, by inviting the Chamber of Commerce, Rebuild Superior Inc., Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and private businesses to help fund and guide our tourism marketing efforts.
“Together, we are Superior” is not just our motto — it is the way we get things done. These are just a few examples of the partnerships I plan to continue and grow as we face new opportunities and challenges.
The most important issues facing Superior are financial stability and housing. Small towns like Superior depend heavily on state shared revenues, and our limited budget makes it difficult to maintain large reserves. One major repair, emergency, or loss of revenue can set us back quickly.
We are addressing this by attracting new businesses and responsible development that strengthen our tax base while also creating quality jobs and long-term opportunity for residents.
Housing is another critical issue. Superior needs diversified housing options so our workforce, families, seniors, and young people can live and stay here. However, our housing development is limited because we are governed by the Phoenix Active Management Area. We must stay focused on completing our Assured Water process so we can responsibly grow the housing our community needs.
By strengthening revenues, planning for water, and supporting responsible growth, we can protect Superior’s future.
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