Republic Reporter: Party Affiliation To Come Into Play In Phoenix Council Runoff
When Phoenix City Councilman Bill Gates stepped down to run for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in May, he left a coveted seat on the council open.
Former city planner Debra Stark was temporarily appointed to the position this summer, and three rival candidates came forward to face her on Nov. 8 for a special election for a permanent position.
The votes have been counted, and none of the candidates won a majority of the vote. Stark won about 41 percent of the vote, and Phoenix attorney Chris DeRose won about 21 percent. Now, Stark is facing a runoff election against DeRose on March 14.
The Show’s spoke with The Arizona Republic’s Phoenix City Hall Reporter, Dustin Gardiner, about the election.
He said, though the City Council is a non-partisan election, where no candidate’s party affiliation will appear on the ballot, that doesn’t mean that party identification doesn’t come into play in these campaigns.
“Chris DeRose is a registered Republican, and he’s often emphasized that in his campaign,” he said. “Debra Stark is a registered Democrat, but she’s emphasized that she considers herself to be fairly moderate and doesn’t look at things through a partisan lens.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous headline for this story incorrectly identified the runoff election.