Fronteras

Early voting starts Thursday for the Phoenix City Council. In some districts, the field could be wide open. In Districts 2 and 6, incumbents are battling one challenger apiece, but with Districts 4 and 8 in central and south Phoenix things are little more complex. One has five candidates, the other, seven, and there is not one incumbent between them.

Steve Roman, a partner with First Strategic Communications and Public Affairs, explained that could make it hard for any candidate to get the required 50 percent of the vote.

Without that magic number, “you’re not going to have answers on election night,” Roman said. “You’re going to have run offs that are going to lead us into November, before we know exactly who’s going to be representing us in those districts.”

But Roman thinks the races with incumbents probably will be decided on election night, meaning longtime councilmen Jim Waring and Sal Diciccio would keep their seats. Roman believes the other races could go in any direction, thanks to what he calls a “surplus of qualified candidates.”

Election Day is Aug. 27.