Avondale mayor announces resignation to start new position with NASCAR

PHOENIX – Avondale Mayor Kenn Weise announced on Wednesday that he is resigning in order to take on a new role with NASCAR.

The mayor’s final day on the Avondale City Council will be Oct. 13, 79 days before his term was set to end. Weise will transition to be the government affairs director for NASCAR.

“My intent was to serve out my final term as Mayor, but I also knew that if an amazing career opportunity surfaced, that I may need to alter my plans,” Weise said in a letter to city employees. “That opportunity would need to be one that kept me close to Avondale, one that allowed me to still serve and have a positive impact, and one that would allow me to put my almost 20 years of public service knowledge to good use.”

The role at the popular auto racing company will have him managing relationships in markets across the country, including Arizona. Avondale is home to the Phoenix Raceway, a track that hosts the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.

“Such an opportunity presented itself, and it met all the criteria I was looking for. It would allow me to still be a part of the community I love, it would allow me to have a positive impact on this city, the region, and the state,” Weise said.

Weise was mayor when NASCAR moved its season finale race from Florida to Avondale in 2020. On Nov. 10, will be the fifth consecutive season where the race has taken place in the city. Before 2020, the race had been the second-to-last competition on the schedule since 2005.

“I’m a big NASCAR fan, so I know what this means,” Weise said in an AZCentral article from 2019. “There’s a big difference between the last race and the second-to-last race.”

Weise was not running for reelection but the city council will hold a meeting on Oct. 14 to decide on a process to find a replacement and potentially vote on appointing a new mayor in the interim. The city has until Nov. 14 to fill the vacancy.

Kenn Weise’s history as Avondale mayor

Weise was initially elected as the city mayor in June 2014 and again in 2016. He had served on councils and committees including the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Council, MAG Regional Council Executive Committee, MAG Transportation Policy Committee and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s Board of Directors.

Before becoming mayor, he was appointed to the Avondale City Council in 2006 to fill a vacant council seat. In 2007, he was elected to the city council and served as vice mayor from 2008 to 2010.

“Serving as Mayor of Avondale has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together, and I thank the residents and city staff for their unwavering support,” Weise said.