Councilman Valenzuela announces resignation to run for Phoenix Mayor
Jul 7, 2018, 4:02 AM | Updated: Jul 19, 2018, 8:27 am
(Screenshot)
(Screenshot)
PHOENIX — Councilman Daniel Valenzuela officially announced his resignation from the Phoenix City Council in a letter to the City Clerk on Friday.
Resigning from the Phoenix City Council by the close of business on July 16 allows him to run for the mayor of Phoenix as his resignation is required by the Arizona Resign to Run Law.
The law requires elected officials to step down from their positions before turning in election petitions for a different office.
“For six years, I have been honored to serve as a member of the governing body of the city where I was born and raised. During this time, I have worked to make our city safer, strengthened our neighborhoods, provided regional leadership, and helped transform our economy through innovation and cultivating an environment where entrepreneurs can succeed,” The councilman said in a press release.
“We have many challenges ahead, hiring more first responders, creating greater job opportunities, making sure our youth have the skills they will need to succeed, finding solutions to reduce homelessness, making available affordable housing, the opioid crisis, and continuing our path toward building a sustainable city.”
Valenzuela was elected to a second term on the council in 2015. According to his council profile, he chairs the Downtown, Aviation, Economy and Innovation Subcommittee and sits on three other subcommittees that focus on neighborhoods, infrastructure and parks.
He’s also been a firefighter with the Glendale Fire Department for 14 years.
The vacancy at mayor comes after former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton stepped down on May 29.
Stanton announced last year that he would run for the Congressional District 9 seat, which will be vacated by U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who is running for U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake’s seat in November.
A special election will take place on Nov. 6 to fill the position, with a runoff election likely occuring in March.
Phoenix City Council members Kate Gallego, Moses Sanchez, Nicholas Sarwark and Michael Lafferty have also announced their bids for mayor.
Update: Valenzuela resigned from office July 18. On Aug. 1, the City Council will select an interim councilmember to serve until a March 12, 2019, special election to fill the seat.
