4 candidates are running for 3 Avondale City Council seats. What to know

Gloria Solorio will be the only incumbent in this year's City Council race and will be challenged by newcomers Jeannette Garcia, Natosha Edmonds and Shari Weise. Current councilmembers Mike Pineda and Veronica Malone have reached their term limits and are both running for mayor.

Three council seats are up for grabs.

The incoming City Council, which will include at least two new members, will decide the direction of the city when it comes to development, including projects like the renovation of Old Town Avondale. They'll also decide on transportation issues, with traffic becoming an increasing problem within the city.

Edmonds, who will be running for her first term on City Council, is familiar with the process and has been a regular attendee of City Council meetings for over a year. She serves on the Economic Development Committee for the West Valley NAACP and was the president of the Sonoran Sky Elementary School PTA in 2023.

Edmonds, 42, works as the founder and CEO of Positive World-Class Consulting, where she is a corporate trainer, author and motivational speaker. She also previously competed in beauty pageants.

Garcia, who is originally from East Los Angeles, previously served in the Army as a military police officer, as well as a federal police officer in the Air Force. Garcia moved to Avondale with her family and attended Agua Fria High School and Estrella Mountain Community College, now working as an executive liaison.

Garcia, 36, has also written a book called "Battle Scars," which depicts her journey on the battlefield and in an abusive marriage. In 2022, Garcia ran as a write-in candidate for District 22 in the Arizona House of Representatives.

Solorio, a resident of Avondale since 2005, was initially appointed to the City Council in 2022 after the resignation of Pat Dennis. Solorio has previously been involved in several boards and commissions, including the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment. She currently serves as a member on the National League of Cities Women in Municipal Government Caucus, among other boards within the organization.

Solorio, 42, also works as a manager for housekeeping at Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Avondale and has involved her employer in philanthropic events with the city.

Weise is familiar with the workings of local government, with her husband currently serving as the city's mayor. Weise has been an Avondale resident for 28 years and works as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Banner Estrella.

Weise, 59, said a husband and wife sitting on the City Council at the same time wouldn't have been in the city's best interest, which is why she is running for a seat now, since her husband will be ineligible to run for another term as mayor.

Garcia was the only candidate who did not respond to the Arizona Republic's questionnaire.

Manny Murillo will appear on the ballot as a write-in candidate.

Arizona local elections: Read our full coverage of the Avondale council race

Early voting began July 3. Voters can check on the status of their mailed-in ballot on Maricopa County’s website at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/voter-dashboard-login. Those who choose to vote by mail are advised to mail their ballot by July 23 or drop it off at a ballot drop-off location or voting location by July 30.

What will each Avondale candidate prioritize?

Most of the candidates don't appear to have major disagreements apart from Garcia, whose priorities vary drastically from all of the other candidates.

Garcia's campaign has little focus on Avondale's issues. She frequently supports Donald Trump and Kari Lake on her social media platforms. Her campaign website states she is "pro-law enforcement, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life and school choice."

Her priorities include preserving the right to bear arms, securing the border and banning critical race theory from being taught in public schools.

According to Edmonds' campaign website, she would prioritize economic growth, investing in parks and recreation and strengthening the city's public safety services.

To prioritize economic development, Edmonds said she would support local businesses, attracting new industries and investing in infrastructure.

She would prioritize investing in parks and recreation by enhancing green spaces and recreational programs. Those investments would promote physical activity and attract visitors to Avondale, Edmonds said.

Weise's priorities include addressing the city's revenue shortfall and need for workforce housing. Weise also plans to advocate for the city to construct an ADA-compliant playground. Weise's campaign website lists further priorities, including investing in new technology for the city's public safety departments, addressing noise complaints and maintaining parks and trails.

Solorio said she would continue to advance policies in the city that foster equity and prosperity for Avondale residents. She has not elaborated on how she would do that.

What are the candidates' stances on taxes, housing, transportation?

Edmonds and Weise both said they would aim to not raise taxes if raised with a deficit with the city budget. Many cities will begin to face a funding gap in 2025: Last summer, the state Legislature passed a bill that would ban cities from implementing rental taxes. While supporters say the bill will help the state's affordable housing crisis, some say cities will have a harder time funding essential municipal services, such as police and fire.

Currently, about 40% of Avondale's residents live in renter-occupied households, with amount collected annually from rental taxes between $4 million and $5 million. The city has charged the rent tax since 1987. The majority of that money goes to the general fund, which funds the city's Police and Fire departments.

Edmonds said that she would prioritize all other avenues to address the shortfall before implementing additional taxes or cutting from the city budget. That could include seeking grant opportunities or forming partnerships with local organizations.

Weise said she supports the city seeking businesses with high-tech jobs, such as a new data center that will anchor Avondale’s Research and Technology Corridor. Such businesses will bring in revenue for the city, which Weise said she will support before resorting to tax increases.

For transportation issues, Weise and Edmonds both support Proposition 479, which Maricopa County voters will see on their ballots in November. The half-cent sales tax could partially fund the construction of State Route 30, which would serve as a reliever for traffic on Interstate 10, as it would provide West Valley residents an alternative route to downtown Phoenix.

Edmonds and Solorio have also voiced support for WeRIDE, which is a transportation service that lets Avondale residents get a ride to central points in Avondale, Goodyear and Surprise for $2 or less.

Edmonds and Weise have also said that workforce housing is important during their campaigns. Weise said she would steer away from high-density rental properties due to the potential influx in traffic. She would instead support workforce housing projects like townhomes for purchase.

Weise said she would also consider supporting the construction of housing units on school property for staff, in an attempt to attract out-of-state teachers by offering them affordable housing.

Edmonds has said she would support mixed-use developments, which would have a mix of residential and commercial spaces, and offering incentives for affordable housing developers. Locating housing near transit hubs would also minimize the impact to the neighborhoods, Edmonds said.

Edmonds also said she will prioritize new housing developments having green spaces and community amenities.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Avondale City Council election 2024: Meet the Mesquite candidates