7 candidates are running for 3 Buckeye City Council seats. What to know

Buckeye, the only city in the southwest Valley with council districts, has candidates vying for City Council seats in Districts 1, 2 and 3. Most face competition.

Seven candidates are seeking those three seats.

District 1's current representative Tony Youngker is running unopposed for his third term. He did not respond to The Arizona Republic's candidate questionnaire.

In District 2, Councilmember Jeanine Guy declined to seek an additional term, so three newcomers, Ryan Belshee, Jamaine Berry and Tedy Burton, are competing for the seat. Neither Berry nor Burton responded to The Republic's questions.

In District 3, incumbent Michelle Hess will be competing against newcomer Curtis Beard for her fourth City Council term.

Some of the biggest issues facing Buckeye today include the city's water supply, transportation projects and development. With the city's population rapidly growing, residents have voiced concerns about the increase in traffic, industrial development and lack of amenities in certain areas.

Arizona local elections: Read our full coverage of the Buckeye 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.

Who are Buckey's council candidates?

District 1

Youngker, 45, was first elected to City Council in 2016, meaning this will be his third consecutive term. He is a Buckeye native, having graduated from Buckeye Union High School.

Younger owns the restaurant Café 25:35 in downtown Buckeye. He serves as the council liaison for the Buckeye Airport Advisory Board, Buckeye Public Safety Police Retirement Board and for Main Street Coalition.

District 2

Belshee, 44, will be running for his first term on City Council. He and his wife are owners of their small business, Bootleg Botanicals, which sells brewing kits for ginger beer and root beer, shot glasses and flasks and alcohol infusion spice blends. Belshee also owns a general contracting business called Era Built Construction Co.

Berry, 43, who will also be running for his first term on the City Council, is a native of Buckeye. He owns two water utility companies in Buckeye: Aguila Water Services and Clearwater Utilities. He is also a pastor at New Jerusalem Ministries in downtown Buckeye.

Burton, 64, serves as vice chair of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission. He has been serving on the commission since 2016 and previously served on the Buckeye Airport Board. He works for the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce and is also a pastor at Citadel of Praise Christian Church.

District 3

Beard, 39, who will be running for his first term, is also a Buckeye native. He lives downtown where he also owns and operates a small business, Downtown Screen Printing, with his father.

Incumbent Hess, 47, was first elected to the City Council in 2012. She moved to Buckeye in 2006 and works as executive director of Leadership West.

Hess is a liaison for the Community Services Advisory Board and is an alternate liaison for the Maricopa County Community Development Advisory Committee.

What do the candidates think about transportation in Buckeye?

On his Facebook page, Belshee recently criticized his opponents Berry and Burton for their perceived lack of participation in online discussions regarding lane changes on Monroe Avenue in downtown Buckeye.

In the same post, Belshee expressed concerns that, due to the lack of term limits, the residents may get stuck with a City Council member who is "content to let the city run the conversation rather than be a conduit for open, honest communication." Belshee has supported term limits, although those come with a city charter, which Buckeye is not currently discussing. Buckeye is a general law city, which means it operates under state law.

Belshee frequently advocates for more District 2 representation in the city and said one of his top priorities would be revitalizing the city's downtown area. Belshee has been especially vocal about the city's bond initiative, which voters will see on their ballots in November.

The Buckeye Bond Committee recently pitched a nearly $300 million proposal for public safety, transportation and parks projects.

When discussing Buckeye's bond initiative, Belshee said the district was underrepresented and only had one person representing it, in comparison to other districts having several people.

Regarding Buckeye's nearly $300 million bond election, which voters will also see on their ballots in November, Belshee has said he needs more details before voting yes on the measure. For now, Belshee said he would vote no due to the underrepresentation in District 2 and the proposal of public safety headquarters in downtown Buckeye. As a board member for the Buckeye Main Street Coalition, Belshee has said the headquarters would clash with the entertainment extension proposal outlined in the Downtown Specific Area Plan.

For transportation, Belshee said he supports Proposition 479, which voters will also see on their ballots in November. The countywide half-cent sales tax could fund the construction of State Route 30, which would serve as a reliever to some of the congestion on Interstate 10 by offering West Valley residents a direct route to downtown Phoenix.

Like Belshee, Beard has also been particularly vocal on Facebook, where he has criticized the City Council for he said is a lack of action when it comes to improving the city's roads. All the more reason, he says, that the city needs some fresh faces on the council.

"Clear the swamp and vote for someone who cares about this city!" Beard wrote.

Beard has also been critical of Hess on his Facebook page, stating that she is too political for the City Council. Beard has also advocated for the city to implement term limits, stating that council members should be able to accomplish enough with two terms.

What do the candidates think of Buckeye's groundwater supply?

Regarding the city's water supply, Belshee thinks the density of the construction of urban development should match the previous water use on agricultural land. That way, the amount of groundwater used would not be increased when land is transitioning from agricultural to urban use. Belshee also said the city should establish a long-term strategy to manage water as larger communities like Teravalis begin to get built.

Belshee said he thinks the approach should include ways to recycle wastewater more efficiently, along with analyzing water conservation and other groundwater alternatives.

Beard said he thinks the city is moving in the right direction when it comes to the City Council approving the $80 million purchase of groundwater rights from the Harquahala sub-basin. At the same time, Beard has criticized the city's ability to plan ahead, saying it needs to continue to work with the governor's office.

Burton, who has lived in Buckeye for 19 years and works at the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce, has also been involved in the community for many years, both with his job and his role on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.

Burton has said that one of his top priorities would be building the city's water resources and infrastructure and creating job opportunities.

And those go hand in hand: by securing the city's water supply, more businesses will be attracted, which will, in turn, bring more job opportunities, Burton has said.

Burton has also that he already has a working relationship with city officials, including the police and fire departments.

One of Berry's priorities would be securing the city's water resources. Berry, who is the owner of two utility companies in Buckeye, said he would implement sustainable practices when it comes to water.

Hess said the city has a strong water future. At this point, the next step would be working with the Governor's Office to look at solutions. One of those is at Alternate Designation of Assured Water Supply, which is undergoing revisions with The Arizona Department of Water Resources. Hess also has cited other solutions to diversify the city's water portfolio, such as the expansion of the Bartlett Dam and the Harquahala purchase.

Candidates agree on development, taxes

Most of the candidates have said that they don't want to raise taxes in Buckeye. For Beard, it's been a cornerstone of his campaign.

Beard has also advocated for less industrial development in neighborhoods, which has been a subject of controversy in Buckeye's City Council meetings for several months. Instead of focusing on warehouses, Beard said the city should look at other employment opportunities to bring different jobs to the city.

He also said that having a council member who is and active in the community and accessible to residents is important. On his social media, Beard has invited the residents to contact him to discuss city issues.

In terms of raising taxes, Beard said that would be a last resort. Instead, he would prioritize working with the various city departments to find areas to cut funds.

By collaborating with local organizations, Berry said the development would respect the city's values and preserve its green spaces while also preserving Buckeye's character.

Some of Berry's other priorities include, according to his campaign website, building trust between the community and law enforcement, building reliable and efficient transportation and ensuring that families have access to affordable housing.

Hess said that the city has ensured that it has diverse revenue sources, which means that it can avoid raising taxes for residents. The rapid rate of the growth in the city also balances out any losses that came from the Legislature, she said.

Hess has also cited a number of initiatives the city has taken in order to diversify jobs that are offered within the city. For example, the city has partnered with West-Mec for a program that would help local high school students in getting certifications that would allow them to work at local companies.

The city has also reduced fees in the downtown Buckeye area in an attempt to foster growth there as well, Hess said.

Another one of Hess's priorities is public safety, with some initiatives including expanding public safety facilities and strengthening public safety infrastructure.

Hess has previously supported the development of new public safety facilities, including several new fire stations and a new police training center. She was also an advocate for the Buckeye Paramedicine program, wherein Buckeye's Fire-Medical-Rescue Department makes visits to residents either recently discharged from the hospital or living with a chronic illness free of charge. That has brought the readmission rate down from 18% to 3%, according to Hess.

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: Buckeye City Council election 2024: Meet the candidates