Longtime Tempe official won't seek reelection, running for Maricopa County office instead

Tempe City Councilmember Joel Navarro is “stepping aside” from his role on the council after serving 16 years in that position, deciding instead to pursue a spot on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors next year.

It’s the first shake-up in what could be a transformative March election for the city. Four council positions are on the ballot at a time when Tempe is beset with controversies, which include being the subject of a state investigation and recent revelations that years of mismanagement within the Police Department could jeopardize hundreds of major cases.

Navarro’s departure clears the way for at least one of the three newcomers vying for a council seat. Councilmembers Randy Keating and Doreen Garlid hope to stave off the other two, while Woods is running unopposed.

Navarro said he decided to bow out of the race to instead run in November for the District 1 County Supervisor seat, held by Jack Sellers.

Meet the council: Who is on Tempe City Council? What to know about members

Navarro hopes to gain more know-how when it comes to overseeing regional collaboration. He believes that experience could also help him achieve his ultimate goal: becoming the mayor of Tempe in 2028.

“I'm hoping to gain more knowledge. And if I do choose to run for mayor for Tempe, then when I come back, I'm hoping to have that in my background (as another qualification) to be a mayor. I think that's important,” he told The Arizona Republic.

Navarro is the longest-serving elected official on Tempe’s current City Council and has been a fixture within city leadership since he first took office in 2008.

He played an important role in efforts ranging from the development of Tempe Town Lake —- whose shores were nearly empty when he took office —- to supporting the spread of live music throughout Tempe, to banning smoking inside restaurants, to keeping the city afloat during the Great Recession.

“There's no class that (could have prepared us) to make real drastic changes within the city to get us through that storm,” Navarro said about the recession. He added that deals Tempe made at the time “have translated into the development that we've seen in downtown Tempe, the growth that we’re seeing.”

Navarro also oversaw the rollout of opioid awareness programs to ensure “every student within every high school gets an understanding of opioid addiction.” He told The Republic, “We started that in Tempe and now that's a statewide thing.”

Navarro largely has “no regrets” about his time on the City Council, but acknowledged that one of the low points was the outcome of the Arizona Coyotes project. He and other city officials championed the multibillion-dollar proposal before voters resoundingly rejected it in May.

“I think that was a learning lesson. Getting the correct information out, not only during the (proposal) process but after the process, was strategically important,” he said. “I think those are the biggest things and making sure that people are well educated and aware.”

Navarro also saw how the city struggled to meet affordable housing goals quickly enough and craft effective policies in certain areas, such as Tempe’s new tobacco ordinance, the future success of which he believes hinges on a broader regional effort.

On the housing front, renters from nearby cities may come to Tempe looking for cheaper rents, driving up costs by increasing demand faster than Tempe adds to its housing stock. And the city is generally unable to fund enough new units to keep up without outside help.

Navarro’s tobacco policy, which he crafted with Garlid, also fell short of what local advocates wanted after being jammed up for years. One reason was that the proposed flavor ban may not have been effective given that most Tempe residents are within three miles of another city where flavored tobacco is sold.

Those types of limitations at the city level are why Navarro wants a seat on the county Board of Supervisors. He believes he’ll have more power to facilitate collaboration between communities, which could be a springboard for more successful local policies across the Valley.

“I think those bridges have to be connected,” he said. “There's a huge potential to get that collaboration going a little bit better because both the county and cities need to work together on various issues (and) talk about affordable housing, homelessness, mental health, drug addiction — all of those things go on across the county.”

The councilmember will be challenging Sellers in the 2024 general election. Navarro believes Sellers has “done a great job,” but that voters should have an alternative option. Navarro summed it up by saying, “if they want change, here I am.”

Whatever the outcome of that election, Navarro plans to finish his career at the Phoenix Fire Department over the next four years, freeing him up to focus exclusively on becoming Tempe’s mayor if he decides to make that move in 2028.

Navarro will leave the Tempe City Council once a new official is sworn-in over the summer.

“Obviously (serving on the City Council) has been a hell of a learning lesson. I've enjoyed it,” Navarro said. “But I'm excited to see what the new council does and I'm excited for my next move.”

Read Navarro's opinion piece: Arizona Coyotes' proposed development makes Tempe better. Vote yes

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tempe City Councilmember Joel Navarro to step aside after 16 years