Mark Freeman announces run for Mesa mayor; here's who else is in the running

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article misspelled Carey Davis' first name.

In less than one year, Mesa Mayor John Giles, who is term-limited after 10 years in the role, will hand the keys to someone new following the August 2024 primary election. Four possible candidates have already emerged.

Councilmember Mark Freeman, who represents north-central Mesa, became the first candidate to formally announce his campaign, with a kickoff event on Tuesday afternoon.

"Mesa is changing around us, but we can manage it. It just takes a steady hand at the wheel," Freeman says in the campaign video he debuted at the event.

Former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Mesa resident Carey Davis, a former San Bernardino, California, mayor, and local pastor Andre Miller have also filed statements of interest to run for mayor.

The four men will need to file nomination petitions with 1,000 signatures to the city clerk to get their names on the ballot by the April 8, 2024, deadline.

Voters will make their choice on Aug. 6 during the primary election, and if a runoff is needed, they will head back to the polls on Nov. 5, 2024.

The early political action previews what could become a more hotly contested race than usual in Mesa. In 2014, Giles faced one opponent. The 2016 race was uncontested, and the 2020 mayor's election also saw one challenger.

Here are the three candidates who are eyeing the mayoral seat.

Mark Freeman

Freeman serves on the Mesa City Council representing District 1, the north-central area of the city, and is term-limited following eight years on the council.

In an airplane hangar at Falcon Field, Freeman more formally kicked off his campaign during an open-door meet-and-greet event with about 50 residents. Freeman said he's already gathered hundreds of signatures during smaller events like at his farmers markets.

Although a year out from election day and months in advance of deadlines, he said it's not too early to get started to ensure he's ahead of other candidates. "As a firefighter, I have always learned to be resourceful, prepared and pragmatic," he told The Arizona Republic.

Council update: Who is on Mesa City Council? What to know about the members

His top priorities, if elected as mayor, include increasing public safety services to areas in the city where response times are high. A lifelong Mesa resident, Freeman worked as a fireman for 31 years in the Mesa Fire and Medical Department before retiring in 2011.

That experience he said gives him a "fair advantage" over other candidates and a more in-depth knowledge of the issues in public safety.

Freeman has deep roots in the city as his ancestors go back to the pioneer days when Charles Crismon, a Mormon settler, established a farm homestead in the district.

Freeman has continued his farming roots by growing alfalfa, sweet corn and running a summer farmers market.

Freeman was first elected to the council in 2016 and reelected in 2020.

Scott Smith

Scott Smith served as Mesa mayor for six years from 2008 to 2014 until he stepped down to run as a Republican candidate for governor in 2014.

He came second in a six-way Republican primary race, losing to the eventual governor, Doug Ducey. Smith joined Valley Metro as its CEO after his unsuccessful bid for the governor’s office. During his tenure, the transit agency completed the Gilbert Road light rail extension in Mesa and enhanced the 50th Street/Washington light rail station in Phoenix to better accommodate passengers with disabilities.

Smith announced his retirement from Valley Metro in 2021.

He has filed paperwork to run for mayor but has not yet made a decision as to whether he will run and he is still evaluating if it's right for his family and the community, he told The Republic.

Find out more: What to know about Mesa Mayor John Giles

However, Smith said he’s interested because he cares deeply about Mesa and wants to carry on the success the city has had in the past 15 years and take it to the next level.

With his six years of service as mayor, Smith said he “knows the job better than any candidate.”

He said he will decide sometime in the fall if he will move forward in campaigning for the mayoral seat.

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Andre Miller

Andre Miller, a pastor of New Beginnings Christian Church, also submitted paperwork to run for Mesa mayor.

"The regular citizens of Mesa, they don't have a voice. I want to be that voice, so that's why I am running," Miller told The Republic. A 14-year Mesa resident, Miller has been a community advocate for "accountability" and the "proper administration of city services."

In 2018 during a sermon, Miller called to attention the viral footage of Mesa Police Department officers beating an unarmed man. "Because you are my neighbor, I've got to have concern for you," he said at the time. "When my neighbor gets beat up by the police, I've got to stand up and say, 'That's not OK.'"

At the time he teased a run for mayor, now four years later he's doing it. Already in the midst of gathering signatures for his nomination paperwork, Miller is planning events in the fall to continue gathering community support for his mayoral bid.

Miller grew up in Detroit and is a U.S. Army veteran.

Carey Davis

Unlike Freeman and Smith, who are well-known names in Mesa politics, Carey Davis is a newcomer. He submitted his paperwork in June to run for Mesa mayor.

Davis, following his retirement in 2019, moved to Mesa to be closer to his children, who live in the East Valley.

The reasons for running for the mayoral seat stem from issues he sees with Mesa’s financial policies and spending habits. “My analysis of Mesa’s financial picture doesn’t in my view match up with what I believe to be conservative fiscal policies,” he told The Republic.

Although an outsider to Arizona politics, Davis served as San Bernardino, California’s mayor from 2014 to 2018. Two years prior, San Bernardino filed for bankruptcy and Davis, with his financial employment history as a certified public accountant, stepped in to “lead the city through” it.

Davis is in the early stages of setting up his campaign and has already begun collecting signatures for the nomination paperwork.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at [email protected] or 480-271-0646. Follow her on Twitter @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa mayoral race kicks off with announcement from Mark Freeman