North Peoria voters elect ‘no-airport’ candidate, rebuffing Beck’s development agenda

Voters in Peoria’s Mesquite District are sending Matthew Bullock to City Hall as their next council member.

His overwhelming victory over Laura Page and Thomas Bottorf, a staunch supporter of Mayor Jason Beck and his agenda, means he avoids a runoff race in November.

It also carries a resounding message to Beck’s administration: voters want more transparency and they oppose an airpark in north Peoria.

Mesquite District voters “refuse to accept a lack of transparency and refuse to accept enormous projects without community support and community involvement,” Bullock said last week.

The self-proclaimed “no-airport” candidate referred to projects that, he said, have been greenlit or are moving forward with minimal community involvement. Chief among them are the ongoing plans to purchase State Trust land for a $150 million airpark.

Beck wants the airpark to fuel an innovation and technology corridor. It’s part of a broader initiative to have the Arizona State Land Department unlock 8,300 acres of Peoria’s untapped desert and auction parcels off to prospective developers.

The city has proceeded to study the airport's economic viability and is working on zoning the land under an update to Peoria’s 2040 General Plan.

“They do not want their community changed without a say,” Bullock said of his district voters. “I heard that continually throughout the campaign.”

Early ballot returns from last week's election gave Bullock a sizeable lead in the three-way race. He's held onto the wide margin and appears to have won outright, avoiding a runoff and securing a seat on the council, replacing Councilmember Brad Shafer.

When Bullock enters public office, it’ll come as city leaders and management are poised to develop the airpark. This will place the freshman official squarely in the council minority on the very issue with which his voters elected him to contend.

Bottorf did not return multiple calls for comment.

Mayor Beck declined to comment until after the election results are certified this month.

What drove voters to the polls?

The Mesquite District race was dominated by two issues: the airpark proposal and fealty to Beck, the champion of that idea.

Bottorf, who sat in the camp of the so-called “Beck Brigade,” is all in on the mayor's development initiatives for Peoria.

He also collected $13,000 in campaign contributions from Beck and his wife, Jane Beck, according to election filings. In total, Bottorf received just shy of $63,000 from donors.

For fiscal year 2025, the city budgeted $4.8 million to spend on the initial downpayment for the prospective airpark land. It will set aside $2.8 million annually for nine years to cover interest payments.

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About $82 million in capital improvement funds were earmarked in the fiscal year 2024 budget to connect Lake Pleasant Parkway to the proposed airpark. Another $500,000 was spent last year to conduct the airport feasibility study.

While Bullock acknowledged that the airpark is largely what drove voters to the ballot box on Tuesday, the proposal is just a symptom of what he called a lack of transparency at city hall.

Along the campaign trail, Bullock said, he spoke to more than 1,300 people who lamented some of the council’s recent decisions, including the approval of Amkor Technology Inc.’s $2 billion semiconductor packaging plant.

“Everyone's really upset about that," Bullock said, noting that voters felt blindsided by the project.

Bullock added that he doesn’t oppose Beck or his proposal. Rather, he said, he wants the community to have more input on those ideas.

“We need to change how we do business,” he said. “We have to be 100% transparent. We have to sell to the residents the things that we think need to be done to make Peoria better. We can't hide them anymore.”

In recent months, Councilmember Shafer has questioned city staff about the airpark project. During a budget workshop meeting the council held in March, he asked about the funding for the studies and whether there would be public input.

Later in the meeting, Beck said the city was “obviously, very clearly” committed to gaining the public’s thoughts on the airport.

“It is time to wake up and see what we’re actually trying to accomplish because this is a giant deal not only for the city of Peoria and its residents and the future tax base of this city but also state education,” he said.

The State Land Department’s sale could provide $3 billion toward educational programs, Beck stated.

In May, city leaders received the first public briefing on the project.

They were presented with the results of the feasibility study, as well as the early findings of a financial analysis. The analysis reported that an airpark will drive about $1 billion annually in economic activity for the city and provide nearly $60 million in state and local tax revenue.

Residents will get another chance to learn more about the potential airpark when Peoria launches a Q&A program on Aug. 21.

During the video program's premiere, residents can "explore the 'why' behind the decision to evaluate the need for an Airpark in Peoria." It will also include a discussion of the project's economic impacts.

Residents are invited to submit questions to the city by 5 p.m. on Aug. 15.

Along the project’s runway, the city is slated to proceed with a site selection plan and two economic impact studies. Depending on the results of those studies, the city will look at completing a master plan and environmental assessment.

How will Bullock lead while being in the minority?

While Bullock won his seat with overwhelming support, he’s now positioned in the minority, placed among a panel of city leaders who have largely favored the mayor’s agenda.

Speaking from his own experience in the minority, Councilmember Shafer said Friday that Bullock is coming into the role “eyes-wide open.”

“(Bullock’s) aware of the style of government that is currently in the city of Peoria,” Shafer said, referring to his belief that the city is operating as a totalitarian government under the Beck administration.”

“This election is, I think, the voice of the people,” he added. “What he needs to be prepared for is constantly listening, listening to the people. What are their thoughts, their concerns, desires, and taking that to the dais and voting accordingly.”

Shafer was appointed to the council in spring 2022 and won the seat in a special election later that year. Fed up with the “deception and dishonesty” that, he said, exists in Peoria’s politics, Shafer opted not to seek reelection this cycle.

Last week, Shafer said the election is “absolutely” an indictment on Beck’s airpark plans.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, this was the people standing up and letting their voice be heard via their vote and say: ‘We do not agree with the current direction and priorities of the city,’” he said. “It was a bold statement, and I applaud the people for letting their voice be heard.”

When asked how he plans to be a city leader while operating in the minority, Bullock raised a solution. Get voters to council meetings where they can express their concerns.

“I want to work with the mayor. I want to work with all the city council members. But the lack of transparency days are over. The lack of questioning and surveying the residents is over, he said, adding, “If you present the facts, you get enough citizens motivated to help you and show up, the mayor and the city council will have to take notice.”

What’s next this election season?

Peoria’s elections aren’t over yet. The city will hold races for the Ironwood and Willow District seats on Nov. 5.

Incumbent Councilmember Jon Edwards is running to retain his Willow District seat, while newcomer Rick Stokes is looking to replace outgoing Councilmember Bill Patena of the Ironwood District.

Stokes is an Air Force veteran and information technology consultant. Like Bottorf, he’s supported by Beck, accepting a $5,000 contribution from the mayor.

In campaign materials, Stokes has stated that he’s running on a three-tier platform focused on public safety, economic development and community engagement. He referred to himself as a Christian and conservative seeking local office to foster a better business ecosystem in Peoria.

Edwards was elected in 2012, and for a fourth time in his tenure on the council, is Peoria’s vice mayor this year. He has served on the Maricopa Association of Government Transportation Policy Committee, the Valley Metro board of directors and the National League of Cities’ community and economic development committee.

Edwards and Stokes were the only candidates to qualify for ballot placement, so their races were pushed to November. They’ll face challenges from two write-in candidates: Homer Landreth for Ironwood and Angeli Wesson for Willow.

Landreth is a control systems engineer and independent contractor.

Wesson is a certified hypnotherapist who started her company called Flower Maiden LLC.

Shawn Raymundo covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Peoria and Surprise. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Peoria's 'no-airport' candidate looks ahead after landslide win