Phoenix residents head to the polls Tuesday to decide who should be the mayor of Phoenix and who should sit on the City Council of the nation’s fifth-largest city.
The campaigns this election cycle pitted Phoenix’s establishment politicians against progressive activists. The races were competitive, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent trying to help push candidates ahead of their peers.
Voters’ decisions will affect how the city manages projected budget deficits , negotiates with the U.S. Department of Justice over police reform and solves the housing and homelessness crisis.
City councils vote on development, local taxes and street improvements. They make deals to bring big employers to the area. They map out the long-term future of the community, with what kind, amount and density of development goes where. They set budgets that determine the level of police and fire service you get and what parks and libraries to keep open.
The November election will shape how Phoenix manages the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation that found routine brutality and discrimination in the city and police department’s practices. The Justice Department wants a court-binding contract called a consent decree , which could cost the city tens of millions. But fighting it would likely lead to litigation, another costly prospect.