On Tuesday, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton resigned from office to run for Congress. Vice Mayor Thelda Williams was made the City’s Interim Mayor and will continue to also serve as Councilwoman for the City’s District 1.
The city has begun the process to fill his vacated seat.
If any Phoenix resident is interested in running to replace the Mayor for the remainder of his term, they must declare their interest within 10 days of Stanton’s resignation, which would be Friday, June 8 at 5 p.m.
Next, the City Council will hold a special meeting on Monday, June 11, to appoint a Mayor Pro Tempore from remaining Council members. That person will serve as Mayor, in addition to their current Council seat, until the Special Election.
The City Charter says the City Council must call for a Special Election between 11 and 20 days of a vacancy, while at the same time giving residents 120 days notice that an election will happen. The next available date to hold a Special Election is Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, which will put the vote on the state General Election.
If a current Phoenix City Council member chooses to run in the Special Election for Mayor, they will have to resign from their current position as a Council member. However, they do not have to resign until nomination petitions are filed. For the Nov. 6 election, petitions will be due Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018 at 5 p.m.
Any Phoenix resident interested in replacing a City Council member will have 10 days after the office is vacated to declare their intent to run to fill the remainder of the term of office for that Council seat. Similar to the Mayor, between 12-15 days of a Council member’s resignation, the remaining Council members will select an interim Council member to serve until a Special Election can be held for that office.