Mesa's mayoral and council races will be decided in November runoffs. What to know

Two mayoral candidates for Mesa will faceoff in a November runoff to lead the state’s third largest city for the next four years and replace outgoing Mayor John Giles.

Councilmember Mark Freeman and Scott Smith, a former mayor of Mesa and Valley Metro CEO, led the pack in the five-way race. The matchup between Smith and Freeman will take place in the Nov. 5 general election.

A runoff for the District 1 council seat will be on the November ballot for residents who live in the northcentral parts of Mesa. Rich Adams and Ron Williams were the top two candidates to come out on top in the four-way race and will faceoff in November.

Turnout in the primary elections was lower than in past years, but with top issues and a presidential race on the ballot in November that could change. The candidates will have to wade through national and statewide issues to stay at the forefront of Mesa voters.

Apart from political positions on the ballot, the city will also ask voters to approve $254 million in general obligation bonds to fund public safety, parks and streets over the next 10 years. Mesa residents will also vote to update the city's general plan, a long-term planning document that broadly derails how land can be used.

Mayoral races: Runoffs in Mesa, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills

Mesas Mayoral runoff

Smith finished first in the five-way race, with Freeman just a few hundred votes behind. Neither candidate is a newcomer to the Mesa City Council.

Freeman is term-limited after serving on the council for eight years. Smith was the city’s mayor from 2008 to 2014. He stepped down in the middle of his second term to run for governor but failed to clinch the Republican nomination.

A provision in the city charter allows him to run for a third term after an eight-year gap from their last term.

The results show residents remain committed to the status quo by rejecting candidates that aimed to bring a more conservative or progressive ideology to the city council.

To critics, Smith and Freeman are on the same side of the coin, with few differences. In the lead up to November, the two will need to differentiate themselves from each other.

While the two have amassed endorsements from organizations and other elected officials, Giles has not publicly endorsed either candidate but told The Arizona Republic he’s glad to see the two best candidates come out in front.

“Both of them have the experience and the commitment to Mesa that I want to see in a mayor,” Giles said.

City Council District 1 race

Adams and Williams will have a rematch in November as they vie to win the support of their district to send them a four-year term on the Mesa City Council.

The pair have a long history of service on various city boards.

Adams previously served the Planning and Zoning Board, Economic Development Advisory Board and Falcon Area Visioning Commission among other community-related boards. He comes from a business management background.

Williams served on the 2050 General Plan Advisory Committee, the Arizona MLK Celebration Committee and Human Relations Advisory Board. He’s an Air Force veteran who served during the Gulf War era.

Both told The Republic they look forward to moving on to the November runoff and to continue with a positive campaign.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about Mesa's mayoral and council runoff races in the fall