Uncontested races for Surprise's 3 council seats give candidates clear path for office
Surprise residents are guaranteed to see two newcomers, and one incumbent, seated on the City Council after the polls close in the July 30 elections.
Two chairs are open for the taking as Councilmember Aly Cline seeks Surprise’s highest office while Councilmember Ken Remley steps down following two terms on the dais.
All three of Surprise’s district races are uncontested, giving the candidates a clear path to City Hall.
Councilmember Patrick Duffy is running to hold onto his District 3 seat, while newcomers Earle Greenberg and Johnny Melton are running in Suprirse's second and fourth district races, respectively.
After the elections, the new and returning faces will enter office at a time when the West Valley is seeing rapid expansion and cities are bracing for revenue shortfalls resulting from new state policies.
That growth is particularly felt in Surprise, which has about 160,000 residents. It’s prompted vocal calls from residents to get ahead of the anticipated population and development by addressing Surprise’s roads and infrastructure.
Additionally, the city leaders will oversee Surprise’s $952 million budget and shape policies that will have immediate effects on residents’ day-to-day lives.
The Republic asked all three candidates to participate in a primary election questionnaire. Duffy was the only one who didn’t submit responses.
Early voting began July 3. Voters can check on the status of their mailed-in ballot on Maricopa County’s website at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/voter-dashboard-login. Those who choose to vote by mail are advised to mail their ballot by July 23 or drop it off at a ballot drop-off location or voting location by July 30.
Arizona local elections: Read our full coverage of the Surprise council race
Who’s running in Surprise's District 2?
As the presumptive District 2 council member, Greenberg will represent the heart of Surprise, where the U.S. 60 meets Loop 303. The district sits between Bell Road to the south and U.S. 60 to the north.
Greenberg, 66, is a retired businessman who founded Chicago Videoworks Inc. He operated the audio-visual company for nearly 40 years.
He’s also served on multiple boards and commissions in Illinois and was most recently a board president for the Sun City Grand community in Surprise.
He says he’s running for the District 2 seat because he wants to help his community where he can, while he can.
“I need to keep my brain active, and I retired too early. I can only play so much pickleball,” he told The Arizona Republic in May, adding, “I have no desire to be a politician. I have no future aspirations for any future office. I just want to help out where I can while I can read piles of information and make rational decisions.”
Acknowledging that he doesn’t have a platform on which he’s running, Greenberg said he wants to make sure the city’s growth is “sustainable.”
Will Duffy keep his District 3 seat?
Duffy in District 3 is expected to continue representing Surprise’s southwestern region.
Duffy, 42, is a financial adviser at SCF Securities and a former Surprise recreation leader who was appointed to the council in 2017.
He held onto the seat in Surprise’s 2018 special election to fill out the remainder of the four-year term through 2020. Duffy narrowly defeated Gisele Norberg, a former planning commissioner, by getting just shy of 51% of the vote.
Gisele’s husband, Greg Norberg, challenged Duffy’s reelection bid in 2020. Duffy had a much easier time winning that race, retaining his seat with 68% of the vote.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Duffy is poised to get another four years in local office, this time without facing opposition.
What about District 4?
Melton, over in District 4, will presumably represent the city’s most eastern area.
The 47-year-old served in the U.S. Navy for nine years as a reactor plant operator aboard the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan. After leaving the military he started a career in energy performance contracting.
He’s chaired Legislative Districts 21 and 29 for the GOP.
Two others, AnnaRe Esh and Ray Jiminez, had submitted paperwork expressing interest in running for the seat. But when Melton saw no one officially filing petitions to run, he entered the race late for Surprise’s District 4 seat.
He said he wanted to represent his community on the council.
As an elected official, he believes the city should invest in its roadways, water infrastructure and public safety amid its exponential growth.
“Everything I look at, I look at in the optics of growth, that’s the lens I look at,” Melton said. “Every vote I cast will affect things five, six, seven, eight years down the road. I might be out of office by the time I see the fruits of the vote I cast. I have to think about that.”
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: Surprise City Council election 2024: Meet the candidates
