Why I Am Running Independently for Mayor

The pattern we’ve seen for years

Over the years, our city has repeatedly experienced what happens when a pre‑formed team wins an election to the council, creating a pre-determined majority of the council. Once elected, those members often operate with allegiance to one another rather than to the residents who put them in office. Decisions begin to reflect internal loyalties—protecting each other’s positions, securing committee assignments, and trading favors to maintain control—rather than reflecting the needs and priorities of the community.

When a majority is built before the election even happens, the outcome is predictable: the city becomes governed by the interests of those who hold the power, not by the people who are supposed to be represented.

Oftentimes, it has been seen that when a mayoral candidate and several council candidates run as a unified team, they often enter office with shared plans, shared messaging, and—informally—shared expectations of loyalty to one another. Political researchers and civic observers have noted several patterns that can emerge in these situations:

• Pre‑aligned voting blocs — When a majority is elected as a team, their votes may align consistently, sometimes reducing open debate or independent evaluation of issues.

• Internal allegiances — Members of a slate may feel pressure to support one another to maintain influence, committee assignments, and the feeling that they owe their allegiance to a few rather than the voters who elected them.

• Reduced deliberation — Decisions can appear predetermined if the majority has already agreed privately, which can limit public discussion and transparency.

• Power concentration — When a coordinated group holds a majority, decision‑making can shift toward the priorities of that group rather than a broader range of resident perspectives.

This is some of the dynamics we have already witnessed throughout the years which has always led to dysfunction and a dismissal of what the voters expect from their representatives.

How this affects residents

When a council operates as a bloc, residents sometimes express concerns that:

• Their voices are overshadowed by internal political dynamics.

• Decisions feel predetermined rather than debated.

• Transparency decreases because key discussions happen informally within the group.

• Representation becomes less about community needs and more about maintaining majority control.

Why I refuse to participate in that system

I am running independently because I believe the mayor and council should never function as a pre‑arranged voting bloc. Healthy government requires independent voices, open debate, and decisions made on the merits—not predetermined outcomes based on campaign alliances. Plus, the mayor and each council member should be listening to the residents and responding to them, not to their own pre-determined ambitions.

I will work with every council member, not just a select group. And every council member should feel free to vote according to what is best for residents, not according to what is best for maintaining a political team or to gain favors from others.

Because a wide variety of issues arise which require decisions by a council, it is important to be free to make the commonsense decisions while maintaining fiscal responsibility without being clouded by personal alliances. My service as a council member has always endeavored to reach decisions based upon what is right, what is fiscally responsible, what is lawful, and if it truly provides a benefit to the residents, and I will continue in that manner as mayor.

• Maintain independence — I evaluate each issue on its merits rather than through the lens of group loyalty. My loyalty and service are to the people of El Mirage.

• Strengthening accountability — I am accountable to the residents of El Mirage. I will not engage in any pre‑election or post-election alliances. My duty will always be to the people of El Mirage, not to any one person or group.

• Residents can be confident—Their input has more weight because they are who I serve, not a formed alliance in the council.

Who should hold the power

I believe the power in this city should belong to the people—not to any one individual, not to a political action committee, and not to a coordinated slate of candidates who enter office already bound to one another. We need representatives who can respond to issues based on independent critical thinking based upon what is best for the community versus personal gain or favor.

Running alone is not a disadvantage. It is a commitment. A commitment to transparency and to serving residents—not alliances.

What this means for the Residents

As your mayor, I will work with whoever the voters choose for council. I will collaborate, not control. I will listen, not dictate. And I will always measure decisions by these two standards: whether they serve the people of this community and are fiscally responsible.

This is why I am running independently. Because your voice, not political alliances, should guide the future of our city.