/ Photo by Ben Moffat / The State Press
By Paulina Pineda | Arizona Republic
Tempe will have a new mayor for the first time in eight years as Corey Woods unseated Mark Mitchell in Tuesday’s election.
Woods was surrounded by about 100 people at the home of a supporter. The crowd erupted in cheers and hugs as results were posted.
“We collectively did it,” Woods told supporters. “This was not about one person. It was about bringing a new day … to the city of Tempe.”
At press time, Doreen Garlid, Joel Navarro and Randy Keating were leading the city council election.
Woods has said he ran for mayor to continue building on the work he started when he served on the City Council from 2008 to 2016.
His campaign focused on affordable housing, historic preservation, responsible economic development and social services.
Woods set up an early roadblock for Mitchell, who ran unopposed in 2016. Woods received the endorsement of neighborhood leaders, sitting and former city, legislative and congressional leaders and the Tempe Chamber of Commerce.
Woods will be the city’s first African American mayor.
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Newcomer Doreen Garlid, a former KSAZ-TV Fox 10 business manager, leads in the race for three open council seats, followed by incumbents Joel Navarro and Randy Keating.
The preliminary results include ballots received by the Maricopa County Elections Department as of at least Friday. The election was conducted by mail, but voters could drop off ballots and cast provisional ballots on election day. Those still must be counted.
Results will be updated by 5 p.m. every day until all ballots are counted.
