The early announcement likely portends a crowded and competitive contest when Laura Pastor leaves City Council.
Taylor Seely
Arizona Republic
Aaron Montaño Searles wants a seat on Phoenix City Council representing District 4. The seat is held by Laura Pastor, but she plans to vacate her position to run for Congress in 2024.
A candidate has thrown his hat in the ring to replace a Phoenix City Councilwoman who is running for Congress, but the election has not yet been scheduled.
Aaron Montaño Searles worked for former Phoenix council members Thelda Williams, Daniel Valenzuela and Greg Stanton, who is now a U.S. Representative for Arizona.
Montaño Searles sits on Phoenix’s Encanto Village Planning Commission and is vice president of the Willo Neighborhood Association. Now, the politically well-connected Montaño Searles wants a seat of his own representing Phoenix’s Fourth District.
The district includes midtown and extends from 59th Avenue in the west to State Route 51 in the east, from roughly Camelback Road in the north to Interstate 10 in the south. City council redistricting is underway, however, so those boundaries will change, and a new map will take effect by November 2024.
The seat is currently held by Councilwoman Laura Pastor, who plans to vacate the position to replace Ruben Gallego (D.-Ariz.) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gallego is running for the U.S. Senate against Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).
