Former Arizona state legislator Paul Boyer announced this week that he is running for mayor of Glendale. The current mayor, Republican Jerry Weiers, assumed that office in 2013 after serving eight years in the Arizona House.
Boyer submitted an op-ed to the Daily Independent on Monday explaining his decision. He criticized the legislature for attempting to pass laws that would stop cities and towns from taking certain actions.
“Hardly a day went by when I did not have to fight to keep local control in place, fighting against legislators who wanted to preempt cities and dictate to local governments and residents what to do,” he said. “Those conflicts were not an inconvenience.”
Several bills were proposed in the Arizona Legislature to restrict localities from enacting COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, prohibit them from setting up their own versions of civilian review boards to monitor law enforcement, and more.
Boyer said he intended to spend money to “revitalize downtown Glendale and Murphy Park,” and attacked Weiers.
“We don’t need a mayor who ignores our history and disregards our downtown in favor of picking fights with hard-working small business owners and our city’s Chamber of Commerce,” Boyer said.
According to the Arizona Daily Independent, Boyer sparred with the city of Glendale in 2019 over the city denying benefits to a firefighter who came down with cancer. The city asserted that it was just following the law — a law that Boyer had sponsored in 2017.
Two unsuccessful efforts were made in 2021 to recall Boyer. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Anthony Kern, who served previously in the state legislature, in July 2021, over Boyer a year before the primary election.
“Republican Arizona State Senator Paul Boyer, a RINO if there ever was one, is doing everything in his power to hold up the damning Forensic Audit of Maricopa County which has been taking place over the last 90 days,” Trump said in a statement. “The people of Arizona are demanding it. Boyer has been nothing but trouble, and nobody knows why. All we demand is Voter Integrity! He is being primaried by a strong and highly respected challenger, former Arizona State Representative Anthony Kern.”
Boyer responded in part, “[I]f he hadn’t started an insurrection in D.C. and gotten kicked off here, I could’ve responded directly to him.”
The Arizona Sun Times asked Kern what he thought about Boyer running for mayor, and Kern responded, “Paul Boyer is the ‘Neville Chamberlain’ of Arizona. Nobody likes him. The Democrats used him and the Republicans spew him. ”
Boyer single-handedly killed a long list of election integrity bills during the 2022 legislative session, often the only Republican to vote with Democrats. Republicans held a slim majority of only one legislator in both chambers.
Boyer refused to hold the Maricopa County Supervisors in contempt when they failed to comply with the Arizona Senate’s independent ballot audit of the 2020 election. He said in May 2021, “Who wouldn’t support an audit? But the way they’re doing it, it’s embarrassing. It makes me embarrassed to be a state senator at this point.”
Boyer said he regretted voting for a recount of the 2020 election.
“It makes us look like idiots,” Boyer told The New York Times in May 2021. “I didn’t think it would be this ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to be a state senator at this point.”
When Weiers became mayor in 2013, Glendale was near bankruptcy.
In 2017, Moody’s increased the city’s bond rating on its general fund debt to A2. By 2019, the city had saved up $50 million in its rainy day fund.
According to an article in The Arizona Republic, “Residents praise Mayor Jerry Weiers and the Glendale City Council for righting the ship by tightening the city’s belt and making smart financial decisions.”
Weiers told The Sun Times, “I am disappointed that Paul feels the need to run against me. I have a 10 year record of serving with success, we’ve improved business and turned the bond ratings around. I don’t see how he feels he can improve on that. It’s mind boggling to me. I haven’t lost my principles or morals. I’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support from a lot of people and am going into this with a war chest.”
According to City Manager Kevin Phelps, the real significant change in Glendale was creating a “culture of fiscal management.” In 2021, Livability ranked Glendale as one of the 10 best cities in Arizona.
Glendale City Councilman Jaime Aldama is also reportedly considering running for mayor.
His previous endorsements include several unions and prominent Democrats.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Glendale, Arizona City Hall” by glendaleaz.com.
