The City of Prescott will conduct primary elections on Tuesday, August 5, and the ballot will include candidates for mayor and three Council seats along with two ballot measures. Although this is a primary election, it could effectively be the deciding poll for some of these offices.
Council consists of the mayor and six Council members who serve “at large” rather than by district. Council employs the city manager, who runs the daily operations, makes important policy decisions and oversees budgeting and City operations such as zoning, roads, parks and business regulations.
Mayoral candidates
Two candidates are vying for the opportunity to serve as mayor for the 2025-2027 term, replacing Mayor Phil Goode. The mayor sets the Council agenda, presides over meetings, ensures that ordinances and state laws are followed, and provides regular public community updates to the public.
With his four-year term on Council expiring in November, rather than seek reelection Brandon Montoya decided to enter the race for mayor. He states he is a strong believer in engaging with all stakeholders. One of his proudest accomplishments is starting a booth at the Prscott Farmers Market where he and other city officials engage residents. He has developed a relationship with Yavapai College and visited the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus in Florida to see how the City and university could better support one another here.
Montoya sees opportunity for more commercial activity in the area. “We are a sales tax-driven community, and as a result we need to usher in more robust business.” To help do so, he proposes the City hire someone dedicated o economic development. He also sees the need for housing, and initiated the creation of the Workforce Housing Commission about two years ago. To date the commission has hired someone to carry out a needs assessment, and once those results come in it will use the findings to apply for funding.
Montoya views all the issues the City is facing as connected — access to medical care, economic development, and attracting employers. “The future of Prescott is really promising, but I think it’s going to take collaborative and engaged leadership to make that happen.”
After serving on Council for the past six years, Cathey Rusing resigned her seat to run for mayor. She has won the endorsement of Save the Dells, a local political action committee focused on preserving the Dells, open space, and water conservation. She is promises to be a “full-time mayor” and states that she is not taking money from developers, as that would present conflicts of interest.
Rusing vows to place high priority on development and growth. “I support economic development that values our community. We don’t need a Taco Bell on every corner . . . or a data center that uses a huge amount of water.” She offers support for businesses that are tech-related or geared toward tourism or ecotourism. “I’m not a no-growther. I’m for well planned development.” She believes that to help address the housing shortage, things such as filling in empty lots and having more apartments would help bring down costs through competition.
As a Council member Rusing says she recognized the need for the city to have a working relationship with state legislators and launched efforts to do so. “We realized we didn’t have a seat at the table. We need to get down (to Phoenix) and be involved.” Rusing is particularly focused on state policy related to appropriations and water legislation.
Council candidates
Five candidates are running to fill three open Council seats. Each elected candidate will serve a four-year term (2025-2029). (Note that the remainder of Rusing’s term has been filled with the appointment of Patrick Grady.)
Henry Ebarb II was unavailable for comment prior to press time. His website describes him as a Prescott native and business owner. He names his priorities to include water management, strategic growth, job creation and preserving open space.
Mary Frederickson’s appointment to the City General Plan Review Committee, where she served for over two years, gave her the opportunity to learn how the City works and hear from the the various City departments. She believes that insight, along with her experience as an attorney, make her a good candidate. One of her top priorities is to give Council stronger connections with the community, listen, and work for what the people want and need. “You have to listen to all the stakeholders who have a dog in the fight.” Residents should be able to understand how and why decisions are made without having to spend free time tracking City government.
Fredrickson offers support for business growth, especially around and supporting the airport, as well as smaller businesses more scattered throughout the city. Filling in empty lots would be a way to bring in new business as well as more housing. Frederickson supports the development of apartments and smaller homes: “For a certain segment of our population, renting is not only workable, it’s desirable.”
Jim Garing is from a long line of family that has fought in our nation’s wars, and believes that his over four decades of engineering experience specialized in water issues sets him apart from other candidates. Endorsed by Save the Dells, Garing wants to ensure that the water supply lasts for “our kids and grand kids.” As an engineer, he “designed wells for four cities and two special districts.” He is concerned about the number of properties (over 500) that must haul water, and business development that doesn’t consider water usage. He sees possibilities for water-management solutions through water reuse, stating, “Two-percent growth a year would keep us on the safe side” till a better plan for water conservation is implemented.
On Highway 89 through the Dells, Garing recognizes the concern about widening the road and proposes that options may include acceleration/deceleration lanes and roundabouts.
Greg Lazzell served on Council from 2013 to 2017, and says he decided to throw his name into the hat for a comeback because he sees things that have occurred since then that he believes are moving the City in the wrong direction. Lazzell has been endorsed by the Prescott Police Association and served on Prescott’s Board of Adjustment, Planning and Zoning Commission, and others.
Like mayoral candidate Montoya, Lazzell would like the City to hire an economic development advocate, to help guide Council. Lazzell does not believe that Prescott has a traffic problem, but rather a problem stemming from commuter traffic when “there are only three avenues coming into Prescott.” He believes that the conversation around State Route 89 through the Dells and the Sundog Connector have to be seriously discussed, because “just kicking it down the road doesn’t solve the issue.”
In contrast to other candidates, Lazzell argues that Prescott has no a water problem. “Prescott has well over 500 years of water.” He agrees that we do have to conserve water, but describes much of the talk about water as “fearmongering.”
Jay Ruby is running on a platform focused on water, which he describes as the issue that motivated him to vie for the seat. He says he understands state rules and regulations regarding water and wants to help guide the City in working within those guidelines to manage local resources. He argues that we are overdrawing and “need to respect the limits and capacities of our water,” as well as address the collection of microplastics from wastewater. He believes that innovative technologies under development can address these issues, and Council should think more creatively, learn about them and consider investing in them because “we’re talking about the quality of water,” and that is worth protecting.
Describing himself as a “son of the American Revolution,” Ruby was a founder of Tsunami on the Square, a summer festival that ran for 15 years on the courthouse plaza. Through that he gained experience in resource management, learned about how the City operates, and developed relationships with local businesses, artists and the community at large. As a theatrical professional and storyteller, he hopes to develop better communication with residents and help make City issues clear, understandable and relatable.
Ballot Measures
Proposition 482 relates to the alternative expenditure limitation, commonly known as ‘home rule,’ which allows the local spending limit to be set through City's the annual budget process. This must be authorized by voters every four years, otherwise the limit set by the State applies. Prescott voters have approved this nine times, last in 2021.
Proposition 484 is an amendment to the City Charter that would add 24 additional City-owned properties to our open-space portfolio, retained “as a mix of open space and recreation space and/or utilized for water-supply purposes in perpetuity.” If it passes these properties could not be sold, leased, or transferred without specific voter approval.
Two upcoming events offer opportunities to see and hear from the candidates:
Eye on Prescott candidate forum, June 5, 5pm in the Espire sports complex at Pine Ridge Mall
League of Women Voters candidate forum, June 26, 6:30pm in the Ruth Street Theatre, Prescott High School
