Politics & Government

Scottsdale Mayor, City Council Elections: The Latest

Scottsdale will see a new mayor take office and several city council seats are up for grabs, even as election results continue to come in.

Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane (L) and Joanne Lane attend the 16th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration at ASU Gammage on January 30, 2015 in Tempe, Ariz.
Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane (L) and Joanne Lane attend the 16th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration at ASU Gammage on January 30, 2015 in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for Super Bowl Gospel)

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale will get a new mayor following Tuesday's election, though vote counting is still underway in Maricopa County.

As of Thursday morning, David Ortega was leading with 65,961 votes. Opponent Lisa Borowsky was trailing with 58,345 votes. Both candidates are former Scottsdale City Council members. Neither one has declared victory in the tight race at this point.

The mayor's office opened this year with Mayor Jim Lane facing term limits. A Republican, Lane has served in the role since he was elected in 2009. He drew ire from the community earlier this year when he rescinded the city's mask order.

Find out what's happening in Scottsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Less than 300,000 ballots were left to tally across Maricopa County, as vote counting continues in the key battleground state. More results are expected from Maricopa and Pima Counties Thursday evening.


Don't miss out on the latest election updates and results from Arizona. Subscribe to free Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Find out what's happening in Scottsdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.


Scottsdale is also looking to fill its City Council. The top three candidates will receive at-large seats on the council. Tammy Caputi, Tom Durham and Betty Janik are in the lead, according to the most recent data. All three are newcomers, with incumbent Republican Guy Phillips trailing in fifth place. Former Scottsdale City Manager John Little was in fourth.

Phillips conceded defeat in a Facebook post Wednesday.

"Thank you everyone for all your support. We came up short," he wrote. "The Dems now control Scottsdale."

Thank you everyone for all your support. We came up short. The Dems now control Scottsdale.
Posted by Guy Phillips on Wednesday, November 4, 2020

The Scottsdale Unified School District was also on the ballot Tuesday. Three board members will be elected from a crowd of six candidates. As of Thursday morning, Julie Cieniawski, Libby Hart-Wells and Zach Lindsay had earned the highest number of votes.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.