Tempe School Boards, Special Bond Elections: The Latest

TEMPE, AZ — Tempe election races are coming to a conclusion, even as ballot counts continue to trickle in from Maricopa County and throughout Arizona.

Tempe's mayor and city council members were not on the ballot Tuesday, though both school district governing board members were.

The Tempe Union High School District will be gaining three new board members once the final votes are tallied. In a crowded field of eight candidates, Berdetta Hodge, Armando Montero and Sarah Lindsay have earned the most votes as of Thursday morning. Lori Bastion was close behind in fourth place, with just over 300,000 votes left to count in Maricopa County.

Hodge is the current president of the district's governing board and will likely retain her seat. Michelle Helm and Sandy Lowe faced term limits and could not seek re-election. More seats will be up for election in 2022.

Over at the Tempe Elementary School District, three vacancies opened on the governing board. Only two candidates were on Tuesday's ballot. Monica Trejo, the current president, will win re-election to the board, as will newcomer Allison Ewers.

According to Ballotpedia, there were several write-in candidates for the nonpartisan board: Rochelle Wells, Jim Lemmon, Michael Metzger and Tim Taylor. The Maricopa County results don't show write-in votes.

Tempe ballots also included five questions for voters to answer regarding city improvements, preservation and public safety.

Question 1 would authorize Mayor Corey Woods and the Tempe City Council to issue and sell general obligation bonds of the city to the tune of $134,000,000 to provide funds for improving water treatment processes, water distribution and storage, improving billing and safety systems at plants and improving sewage collection infrastructure. The measure has been overwhelmingly approved with 49,501 votes.

Question 2 would authorize the mayor and city council to issue and sell $74,000,000 in general obligation bonds of the city to fund construction and improvements for highways, streets, avenues, bike paths, pedestrian access, bridges, city facility parking lots and alleys. The measure would also improve traffic control systems, devices, facilities, street lighting, street signage and undergrounding utility lines. Improvements to the storm drain would also be funded. As of Thursday, the bond has been approved by voters.

Question 3 would allow the city to sell $34,000,000 in bonds to acquire and improve Public Safety and City Radio System capabilities, existing hardware and software systems, and acquire and improve public safety facilities and equipment. The measure is projected to be approved with 44,101 votes.

Question 4 would allow for the sale of $45,000,000 in bonds to acquire, construct and improve park and recreation infrastructure, equipment and facilities, including lighting, lakes, landscaping, and aquatics in the community. The measure will likely pass with 47,681 votes in favor and only 14,985 against.

Question 5 would authorize the city to sell $62,000,000 in general obligation bonds to provide maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation on city buildings and landscaping. It would also allow Tempe to acquire and improve municipal infrastructure and facilities, replace inefficient heating and air conditioning systems and equipment in city buildings, acquire and improve technology infrastructure and processes through hardware/software systems, and repair or replace flooring and roofs.

Voters are leaning toward approving the measure with 42,183 votes.