Former Arizona state lawmaker Marcelino Quiñonez files to run for Phoenix City Council

Taylor Seely, Arizona Republic
·2 min read

Marcelino Quiñonez, the Arizona lawmaker who resigned his seat in April and was widely rumored to be seeking a position on the Phoenix City Council, filed paperwork to run Tuesday.

The Democrat from Arizona's 11th Legislative District in south Phoenix filed a statement of interest for the permanent, four-year term to represent District 7 on the council. The seat previously belonged to Yassamin Ansari, who resigned in April to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona's 3rd Congressional District.

Phoenix's seventh district includes parts of downtown, Laveen and the Estrella Mountain area in the city's southwesternmost edge.

Quiñonez's filing brings to five the number of candidates to throw their hat into the race and the second candidate from the state Legislature. Other candidates include Martyn Bridgeman, State Sen. Anna Hernandez, Emilio Avila Solis and Lisa Perez.

Rep. Andrés Cano (L-R), Marcelino Quiñonez and Rep. David Livingston speak as legislation comes to the House of Representatives at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix on March 21, 2023.
Rep. Andrés Cano (L-R), Marcelino Quiñonez and Rep. David Livingston speak as legislation comes to the House of Representatives at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix on March 21, 2023.

Candidates have until July 8 to collect enough signatures to qualify for a spot on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Neither Quiñonez nor Hernandez filed paperwork to run for the special vacancy election, also on Nov. 5. The winner of that race will be sworn in after the election and serve until mid-April, when the permanent election winner is slated to begin their four-year term.

Arizona lawmakers are barred from holding another elected office during the duration of their term.

The District 7 seat is currently held by Councilman Carlos Galindo-Elvira, who was appointed in May and plans to run for the temporary vacancy but not the permanent position.

Galindo-Elvira said he didn't want to exploit the appointment as a launching pad for his political career. He's running for the temporary vacancy to provide as much continuity of governance as possible, he said.

Because of the timing of Ansari's resignation, District 7 could potentially see four different representatives on the City Council in a single-year timeframe: Ansari herself, the appointed councilmember, the vacancy election winner and the regular election winner.

Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Marcelino Quiñonez files to run for Phoenix City Council