(GILBERT, AZ.) – It’s unofficial yet, but canvassed results are on the way: residents of Gilbert wanted change, and change is exactly what they voted for.
Results of the 2026 election for town council suggest that four new candidates, including Beth Goulden, Bill Spence, Joel Coen, and Bus Obayomi will take the four open council positions left by incumbents Chuck Bongiovanni, Jim Torgeson, and Bobbi Buchli, as well as Yung Koprowski, who declined to run again.
Photo Credit: Maricopa County Elections
While preliminary results are in, however, votes must still be canvassed and posted by Maricopa County. As of now, a narrow 1.39% of the vote separates Bongiovanni from Obayomi, serving as the margin between new councilmembers and at least one incumbent remaining on the council.
Photo Credit: Maricopa County Elections
This massive reform voted for by Gilbert residents does not come unprecedented, however; multiple message boards and social media posts have echoed a sentiment of change for weeks, fueled by rising utility rates, increased high-density housing, and a rising divide between what residents want and the actions taken by the council.
Numerous town council meetings this year foreshadowed this election, with residents speaking out time and time again against many issues they felt went unresolved. Some residents even spoke at multiple meetings, citing the same issues and receiving the same responses.
While residents largely felt this year that the former council did not take their ideas and opinions into consideration on decisions that would affect every resident of the town, they campaigned ceaselessly on online media platforms, pushing for change and using the phrase “vote them out” as a common mantra.
Photo Credit: OpGov.News
The campaign trail finally ends here. Once results are finalized, the new councilmembers will join the remaining council consisting of Mayor Scott Anderson and councilmembers Kenny Buckland and Monte Lyons, who were voted in in 2024.
Residents and officials are poised to see what changes the new Gilbert council members will make, and whether their voices will be heard in the coming term as a result of the elections this year.
Maricopa County Elections indicates a runoff election will not be necessary.
OpGov.News has reached out to the incoming candidates for comment.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at tracy.t@lead4earth.org and be sure to leave a comment below with your thoughts on this election!
0
0
Comments