Council hopefuls weigh in on Pentz resignation

The Chandler city manager’s forced resignation has stirred things up in the city’s three-way race for two City Council seats. Candidates Trinity Donovan, Becky Jackson and Jeff Weninger are running for seats about to be vacated by Vice Mayor Phill Westbrooks and Councilwoman Donna Wallace, who are leaving due to term limits.

The runoff is May 16, and early voting is under way.

Many see the race, at least for two of the candidates, as being aligned with the City Council’s dueling factions.

Jackson, 52, has received endorsements from Wallace and Councilmen Martin Sepulveda and Matt Orlando — three of a four-member voting bloc on the council.

Weninger, 35, has the support of Mayor Boyd Dunn and Councilmen Bob Caccamo and Lowell Huggins, all three of whom make up the council’s other voting bloc.

The rift has become more of an issue lately with the impending departure of City Manager Mark Pentz, who was forced to resign earlier this month after it was clear four councilmembers — Wallace, Sepulveda, Orlando and Westbrooks — were ready to fire him.

Weninger called the council’s decision “an abuse of power” and has vowed, along with incumbents Caccamo and Huggins, to push to rehire Pentz if he is elected.

Jackson called the issue “a black eye for the city,” but declined to take a position on the council’s decision. “I do not agree with the way it was handled,” she said.

Donovan, 28, claims endorsements from all seven City Council members. She, along with Jackson, attended Pentz’s nine-hour job review two weeks ago.

She has said she didn’t hear anything that warranted firing the city manager, but did see a breakdown in communication on both sides.

The race’s first volley of campaign mailers arrived in mailboxes last week from Jackson’s campaign.

The advertisements compare Jackson’s list of community and civic activities with a much shorter list for Weninger.

“Becky obviously sees this as a race between her and I,” Weninger said of the mailer. “I see it as a race between all three of us.”

Jackson denied the charge and pointed out Donovan garnered only about 300 more votes than her in the primary. “It’s still a three-way race,” she said.

But the mailers made no mention of Donovan.

“I guess the downside to that is it can look like I’m not in the race,” Donovan said.

Donovan said she has no intention of campaigning against either of her opponents, but will instead only focus on her platform.

Donovan, an executive with the Valley of the Sun United Way, said she will focus on ensuring city services are adequately funded, protecting established neighborhoods and planning for Chandler’s anticipated transition from rapid growth to landlocked stability.

Jackson is president of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce and has no plans to leave her post if elected.

To Jackson, no conflict of interest exists since the chamber has no financial ties to the city government, and she vowed to vote independently — even on issues the chamber’s board of directors, her bosses, take a stand on.

She was part of the committee that helped come up with the recommendation to build a city hall facility on Arizona Avenue and Chicago Street. She said she supports the site and believes it will spur redevelopment on south Arizona Avenue.

Weninger, a restaurant owner, has strongly opposed the recommended site, claiming the property along the avenue should be used for retail development that generates sales tax dollars.

Donovan said she didn’t know enough yet about the city hall recommendation to have a position.