John Giles (mayor)
Mayor of Mesa, Arizona, United States
John C. Giles (born 1959/1960) is an American politician serving as the 40th mayor of Mesa, Arizona .[1] A Republican , Giles previously served as a member of the Mesa City Council from 1996 to 2000. Giles was elected mayor of Mesa in a special election following the resignation of then-Mayor Scott Smith . In 2022, Giles was censured by the Arizona Republican Party over his endorsement of Mark Kelly in the 2022 United States Senate election .[2]
Early life and education
Giles was born in Mesa, Arizona . He graduated from Westwood High School in 1978. He attended Brigham Young University , graduating with a political science degree in 1984. Giles received his Juris Doctor degree from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in 1987.
Career
Giles works as a lawyer with the firm Giles & Dickson.[3] Giles was the president of the East Valley Bar Association from 1992 until 1993.[4]
He was elected to the Mesa City Council in 1996, serving until 2000, including a term as vice mayor from 1998 until 2000.[5]
Giles is a registered Republican , although the position of mayor is officially nonpartisan. Giles endorsed Democrat Mark Kelly in the 2022 U.S. Senate election .[6]
Mayor of Mesa, Arizona (2014–present)
Following Mayor Scott Smith 's resignation in 2014, Giles was elected mayor in a special election, for a term lasting until 2017.[7] He was sworn in on September 18, 2014.[8] [9] In 2016, Giles was reelected to a full four-year term, which is set to last until 2021.[10] Giles began his second full term in January 2021.[11]
As mayor, Giles led the adoption of a city-wide Non Discrimination Ordinance[12] and Climate Action Plan.[13]
Opposition to housing reform
In 2024, Giles was a staunch opponent of bipartisan Arizona state legislation to increase housing supply in the state amid a housing shortage.[14] [15] The legislation proposed to remove red tape and restrict the abilities of Arizona cities from mandating Home Owners Associations, minimum home sizes and community amenities.[14] Giles argued that "silencing our neighborhoods is not the solution to the housing crisis".[14]
Personal life
Giles and his wife, Dawn, have five children and eight grandchildren.[1] Giles is a marathoner and triathlete who has completed two full Ironman competitions, 20 marathons and four Boston Marathons .[16]
Electoral history
See also
References
^ a b "Mayor John Giles | City of Mesa" . www.mesaaz.gov . Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2018-04-30 .
^ Basnet, Neetish (July 26, 2022). "GOP censures Mesa lawmaker, Mayor Giles" . The Mesa Tribune . Retrieved 2022-08-27 .
^ "Mayor John Giles" . City of Mesa. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2018 .
^ "John C. Giles, Attorney" . Giles & Dickson. Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ "Mayor John Giles" . City of Mesa, Arizona . Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ "Multiple GOP mayors, business owners backing Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly" . KTAR.com . 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-08-27 .
^ Brodie, Mark (September 19, 2014). "John Giles Elected Mayor Of Mesa" . KJZZ . Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ Godfrey, Trevor (September 20, 2014). "Mesa mayor Giles officially sworn into office" . East Valley Tribune . Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ Polletta, Maria; Leavitt, Parker (September 19, 2014). "John Giles sworn in as Mesa's 40th mayor" . The Arizona Republic . Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ "Mayor John Giles" . NDC Academy. Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ Steinbach, Alison. "Mesa Mayor John Giles leads in reelection bid, while Julie Spilsbury could unseat Councilmember Jeremy Whittaker" . The Arizona Republic . Retrieved 2022-04-08 .
^ "The Arizona Republic" . The Arizona Republic . (subscription required)
^ "The Arizona Republic" . The Arizona Republic . (subscription required)
^ a b c "Phoenix-area mayors blast controversial housing bill they say would 'silence our neighborhoods' " . Az Central . 2024.
^ "Mesa mayor calls affordable housing measure 'deeply flawed' - Daily Independent" . The Daily Independent at YourValley.net . 2024-03-16.
^ "Mayor John Giles | City of Mesa" . www.mesaaz.gov . Retrieved 2022-04-08 .
^ "MRC 20160830 E August 30, 2016 Summary Report MARICOPA COUNTYFINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS" (PDF) . Maricopa County Recorder. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2019 .
^ "Mesa, AZ Mayor - Special Election 2014" . Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ "Mesa, AZ City Council At Large 1996" . Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
^ "Mesa, AZ City Council At Large Primary 1996" . Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
External links
Political offices
Preceded by
Mayor of Mesa 2014–present
Incumbent
Eric Adams (D)New York City, NY
Karen Bass (D)Los Angeles, CA
Brandon Johnson (D)Chicago, IL
John Whitmire (D)Houston, TX
Kate Gallego (D)Phoenix, AZ
Cherelle Parker (D)Philadelphia, PA
Ron Nirenberg (I)San Antonio, TX
Todd Gloria (D)San Diego, CA
Eric Johnson (R)Dallas, TX
Donna Deegan (D)Jacksonville, FL *
Rick Blangiardi (I)Honolulu, HI *
Kirk Watson (D)Austin, TX
Matt Mahan (D)San Jose, CA
Joe Hogsett (D)Indianapolis, IN *
Mattie Parker (R)Fort Worth, TX
Andrew Ginther (D)Columbus, OH
Vi Lyles (D)Charlotte, NC
London Breed (D)San Francisco, CA
Craig Greenberg (D)Louisville, KY *
Bruce Harrell (D)Seattle, WA
Mike Johnston (D)Denver, CO
Freddie O'Connell (D)Nashville, TN *
David Holt (R)Oklahoma City, OK
Oscar Leeser (D)El Paso, TX
Muriel Bowser (D)Washington, DC
Carolyn Goodman (I)Las Vegas, NV
Michelle Wu (D)Boston, MA
Ted Wheeler (D)Portland, OR
Paul Young (D)Memphis, TN
Mike Duggan (D)Detroit, MI
Brandon Scott (D)Baltimore, MD
Cavalier Johnson (D)Milwaukee, WI
Tim Keller (D)Albuquerque, NM
Regina Romero (D)Tucson, AZ
Jerry Dyer (R)Fresno, CA
Darrell Steinberg (D)Sacramento, CA
John Giles (R)Mesa, AZ
Quinton Lucas (D)Kansas City, MO
Andre Dickens (D)Atlanta, GA
Yemi Mobolade (I)Colorado Springs, CO
Jean Stothert (R)Omaha, NE
Mary-Ann Baldwin (D)Raleigh, NC
Bobby Dyer (R)Virginia Beach, VA
Rex Richardson (D)Long Beach, CA
Francis Suarez (R)Miami, FL
Sheng Thao (D)Oakland, CA
Jacob Frey (D)Minneapolis, MN
G. T. Bynum (R)Tulsa, OK
Karen Goh (R)Bakersfield, CA
Jane Castor (D)Tampa, FL