Carolyn M. Pride 
Surprise voters could elect a new council member on Tuesday, but it’s tiny Youngtown – a community of less than 2 square miles nestled along Grand Avenue – that has the busiest council run in the North Valley. west.
Nine candidates are vying for four seats on the city council of Youngtown, a community of some 7,000 people.
The races in Glendale, a city of about 250,000, and El Mirage, which has about 35,000, offer voters no choice because only incumbents are in the running. Peoria will see a competitive race for mayor and council, but not until November.
Election coverage: Live Updates Across Arizona | Arizona election results
Youngtown Mayor Mike LeVault considers the competition in his small town a point of pride. “I’m always interested in having more people involved in their government, because that makes for better government,” he said.
The Aug. 2 primary election includes races for governor, U.S. Senate and other high-level positions, but local government is where it’s at for LeVault. This is where elected officials make decisions that have a direct impact on people’s quality of life, from roads and parks to public safety.
“If you want to impact government, you’re more likely to do it at the local level,” LeVault said.
Where to vote
Early voting began nearly a month ago, but many voters prefer to drop off or vote on Election Day.
Maricopa County has more than 200 voting centers open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Voters can cast their ballot at the site that is most convenient for them. The complete list of voting centers and drop box locations can be found on the County Elections website at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/where-to-vote.html.
Race through Surprise’s vast District 1
Surprise operates on a district system, which means council members are elected to represent geographic regions.
The only competitive race takes place in District 1, which spans 73 square miles encompassing the northernmost reaches of the city.
While the whole of Surprise is growing as it nears 150,000 residents, District 1 includes the less established parts of the city. An area where there are still dirt roads and commercial amenities have not kept pace with the rooftops.
The three candidates vying to replace outgoing District 1 council member Roland Winters are Raymond Grim, Lew Guyn and Nick Haney.
Grim owns an insurance agency in Surprise and has been active in the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce and has served on the town’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. This is his second run to represent District 1.
Guyn is a systems optimization consultant for Swift Transportation. This is his first time running for office, but he highlighted his engineering background as one of his strengths.
Haney is a firefighter and paramedic from Glendale and a former member of the Surprise Youth Council. He grew up in Surprise and is running for the council for the first time.
District 1 Race:Residents and candidates talk about roads, development, jobs in Surprise
To win on Tuesday, a candidate must obtain more than 50% of the votes. Otherwise, the top two voters will face each other in a runoff in November.
Surprise’s other two races involve incumbents Jack Hastings in District 5 and Chris Judd in District 6. Neither face challengers.
The Arizona Republic asked the contestants to answer questions about the issues Surprise had.
9 prospects in Youngtown
In Youngtown, nine candidates are vying for four city council seats.
Two of these candidates are running for a seat with a two-year term instead of the usual four-year term. These suitors include Bernadette Labat, owner of a local business, and Jim Starke, who teaches music, martial arts and survival.
Incumbents Margaret Chittenden, Karen Haney Duncan and Mike Francis and challengers Ensign Beesley, Jodi Kaczynski, Denita Manning and Ann Nelson are vying for the other three seats.
The Republic asked the candidates to answer questions about the problems faced by Youngtown.
Elections in Glendale and El Mirage
The incumbents of El Mirage and Glendale face no competition.
In Glendale, council members Jamie Aldama, Lauren Tolmachoff and Bart Turner are not opposed to re-election.
In El Mirage, Mayor Alexis Hermosillo and council members Monica Dorcey, Anita Norton and Donna Winston are unopposed.
Contact the reporter at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at @EndiaRain.
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