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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]

His key areas of focus include the 5Es: Emergency Response, Equality & Compassion, Education, Environment and Economic Growth.[12] As mayor, Giles led the adoption of a city-wide Non Discrimination Ordinance[13] and Climate Action Plan.[14]

Opposition to housing reform

In 2024, Giles was a staunch opponent of Arizona state legislation to increase housing supply in the state amid a housing shortage.[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.[15] Giles argued that "silencing our neighborhoods is not the solution to the housing crisis".[15]

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

Mesa mayoral election, 2016[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles 53,273 99.01%
Write-in Write-ins 353 0.99%
Total votes 53,808 100.0%
Mesa Mayoral Special Election, 2014[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles 33,177 72.7%
Nonpartisan Danny Ray 12,483 27.3%
Total votes 45,660 100.0%
Mesa City Council election, 1996[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles 17,426 23.2%
Nonpartisan T. Farrell Jensen 15,949 21.2%
Nonpartisan Dennis Kavanaugh 13,481 17.9%
Nonpartisan Lillian Wilkinson 10,407 13.8%
Nonpartisan Dana B. Harper 10,053 13.4%
Nonpartisan David Molina 7,831 10.4%
Total votes 75,147 100.0%
Mesa City Council at-large primary, 1996[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan John Giles 14,392 15.8%
Nonpartisan T. Farrell Jensen 11,861 13.1%
Nonpartisan Lillian Wilkinson 10,885 12.0%
Nonpartisan David Molina 10,070 11.1%
Nonpartisan Dennis Kavanaugh 9,848 10.8%
Nonpartisan Dana B. Harper 9,635 10.6%
Nonpartisan Michael D. Whiting 9,196 10.1%
Nonpartisan Manuel Cortez 5,873 6.5%
Nonpartisan David A. Wier 5,403 6.0%
Nonpartisan John Robie 6,639 4.0%
Total votes 90,802 100.0%

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Mayor John Giles | City of Mesa". www.mesaaz.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  2. ^ Basnet, Neetish (July 26, 2022). "GOP censures Mesa lawmaker, Mayor Giles". The Mesa Tribune. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  3. ^ "Mayor John Giles". City of Mesa. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. ^ "John C. Giles, Attorney". Giles & Dickson. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  5. ^ "Mayor John Giles". City of Mesa, Arizona. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  6. ^ "Multiple GOP mayors, business owners backing Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly". KTAR.com. 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  7. ^ Brodie, Mark (September 19, 2014). "John Giles Elected Mayor Of Mesa". KJZZ. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  8. ^ Godfrey, Trevor (September 20, 2014). "Mesa mayor Giles officially sworn into office". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  9. ^ Polletta, Maria; Leavitt, Parker (September 19, 2014). "John Giles sworn in as Mesa's 40th mayor". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "Mayor John Giles". NDC Academy. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Steinbach, Alison. "Mesa Mayor John Giles lays out 5 priorities, with navigating the COVID-19 pandemic topping the list". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  13. ^ "The Arizona Republic". The Arizona Republic. (subscription required)
  14. ^ "The Arizona Republic". The Arizona Republic. (subscription required)
  15. ^ a b c "Phoenix-area mayors blast controversial housing bill they say would 'silence our neighborhoods'". Az Central. 2024.
  16. ^ "Mayor John Giles | City of Mesa". www.mesaaz.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "Mesa, AZ Mayor - Special Election 2014". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  19. ^ "Mesa, AZ City Council At Large 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  20. ^ "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
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Giles_(mayor)