Carlos Galindo-Elvira, a Hayden High School Alumni and former Mayor of Hayden, was recently appointed to the Phoenix City Council. Carlos applied for the position and was selected after a vetting process conducted by the Phoenix City Council. Carlos accepted the position and, immediately following his swearing in April, got to work for District 7 in Phoenix.
Carlos explained that while his appointment is requiring an election to finish out the term vacated by former City of Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansarri. She resigned to run for the United States Congress. Carlos does not plan to run for official election to the seat.
“I don’t want to see the office be politicized, and hope to see others run for the seat when it is up for re-election,” he stated.
Serving as Mayor of Hayden has helped Carlos serve his constituents in Phoenix. The large and diverse district which includes the Phoenix City Hall and Arizona State Capitol as landmarks in the district. Carlos has dedicated his career to non-profit service and currently he is employed by Chicano’s por la Causa.
His small town roots have helped him serve his constituents with compassion, empathy and respect. His four priorities as a Councilmember has been heat mitigation, public safety, parks and recreation, and homelessness. Bringing some of his hometown roots to his role, he and his office hosted a Christmas in July event which was modeled after the Union holiday events that local resident Arnold Mariscal would host.
Carlos’s wife Emily and two sons Roman and Lucas have been supportive of his new role and his son Lucas has enjoyed participating in many of the events, while Roman always provides wise encouragement to his father.
“My wife Emily is the anchor at home,” Carlos said.
Most importantly, Carlos wanted his service to encourage others from the Copper Corridor to get involved and to never give up.
“You never know where you will end up,” he explained, “even if you are from a small town.”