By Staff Reporter |
Mesa Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury may face a special election within the first year of her second term.
Organizers with Turning Point Action (TPA), the activist arm of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, provided the manpower for the signature gathering effort to initiate Spilsbury’s recall. A resident, JoAnne Robbins, launched the recall effort.
Robbins submitted over 5,200 signatures to remove Spilsbury, according to TPA COO Tyler Bowyer. The recall effort needed about 3,100 signatures by Friday in order to launch a special election.
Bowyer said Spilsbury was to blame for the declining quality of living and rising cost of living in the area.
“Julie Spilsbury let Mesa down,” said Bowyer. “She has politicized her office and has voted for terrible things that make Mesa a worse place and more expensive.”
A now-defunct TPA webpage notified Arizonans of “Super Chase Events” to gather signatures for the recall effort.
Residents blame Spilsbury — a self-identified Republican who endorsed two Democratic candidates last year, Kamala Harris for president and Ruben Gallego for U.S. Senate — for the homelessness crisis plaguing the city.
Robbins launched the recall based on three specific “yes” votes taken by Spilsbury between 2023 and 2024: approval of a permit to convert a hotel into a homeless housing program, increasing city council salaries, and increasing Mesa utility rates.
Spilsbury’s main defense of these votes is that two of the three were unanimous.
Violent crimes have increased over the past five years, with an increase of nearly eight percent in violent crimes in 2024 compared to 2023, per Arizona Department of Public Safety data. Overall crime increased by over two percent from 2023 to 2024. Still, Mesa Police say the city remains one of the safest among large municipalities; Assistant Chief Lee Rankin told the city council during a study session last month that Mesa remains a family-friendly community.
“While the city has seen a slight 2.5% uptick in crime compared to similarly sized cities, those who live, work, and play in Mesa enjoy a safe and vibrant community,” said Rankin. “With a strong focus on safety measures and community engagement the city continues to be a place where people can thrive and enjoy all the city has to offer.”
Estimates place Mesa’s cost of living at about seven percent higher than the national average, and housing expenses around nine percent higher than the national average.
In response to the recall, Spilsbury issued a rebuttal of the charges against her on her campaign website.
The councilwoman accused her opponents of being “angry” she defeated their “handpicked candidate” last year and belonging to “an outside special interest group” funded with out-of-state dark money.
Spilsbury laid claim to several changes that occurred since first being elected to the council in 2020: lowered police and fire response times, high quality development, and job creation by the thousands.
“[The recall effort petitioners] don’t care about Mesa, its people, or our issues. And, they are resorting to distortions, misrepresentations, and outright lies to win this time,” stated Spilsbury.
Spilsbury was reelected by default last November, having defeated her primary opponent Melody Whetstone by a margin of over 30 percent. Spilsbury’s second term runs until 2029.
Spilsbury chairs the Community and Cultural Development Committee, sits on the Public Safety Committee, and vice chairs the Education and Workforce Development Roundtable.
Spilsbury also sits on the other following boards and committees: Human Resources and Elections Policy Committee for the Arizona League of City and Towns General Administration, Children’s Alliance Board, idea Museum Board of Directors, MesaCAN Board, Mesa United Way Board of Directors, Arizona Talks Advisory Board, and the Education and Families Council as well as the Finance, Administration, and Intergovernmental Relations Federal Advocacy Committee for the National League of Cities.
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