By Matthew Holloway |

Following the announcement of her candidacy for the Mesa City Council seat currently held by Julie Spilsbury, who is facing a recall election, Dorean Taylor (DT) was willing to answer a few questions for AZ Free News to provide voters with a background on her and her candidacy. Taylor called out Spilsbury for repeatedly voting “to harm the people of Mesa with woke and ineffective government policies that violate our deeply held community principles.” She also placed blame on Spilsbury for increases in homelessness and utility costs.

Taylor announced her candidacy in July after Councilwoman Spilsbury faced serious challenges to her self-proclaimed status as a Republican for her enthusiastic endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election as well as endorsements from prominent Arizona Democrats U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego.

Asked to provide a background on herself, Taylor told us:

“I’m originally from the beautiful sunny state of Florida. My family still resides on the East Coast, and I enjoy flying back to see them and visit any time I can. I moved to AZ to attend the same amazing church I still attend today and complete my bachelor’s degree. While I was in school and working full time, I met the love of my life, a Mesa native! We got married, started life together in Mesa, and are still living here today. I’ve come to know and love my community here and have lived in or near District 2 since 2010. Our first home was at Lindsay and Brown. One of my favorite things about Mesa is the small-town feel you can experience in a large suburb. For example, my neighbors will ride their horses down the street and wave to us while we sit on the front porch, but just down the street is a shopping center and public parks. It’s incredible.”

Taylor then answered some questions regarding her campaign, her motivations, and what differentiates her from her opponent.

AZFN: What inspired you to join the race for City Council?

DT: “Thank you for asking. I spoke on behalf of my household and my neighbors, witnessing others who felt the same way speaking up too, and watching all of us be politely ignored. It’s become clear to me that its long overdue for the great people of Mesa District 2 to have principled, honest, common sense leadership on the City Council — representation that actually cares about implementing policies that will improve the lives of the people who call our city home.  I’m running to ensure that we have better roads, a safer community, we work to end the homelessness epidemic, and reduce taxes and fees while making our government smarter and more efficient.”

AZFN: How do you differentiate yourself from Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury? 

DT: “Our core principles on what drives us to action are different. Unfortunately, my opponent has repeatedly voted to harm the people of Mesa with woke and ineffective government policies that violate our deeply held community principles. She has not remained non-partisan. My opponent has supported policies that have led to an historic epidemic of homelessness on our streets, wasteful spending on pet projects, an increase in utilities, and a currently proposed more than 40% increase in Mesa water rates — Ms. Spilsbury has broken her commitments to the people who elected her, and she has lost the trust of our community. Over five thousand residents signed to recall her. The people have spoken. I’m running to restore honest, objectively principled, commonsense leadership in District 2. I will honor the code of ethics.”

AZFN: What are your top policy priorities once you take office?

DT: “My priorities are simple and align with the priorities of the people I am running to represent — lower taxes and cost of living, smarter and efficient government, safer neighborhoods, better roads that allow for less congestion and faster commute times, and ending the homelessness epidemic that has plagued our streets these past few years. The people of Mesa are incredible and compassionate. They want a representative government that works for everyone, and when I’m elected, that’s exactly what I’ll aim to deliver. One of my first goals is to send out communication to my district to keep residents informed of what is upcoming and to host townhalls for them. People want honesty and government transparency.”

Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.