Jen's Two Cents.

Goodyear Mayoral Race Back in Play as Bill Stipp Remains on Ballot

Jen's Two Cents. — Sat, 23 May 2026 17:54:17 GMT

BREAKING: Jen’s Two Cents has independently confirmed that Goodyear residents WILL have two options on their ballot in the upcoming mayoral race.

Back in April, I reported that Bill Stipp had stepped back from active campaigning due to health concerns. At the time, I shared after speaking with him directly that he remained hopeful and in good spirits.

Today, I confirmed that while Stipp is not actively campaigning, he has chosen to keep his name on the ballot.

This comes as many residents have expressed disappointment about potentially not having a choice in the mayoral race.

Residents may also review Goodyear’s election webpage for additional confirmation here.

The election is Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

Stipp and I spoke at length about six months ago about the challenges Goodyear faces and why. View our discussion here.

Mayor Joe Pizzillo was offered an opportunity to respond through a Zoom interview or a written statement. He thanked me for the opportunity but stated he was unavailable at that time.

“Thank you, but I will stand on my record.”

— Joe Pizzillo | Mayor | City of Goodyear | October 22, 2025

The offer to interview remains open.

Both mayoral candidates are welcome to provide statements, participate in interviews, and address questions from residents at any time as the July 21, 2026 election approaches.

The City of Goodyear website shows no termination statement has been filed by Stipp.

Learn About the 2026 Candidates for Goodyear Mayor

About Joe Pizzillo

About Bill Stipp

Also appearing on the 2026 Goodyear ballot are 4 candidates competing for 3 City Council seats:

• Brannon Hampton
• Sheri Lauritano
• Jason Kish
• Vicki Gillis

Vice Mayor Brannon Hampton and Councilmember Vicki Gillis are both seeking reelection as their current terms expire this year. Councilmember Wally Campbell’s term also expires this year, though she is not listed among the candidates.

Former Councilmember Sheri Lauritano is returning to the ballot after previously reaching the city’s term limit. The Goodyear City Charter states:

“No person shall be eligible to serve in the office of Councilmember for more than three (3) consecutive terms, but there shall be no limit on the number of non-consecutive terms.”

In other words, councilmembers cannot serve more than three terms in a row, but they may run again after sitting out at least one term.

Candidate Jason Kish previously served on the Goodyear Planning and Zoning Commission, including three years as chair, and also served on the city’s Charter Committee.

Register To Vote Here.

“I Remember What Happens When Surveillance Becomes Normalized”

Jen's Two Cents. — Fri, 22 May 2026 20:24:25 GMT

Black. White. Mom. ER doctor. Student. Veterans. Dentist. Tech gurus. Residents.

People from all walks of life showed up Thursday night to exercise their right to speak as the Chandler City Council debated renewal of the city’s Flock Safety AI surveillance camera contract.

An Ahwatukee resident who lives and works in Chandler delivered a powerful warning while opposing renewal of the Flock Safety contract.

The speaker, who described himself as a German immigrant and veteran of three wars, recalled growing up during the era of East and West Germany.

“I remember what happened when government normalized surveillance in the name of security and social order.”

He described life under East Germany’s Stasi state security apparatus, where ordinary people lived under constant monitoring, records were kept on citizens, “privacy disappeared,” and fear and control became part of daily life.

“I served this country because I believe in freedom. I believe freedom matters. And freedom is not only the right to speak, it is the right to live without being constantly tracked and recorded by your own government.”

He warned the concern is not only what surveillance systems are today — but what they can become tomorrow.

Listen to his full two-minute testimony here.

41 Voices. One Message.

At the public hearing, Councilmember Christine Ellis suggested many of the speakers opposing the AI surveillance system were not from Chandler.

Mayor Kevin Hartke then required each speaker to publicly state their name and where they were from before addressing the council.

This video is a brief collage of 41 speakers who appeared at Thursday night’s hearing.

The overwhelming majority either live in Chandler, work in Chandler, went to school in Chandler, or argued that a citywide AI surveillance network logging license plates impacts drivers far beyond city limits.

Only one speaker (from Tempe) supported renewing the Flock contract. Forty spoke against it.

Flock Safety Faces Questions from Chandler City Council

On May 21, 2026, the Chandler City Council held a public hearing on whether the city should renew its contract with Flock Safety.

A representative from Flock Safety attended the meeting and answered questions from councilmembers regarding the company’s AI-powered license plate reader system, data practices, oversight, and public concerns surrounding surveillance technology.

This video is a highly edited compilation highlighting key exchanges between the council and Flock Safety during the hearing. View the full meeting here.

During a lengthy and at times tense Q&A session on May 21, 2026, Chandler Councilmember OD Harris pressed the Flock Safety representative, Police Chief Bryan Chapman, and city leadership on issues ranging from data ownership and cloud retention to Fourth Amendment concerns, audits, oversight, data sharing, drones as first responders, and the broader expansion of government surveillance technology.

Harris repeatedly called for stronger guardrails, a citywide surveillance ordinance, public oversight, and a pause on renewing the contract until the city could better evaluate outcomes, retention policies, and who Chandler shares data with.

Harris ultimately asked for all Flock cameras to be deactivated pending further review, but no other councilmember supported the motion.

After extended debate, the Chandler City Council voted 5-1 to table discussion on renewing the Flock contract until July 16, 2026. The cameras will remain active.

Note: During the public comment portion of the meeting, one speaker stated that the Flock Safety representative had left the hearing. However, the representative remained present for additional questioning from councilmembers following public input and prior to the council vote.

Jen’s Two Cents.

What stood out most to me during last night’s Chandler City Council hearing was the growing call for a citywide surveillance ordinance.

After watching hundreds of hours of city council meetings across Arizona involving license plate readers, this moment struck me. Arizona currently has no comprehensive statewide policy governing how cities use vehicle surveillance technology such as Flock Safety and other third-party ALPR vendors. Instead, retention periods, data sharing practices, and oversight largely vary from city to city.

Right now, Arizona Senate President Petersen says there is “no consensus” on either of the competing license plate reader bills (both strikers) moving through the Legislature. One would largely preserve the way many Arizona cities already use ALPR systems today. And another that would impose some of the strictest guardrails on the technology anywhere in the country.

It is also important to note that many of the concerns raised in Chandler are not new to law enforcement discussions surrounding ALPR technology. Questions about data retention, information sharing, oversight, audits, constitutional protections, and long-term surveillance capabilities have been surfacing in hearings across Arizona for months.

And finally, it is entirely possible to support law enforcement while also believing privacy and digital protections matter.

There is a meaningful difference between cameras passively recording incidents on public streets and AI-powered license plate reader systems that can store and catalog the movements of vehicles for months… and in some Arizona cities, up to a year.

As Councilmember Harris explained, “Community trust in local control… when residents believe every trip to work, school, church or the doctor is logged in a national database, it undermines trust in both our police department and in this council.”

Tiny Cameras, Bigger Questions: The Fight Over Public Access to ALPR Plans

Jen's Two Cents. — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:49:05 GMT

Scarsdale, New York never installed its proposed Flock Safety license plate reader network.

But the village is reportedly fighting to keep the camera locations secret anyway.

At the center of the dispute is Josh Frankel, a 25-year Scarsdale resident who has spent months pushing for transparency surrounding the Village’s abandoned Automated License Plate R…

Millions of Dollars. Five Generations. And a Broken Heart.

Jen's Two Cents. — Mon, 04 May 2026 20:20:16 GMT

A story is unfolding across Arizona’s open range. No headlines. No press conference.

Just a post from a man whose roots run deeper than most of us will ever know.

On one side: generational ranching, private property rights, food production, and land stewardship.

On the other: tax incentives, economic growth, energy development, and the infrastructure powe…

“No More Growth”: Prescott Police Clarify Future of License Plate Reader Program

Jen's Two Cents. — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 02:37:22 GMT

Explosive moment in Prescott, Arizona tonight as new details emerged during the City Council budget meeting.

Town of Prescott Budget Review: ALPR Program Status

During the April 27, 2026 Town of Prescott budget meeting, Police Chief Amy Bonney indicated the department’s proposed budget does not include funding for expansion of the town’s automated license…

Inside Arizona’s Teacher Misconduct Hearings: The State Is Filling Key Seats

Jen's Two Cents. — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:22:03 GMT

The Arizona State Board of Education is accepting applications for its Professional Practices Advisory Committee (PPAC), the body responsible for reviewing educator misconduct cases.

The PPAC serves as a hearing panel in disciplinary matters involving both certified and non-certified educators. Members function similarly to a jury, evaluating evidence an…

Building Bridges and Closing Bullard Road after Buc-ee’s Opens

Jen's Two Cents. — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:00:38 GMT

The City of Goodyear held a budget worksession Monday to discuss its upcoming budget and major transportation projects—plans that could significantly impact residents in Estrella, drivers along Indian School Road, and anyone trying to access Buc-ee’s after it opens.

Several of the proposed projects focus on traffic flow, access, and long-term infrastruct…

License Plate Searches: A System of Trust

Jen's Two Cents. — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:09:48 GMT

The Goodyear City Council voted 7-0 today to appoint Bryan Langley as its next City Manager. Langley currently serves as City Manager in Kyle, Texas. So, in an effort to better understand his track record, I spent the weekend watching Kyle City Council meetings.

What I found was a recent debate over surveillance.

During a March 19, 2026 council meeting, K…

AZ Election Bill Targeting Presidential Candidates Adds “Incapacitation.” They Didn’t Say Who Decides.

Jen's Two Cents. — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:35:00 GMT

Who Controls the Outcome?

Who decides what happens when something goes wrong after voters have already made their choice?

An anonymous source raised a series of concerns to Jen’s Two Cents about legislation now moving through the Arizona Legislature — questions that go beyond what the bill says on paper and how it would function in practice.

Arizona Senate…

Built for Kids. Applied to Everyone: Arizona's Push to Turn Parents into Gatekeepers and Platforms into Enforcers

Jen's Two Cents. — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:16:45 GMT

Yesterday, all eyes were on the privacy bill in the Arizona Senate. Sen. Jake Hoffman’s striker to HB2917 advanced with a 6–1 Do Pass recommendation. It’s a landmark proposal that, on paper, would impose one of the most restrictive frameworks on government vehicle surveillance in Arizona.

But while attention was fixed on that vote, something else moved a…

A First-of-Its-Kind Government Mass Surveillance Proposal Gets First Hearing in Arizona

Jen's Two Cents. — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 21:39:07 GMT

Arizona’s so-called “Wild West” of mass vehicle surveillance could soon face its first meaningful limits.

State Senator Jake Hoffman has introduced a striker to HB2917 that would fundamentally change how license plate reader systems are used across the state.

Hb2917 S

44.9KB ∙ PDF file

Download

At its core, the proposal sets a clear threshold: no local government or state agency may operate…

Scale of the System: Records Indicate Arizona Vehicle Surveillance Networks Can Reach 95,000+ Cameras

Jen's Two Cents. — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 13:46:20 GMT

Law enforcement agencies across Arizona have raised concerns about shrinking staffing levels and have increasingly turned to technology to supplement operations. As surveillance tools expand, the balance between public safety and personal privacy is no longer abstract. It can be examined through available data.

Across the state, departments are using aut…

Weaponizing Kindness: When “Protect the Kids” Laws Expand Arizona's Government Control

Jen's Two Cents. — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 21:51:02 GMT

“We have spent, you have spent, so much time telling people how horrible government K-12 is. Now you’re asking that same government to help you verify your children’s age before they can get on. That mentality of going to government to pass bills to do what you should be doing as parents is a lot of how we got here.”
-Alvin Lui | Courage is a Habit

Avondale Police to Ask for 58 More License Plate Readers Amid Recruitment Challenges

Jen's Two Cents. — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:18:57 GMT

Like many police departments across Arizona, Avondale is navigating the challenges of staffing shortages while trying to maintain service levels in a growing community.

In 2025, the department hired 21 sworn officers. During that same period, three officers retired and 11 separated from the department. According to Police Chief Memo Espinoza, a significa…

AI Impacts on Children Protections, Privacy, and the Workforce in Arizona

Jen's Two Cents. — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 20:22:49 GMT

Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly raising urgent questions about child safety, digital privacy, and the future of the workforce.

How are these issues affecting Arizona and the nation?

In this exclusive interview, I sit down with AI and digital privacy advocate Julie Barrett to discuss what these changes could mean for families, children, and so…

Will Arizona Parents Have to Prove Their Kids’ Identity to Download Apps?

Jen's Two Cents. — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:35:25 GMT

Will Arizona parents soon be asked to hand over their children’s birth certificates…

Their Social Security numbers…

Or other sensitive identity documents…

Just to download an app?

That’s the question now emerging at the Arizona Capitol as lawmakers advance House Bill 2920 — part of a wave of legislation appearing in states across the country and promoted as…

Same, Benn. Same: Inside Arizona’s Fight Over License Plate Readers and Transparency

Jen's Two Cents. — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:54:55 GMT

Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and saw Benn Jordan discussing my video about Flock Safety.

Specifically, he was referencing the clip I edited of Flock’s PR representative, testifying in Prescott… the long delayed public meeting the city held only after the cameras were already installed and collecting data.

You know, the meeting that happ…

How One Everyday Arizonan Sparked a National Conversation on Surveillance

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:11:34 GMT

I’m truly thrilled to share that “Sandy from Sedona” is getting well-deserved national recognition. 💛

The Sandy I’m talking about is Sandy Boyce — the everyday citizen who led the successful effort to have the Flock cameras removed in Sedona. She’s now been named “Hero of the Week” by the Solari Report, and it couldn’t be more fitting.

I had the chance t…

Prescott Defends ALPR Program; Flock Addresses What It Calls Misconceptions

Jen's Two Cents. — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 22:28:46 GMT

Prescott police and city officials used Tuesday’s study session to firmly defend the city’s use of automated license plate readers, framing the technology as a narrowly controlled investigative tool — not surveillance — while pushing back against what they described as widespread misinformation and public mistrust fueled by viral claims and social media.

Alleged Prescott Email Trail: Keeping Camera Locations Quiet While Predicting Public Backlash

Jen's Two Cents. — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 19:00:06 GMT

Explosive public records reportedly from the City of Prescott were discussed on a local podcast this weekend — emails that appear to show behind-the-scenes conversations about installing automated license plate readers (ALPRs) while keeping the rollout out of public view, at least initially.