Mesa election guide: 5 candidates running for mayor

Mesa's future will be in new hands come next year.

The big picture: Mayor John Giles is termed out and five candidates are gunning for the open seat.

• Here's who's running:

Carey Davis is a retired CPA and corporate controller and the former mayor of San Bernardino, California. He moved to Mesa to be close to his children and grandchildren in 2019.

Mark Freeman has served on the city council since 2017. He's a corn farmer and retired paramedic with the Mesa Fire Department.

Scott Neely is a small business owner who unsuccessfully sought the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2022.

Scott Smith served as Mesa mayor from 2008 to 2014, before resigning to run for governor. He lost the race and then served as Valley Metro CEO from 2016 to 2022.

Ryan Winkle runs a nonprofit that works with businesses and neighborhoods in low-to-moderate income census tracts to enable upward mobility. He previously served on the city council but was removed from office for violating the city's code of ethics following a 2017 DUI arrest.

What to watch: If no candidate gets more than 50% of votes, the top two vote-getters will face off in November.