Surprise mayor candidates to face off in forum

Tonight's the night for the first in-person forum between the two candidates for Surprise mayor.

City Councilmember Aly Cline and former Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Kevin Sartor will field questions in a one-hour session at Ottawa University-Arizona, 15950 N. Civic Center Plaza.

The event, which is presented by the Surprise Independent and Epic Networking Series, starts at 6 p.m. in the second floor of the university's student union, just south of City Hall.

The forum will tackle such issues as transportation, growth, future visions and more.

Surprise voters will decide the mayor position, three City Council spots and the 2040 general plan in the July 30 primary election.

The mayor's race may not be decided in the primary as a third candidate, official write-in Ed Cunningham, has qualified for votes to count.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, it will come down to a runoff between the top two votegetters on election day in November.

Cline has been a city councilmember since 2020. Sartor is currently the safety director for the Dysart Unified School District.

Jason Stone

Former NAU Lumberjack who loves going to concerts (or I did), watching sports (or I did) and hanging out with friends (oh, never mind). I also enjoy backgammon, surfing and men who are not afraid to cry.