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No endorsement

The race

District 4 covers downtown, midtown, and part of Maryvale. This is an open seat: Councilmember Laura Pastor, first elected in 2013 (in office since 2014), is term-limited. The race is nonpartisan, and with eight candidates it is the most crowded Phoenix council race of 2026. If no candidate wins a majority on November 3, the top two meet in a runoff on March 9, 2027.

The verified roster is eight candidates: Ashley Harder, Cassandra Hernandez, Ed Hermes, Patricia Jimenez, Zachary Lauer, Michael Mazzocco, Robb Olivieri, and Megan Schmitz.

The candidates

Ashley Harder is the founder and owner of Harder Development, responsible for several Phoenix projects including the restoration of the Reverend Henry M. Campbell House in the Roosevelt Historic District, per azcentral. She sits on the Downtown Phoenix Community Development Corp. board and co-chairs the Central City Planning & Development Committee of the Phoenix Community Alliance. She was the race's second-largest fundraiser at the June 30 report ($273,364), including a $150,000 loan to her own campaign.

Ed Hermes is a lawyer with Snell & Wilmer LLP, the state's largest law firm, with experience in housing, construction, and gambling issues, per azcentral. He is in his second term on the Osborn School District governing board and has chaired Phoenix's Vision Zero Street Transportation Committee. He led the field in fundraising ($316,139 at June 30), including donations from about 100 fellow Snell & Wilmer lawyers; azcentral reports the firm brings rezoning and development matters before the council regularly, and Hermes acknowledged he may need to recuse himself from time to time on firm matters.

Cassandra Hernandez was elected to the Cartwright Elementary School District governing board in 2024 at age 19, following her mother, state Rep. Lydia Hernandez, who has served on the same board for over 20 years, per azcentral. Having both family members on the board ran afoul of state law, and a court decision led to Hernandez's resignation in July 2026. She works as an assistant general manager at EoS Fitness. As of azcentral's October finance review, she had not yet filed a campaign finance report.

Patricia Jimenez is a real estate broker who has served on the Isaac Elementary School District governing board since 2003 and is running for reelection to that board at the same time as this council race, per azcentral. The district is under state receivership after significant financial problems during her tenure; as board president, she explained last year that the district had spent $9 million over its budget because of "accounting errors that led to the late submission of a report required to receive federal pandemic relief funds."

Zachary Lauer works in sales for USHEALTH Advisors and calls himself a health insurance expert on his campaign website, per azcentral. He emphasizes his belief in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement. He raised $2,323 through June 30 and describes himself as a "regular guy" running without campaign staff.

Michael Mazzocco made his career in marketing, hospitality, and catering as the former operating partner and president of The Herb Box Catering Company, and has worked as an Arizona State University faculty associate mentoring food entrepreneurs, per azcentral. In June, his former campaign manager resigned and leaked transcripts of recordings alleging unfiltered statements by Mazzocco about opponents and others; Mazzocco told azcentral there were things he "would phrase differently with the benefit of reflection" and that his focus remains on District 4 residents.

Robb Olivieri has worked eight years at Arizona State University's Luminosity Lab and has been its director since early 2025, per azcentral. He is president of the Melrose Community Alliance. He raised $104,535 through June 30 with no PAC money.

Megan Schmitz is a community advocate who previously worked for Arizona Public Service and as senior vice president at Horizon Strategies of Arizona, per azcentral. She has the most direct District 4 experience in the field: more than eight years as a research analyst and chief of staff under Councilmembers Laura Pastor and Tom Simplot.

Pros / Cons

OUR CALL

Our call: insufficient record — no endorsement.

Eight candidates, and not one has a verifiable record of votes or stated positions on the core of this job — the city budget, taxes and fees, public-safety funding, and development approvals — that we could source claim by claim. Fundraising totals and résumés are not a record. What would earn an endorsement here is a documented position on city spending and development that a voter can check, or prior service in an office where those decisions were actually made.

For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.

Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Sources

Election result — November 4, 2026

Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.

AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.

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