by Blake Herzog
Prescott voters decided all five Prescott City Council seats in play for the 2023 election season with the
Aug. 1 primary election.
Mayor Phil Goode ran unopposed for his second term; 377 write-in votes were turned in but nobody
filed paperwork to run as a recognized write-in candidate.
Incumbent Connie Cantelme, appointed last year after former councilmember Jessica Hall resigned after
serving seven months of her term, was elected to fill out the second half of that term with a majority of
the votes cast, 8,570, versus Tony Hamer’s 4,255, according to unofficial results released by the Yavapai
County Recorder’s Office. Cantelme is a general contractor and real estate investor who prioritizes
planned, moderate development and water conservation, according to her campaign website.
Three more seats carrying a full four-year term were also on the ballot, and three of the four candidates
also won more than 50% of the vote, securing their seat on the council:
- Incumbent Cathey Rusing was elected to her second term with 10,564 votes on a platform
emphasizing sustainable growth, open space preservation and maintaining an adequate water
supply. - Lois Fruhwirth, a retired supply chain executive and former chair of the Yavapai County
Republican Party, netted 9,605 votes after running on her business experience and participation
in state-level politics. - Ted Gambogi, vice chairman of the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission and chairman of the Prescott 2025 General Plan Committee, won 8,843 votes. His campaign focused on
infrastructure maintenance, public safety and water resource management.
The fourth candidate, real estate executive Chad DeVries, got 4,431 votes.
