Pastor Warren Stewart Makes Phoenix City Council Candidacy Official

Although we heard a couple weeks ago that Pastor Warren Stewart was going to run for Phoenix City Council, he's made it official today.Stewart is now one of two African-Americans who are running for the Phoenix City Council seat in District 8 -- which is currently held by Vice Mayor...

By Matthew Hendley

January 18, 2013

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Although we heard a couple weeks ago that Pastor Warren Stewart was going to run for Phoenix City Council, he's made it official today.

Stewart is now one of two African-Americans who are running for the Phoenix City Council seat in District 8 -- which is currently held by Vice Mayor Michael Johnson -- a seat that has been held by an African-American for the last 46 years.

See also:
-Stewart Endorsed by Black-Brown Coalition
-Robinson Joins Race for Phoenix District 8 City Council Seat, Drama Follows
-Maupin: White Candidate for City Council Is Attempted "Political Lynching"
-Pastor Warren Stewart to Run for Phoenix City Council's 8th District Seat

Lawrence Robinson is the other African-American candidate in the race so far to take over for Johnson, who's term-limited, and state Representative Ruben Gallego's wife, Kate Gallego, is running as well.

Stewart, of the First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix, was instrumental in the effort to get the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday recognized in Arizona, which was detailed in a 1989 story by former Village Voice Media.executive editor Michael Lacey.

This year's election has the 46-year streak of African-American councilmen representing District 8 in jeopardy, and several Black politicians in Phoenix are very concerned about keeping that seat, which several of them see as the African-American community's seat at the table in Phoenix politics.

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