Newcomers to Prescott Valley Town Council race beat incumbents in unofficial vote tally

By DEBRA WINTERS, The Daily Courier Jul 30, 2024 Updated Jul 31, 2024 

According to the unofficial vote tabulation for Tuesday’s Primary Election, the apparent newcomers to the Prescott Valley Town Council will be Matt Zurcher with 19.86% of the vote; Janell Kiehl with 18.42%; Kenneth Freund, 18.34%; and Bill Williams, 17%.

Not all of the votes have been counted as of press time Tuesday, county officials stated.

Incumbents Vice Mayor Lori Hunt and Councilmember Brenda Dickinson so far have received 15.24% and 11.13% of the votes cast, respectively.

The apparent top vote getter, Zurcher, who drew in 6,296 votes, said Tuesday night he was beyond humbled that voters in Prescott Valley picked him.

“I’m deeply honored and very grateful that people took their time for their voices to be heard by voting,” Zurcher said.

Candidates including Freund, Kiehl and Zurcher are part of the slate from the Prescott Valley Citizen’s Alliance (PVCA), a grassroots organization looking to enhance the quality of life in Prescott Valley. Some of the topics they ran their campaigns on include seeking transparency in local government, conservation of natural resources, putting citizens first and having their voices heard, to name a few.

“I’m cautiously optimistic, and I feel I have a good shot at winning. I’m thankful for the help I received during my campaign, they made the difference, and they deserve the credit,” Freund said.

“I’m so pleased with the grassroots organization who rallied for my campaign, I couldn’t have done it without them,” Kiehl said.

The vote to renew Home Rule was also included on the ballot and it passed by a preliminary total of 76.86% to 23.14%.

This option gives Prescott Valley the authorization to set up its own budget based on anticipated local, state and federal revenues, and not rely on a state formulation enacted in 1980. If voted down, the town would have had to wait a minimum of two years for another Home Rule vote.

When the town adopts its own budget those funds are utilized for numerous town departments including police, road maintenance, water and sewer, parks and the library. It has no connection to sales tax rate or property taxes.

Editor's Note - This article has been updated to correct the Prescott Valley Citizen’s Alliance (PVCA) slate of candidates: Freund, Kiehl and Zurcher.