Peoria's police officers association executive board has thrown its support behind City Councilmember Michael Finn in the race for mayor, passing over Arthur Miller, the man who led the department for years before retiring in 2023. The decision by the association's executive board has become one of the more pointed storylines in a contest that will decide who replaces outgoing Mayor Jason Beck.
Two Candidates With Deep Peoria Roots
Finn, a longtime Peoria councilmember first elected in 2014, and Miller, who ran the Peoria Police Department before retiring in 2023, are the two names on the ballot to succeed Beck, according to azcentral.com. Miller served in law enforcement for more than 46 years before stepping away, and his campaign has leaned heavily into that background, as reported by the Merced Sun-Star. Finn's campaign website announced his candidacy for mayor, according to finnformayor.com.
The endorsement fight centers on the Peoria Police Officers Association, which according to the Merced Sun-Star's reporting, said through its statement that Miller did not listen to officers or advocate for department needs during his time as chief. The association also criticized Miller's use of law enforcement symbols in his campaign materials as potentially deceptive, per the same report, and said campaigns should clarify who they represent. Miller's website and campaign signs show a Peoria police badge or patch that is not the official department insignia, and his campaign materials have also featured a police uniform with the badge and patch blurred, the Sun-Star reports.
A Uniform That Raised Eyebrows
Political consultant Barrett Marson told the outlet that using a police uniform in campaign material could backfire or seem deceptive to voters. Miller, for his part, said he was not given a chance to earn the endorsement, and he said the police chief's September presentation to the council effectively promoted Finn, according to the Sun-Star's reporting. Michael Wadsworth, who became the Peoria association's president in July, said the union's former president had returned Miller's call and left a voicemail.
The endorsement decision itself was made in February by the association's executive board rather than by a vote of the full membership, the Sun-Star reports. Not every officer agreed with the characterization of Miller's leadership — Marcel Spaulding criticized the association's assessment of Miller's relationship with rank-and-file officers, according to the same reporting. The backlash that followed the association's August statement eventually led the group to announce it would stop participating in politics altogether, saying it would no longer endorse candidates, issue campaign statements, or take public positions on candidates after electing a new executive board in July. Wadsworth said that decision to step back from politics was unrelated to the mayoral campaign, and he added that the association still stood by its earlier endorsements of Finn and of Joysaphine Waitman-Powell in the city's Southwestern Pine district.
Endorsements And Dollars Stack Up For Finn
Beyond the police officers association, the City of Peoria Police Supervisors also endorsed Finn before merging under the officers' association, and Finn has picked up backing from Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan. Peoria police and fire organizations broadly support Finn in the race, according to azcentral.com. The Arizona Police Association also joined in, with members voting in April to donate $5,000 to Finn's campaign, a contribution the association formally made in May. Joe Clure, the association's executive director and a Peoria resident who served on Beck's 2022 campaign team, said he had no role in the Peoria association's endorsement and that Beck does not direct his actions or endorsements. The Peoria Police Officers Association asked the state association to support Finn only after making its own choice, per the Sun-Star's account.
On the financial side, Finn has raised more than $91,000 in campaign donations ahead of Election Day, including $13,500 from Beck and his wife, while Miller has received more than $54,000, according to the Sun-Star. Finn has said he sought meetings with potential endorsers to present his platform directly. His campaign website credits him with helping lead efforts to increase patrol staffing for the department, supporting two new fire stations under development in North Peoria, and backing public-safety technology including a Real-Time Crime Center and the deployment of drones as first responders, per finnformayor.com. Finn has said those patrol-staffing efforts trace back to when Beck first took office.
Dueling Claims On Department Performance
The candidates and city officials have also clashed over how the department performed under Miller. Police Chief Thomas Intrieri told the council that crime victims were contacted on average within 49 days under Miller's leadership, while the Peoria Police Department found that more than half of crime victims were never contacted during that same period, according to the Sun-Star's reporting. The City of Peoria's fiscal year 2022 budget described public safety as an ongoing commitment and included two new police officers as part of growth-related public safety support, per a notice on peoriaaz.gov, though the broader staffing record under Miller's tenure was not independently detailed beyond that.
On the campaign trail, Miller has said he wants to prioritize listening to residents and smart growth, along with restoring trust in city hall and increasing transparency through public meetings and the city website. Finn has said he wants to continue Beck's momentum on economic development and public safety, prioritizing growth that funds city needs and attracts employers. Voters will decide between the two on Election Day, November 3.
