Ed Hermes
Candidate for Phoenix City Council – District 4
Phoenix · District 4 (Central Phoenix)
Next steps
Keep exploring
Statement
I’m running for Phoenix City Council because I love Phoenix and know it can be better. Working families in our city are being squeezed from every direction. Phoenix is increasingly unaffordable. There are too many people experiencing homelessness in our city. Ultimately, I am running to challenge the old governance models, build better systems, and put working families at the center of every decision.
Biography
Ed Hermes is an attorney with the law firm Snell & Wilmer and a member of the Osborn Elementary School District Governing Board, first elected in 2020. He grew up on a farm in rural Illinois, moved to Arizona as a child, and graduated from Arizona State University’s law school in 2013. He previously worked as a legislative liaison for Gov. Janet Napolitano and as a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Agriculture. He has served as a neighborhood association president and chaired the City of Phoenix’s Vision Zero street safety committee from 2023 to 2025. He leads the field in fundraising, with more than $316,000 raised as of June 30, 2026. He has said he may need to recuse himself from council matters involving Snell & Wilmer. He is endorsed by Attorney General Kris Mayes and Councilmember Anna Hernandez.
Past offices held
Positions
Issue Stances
Water Policy
No official stance on record.
Education Funding
No official stance on record.
Border Security & Immigration
No official stance on record.
Housing Affordability
SupportsHermes would create a Phoenix Land Bank to rehabilitate vacant city-owned homes for first-time buyers, sell more than 2,000 city-owned residential lots for housing, and speed up permitting. He would also create an Office of Tenant Rights offering legal representation in eviction cases. He would not exempt historic neighborhoods from new middle-housing laws, but would strengthen design standards.
"Housing should not be treated as a luxury."
Election Integrity
No official stance on record.
Healthcare Access
No official stance on record.
Public Safety & Criminal Justice
SupportsHermes wants to reduce crime, expand crisis response, and reduce traffic deaths. He told Axios the Phoenix Police Department needs more independent oversight.
Energy Policy
SupportsHermes’s platform calls for combating extreme heat, improving air quality, regulating data centers, and moving Phoenix toward a zero-carbon future. He has pledged to expand the city’s cool pavement program and plant 1,000 trees in District 4.
Economic Development & Jobs
SupportsHermes wants to support small businesses, create good-paying union jobs, make Phoenix easier to do business in, and redevelop empty city-owned lots on 19th Avenue for housing and commercial businesses.
Reproductive Rights
No official stance on record.
Transportation & Infrastructure
SupportsHermes says the reverse lanes should be removed immediately. He supports continued light rail expansion and would not have voted to cancel the Capitol extension. He also supports free transit for students, youth, and seniors, late-night light rail service, a safer bike and pedestrian network, and zero-interest loans for businesses hurt by transit construction.
"The reverse lanes should be removed immediately."
Government Spending & Taxation
No official stance on record.
Legislature
Legislative Voting Record
No voting record on file.
Voting records are only available for candidates who have held legislative office.
Ballot
Ballot Measure Stances
No ballot measure stances on file yet.
Coverage