Joel Coen won the election outright in the primary. Won a seat outright in the July 21, 2026 Gilbert Town Council primary, finishing third of seven candidates with 15.8% of the vote (22,358 votes).
Source: gilbertcouncil.com · Last verified: October 23, 2026
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Biography
Joel Coen is a longtime Gilbert resident and business owner who is president of TruNorth Advisors, a strategy consulting firm. He serves as a volunteer trustee of the Phoenix Art Museum and volunteers with the FORGE committee, a Gilbert civic group focused on the town's long-term finances. In 2024 he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for the Arizona House in Legislative District 14. His council campaign, run under the slogan "Clear Leadership. Real Solutions.", named water resiliency, economic development and public safety as top issues; he called for a long-term funding plan for roads, more predictable water rates and prioritizing core services in the budget. Coen finished third of seven candidates in the July 21, 2026 Gilbert Town Council primary with 22,358 votes (15.8%), winning a seat outright. The four winners are scheduled to be sworn in in January 2027.
Positions
Issue Stances
Water Policy
SupportsProposes a period of long-term water rate stabilization, with a multi-year roadmap for predictable rates once current system upgrades are complete.
"My commitment is to provide a clear, multi-year roadmap that guarantees predictable rates"
Education Funding
No official stance on record.
Border Security & Immigration
No official stance on record.
Housing Affordability
No official stance on record.
Election Integrity
No official stance on record.
Healthcare Access
No official stance on record.
Public Safety & Criminal Justice
No official stance on record.
Energy Policy
No official stance on record.
Economic Development & Jobs
SupportsAdvocates attracting high-wage industries such as healthcare, technology and manufacturing and expanding Gilbert's commercial tax base to diversify town revenue.
Reproductive Rights
No official stance on record.
Transportation & Infrastructure
SupportsCalls the looming funding gap for transportation infrastructure Gilbert's most urgent challenge and wants a sustainable long-term funding strategy for road maintenance and construction before bond funds run out around 2028.
"We must act decisively to establish a sustainable long-term funding strategy that avoids a gap in our infrastructure pipeline."
Government Spending & Taxation
SupportsProposes a tiered spending model that reserves General Fund dollars for essentials like police, fire and infrastructure, and recalibrating developer fees toward roads and water rather than additional parks.
"To bridge the structural gap, I will implement a tiered spending model that prioritizes Tier 1 essentials like police, fire, and infrastructure over discretionary wants."
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.
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