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The Flagstaff City Council chambers inside city hall.

Flagstaff will be tasked with voting in four city council members from a pool of seven candidates on Nov. 8.

Only two of the candidates — Austin Aslan and Lori Matthews — obtained the petition signatures necessary to appear on the ballot. The other five — Regina Salas, Khara House, Deborah Harris, Sean Golliher and Kevin Dobbe — are running as write-in candidates.

In order to help voters get a better sense of each candidate, the Arizona Daily Sun interviewed all seven about their backgrounds and ambitions for the position of councilmember. Each was given the opportunity to speak to their qualifications as well as the issues most important to them as they vie for a place in city leadership.

Austin Aslan is running for a second term on city council.

His first term began in 2018 when he felt motivated to run for local office following the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that left one dead and dozens injured.

“That really compelled me to do something local instead of trying to armchair quarterback national political fevers that I had absolutely no chance of influencing,” Aslan said. “I had all this good political practice in my background, and I wanted to put it to use here in Flagstaff.”

Aslan’s political experience began when he served as a community organizer in inner-city Sacramento, where his organization helped mobilize local action on everyday issues ranging from harmful business practices and neighborhood safety to expansion of children’s healthcare at the national level.

“We were at the East Wing of the White House when (former President Barack) Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program into law,” Aslan said. “That was a world of experience for me.”

After Sacramento, Aslan and his wife moved to Hawaii, where he built upon an education in wildlife biology and natural resource management with a master’s degree in conservation biology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. His family then relocated to Tucson.

As much as they loved the desert, Aslan said, they saw the “writing on the wall” of how rising temperatures could make the deserts “unlivable.” They relocated to Flagstaff at their first opportunity.

“We kind of see ourselves as climate refugees,” he said.

Reflecting on his first term of service, Aslan said it has been an “honor and a privilege” to serve the city.

He’s proud of the role he’s played in keeping the Rio de Flag project — which aims to increase channel capacity and reduce flood risks for Flagstaff neighborhoods — at the “forefront” of city planning. He’s also proud of being part of the decision to hire Greg Clifton as city manager.

“I believe we hit the ball out of the park on that,” Aslan said. “I’m looking forward to giving Greg the breathing room to take the City of Flagstaff to the next level by orders of magnitude.”

If voted in for a second term, Aslan promises to stay “laser-focused” on moving toward city carbon neutrality and climate goals, including flood protection and proactive forest management.

“Those efforts could go away if the city council isn’t pushing hard enough for it,” he said. “I want to be able to come into a second term with the ability to demonstrate a mandate.”

But while climate action can sometimes seem an “esoteric” goal, Aslan intendeds to stay grounded in action that fits Flagstaff.

“It's about improving quality of life,” he said. “And it's about saving residents money in their pocket.”

To that end, Aslan would like to see the city focus on carbon-saving initiatives such as updates to transportation systems and city vehicle fleets, home weatherization subsidies and watershed protection under the tax-funded Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project. He believes Flagstaff should also be focused on making appeals for federal funding opened through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and Inflation Reduction Act.

“Flagstaff is in a position to really rake in those dollars hand over fist, because we've had a long tradition now of demonstrating that we understand the problems, we're trying to fix them, putting our money where our mouth is,” he said. “The feds want to invest in success.”

Lori Matthews comes from a 35-year career in business banking that culminated in her service as vice president of several banks in Southern California and one in Flagstaff. She relocated to Flagstaff from California in 2011 in order to be closer to her aging parents in Cottonwood. In 2012, she left the banking world and started a business consulting firm focused on helping small- and mid-size businesses grow.

“Especially up here in Flagstaff, there's a lot of small business owners,” Matthews said. “I saw a real need for a lot of them to have someone with a little bit more financial expertise.”

Around this time, she also taught economics and accounting at Coconino Community College for a semester.

In 2013, Matthews joined the board for Flagstaff Shelter Services (FSS) shortly after the organization purchased its current building on Huntington Drive.

“When I first joined the board, there was a real focused effort on needing to raise money for matching grant requirements to be able to rehab that building,” she said. “I led the way on that fundraising event and we were very successful in meeting the deadline.”

After the fundraising success, Matthews was named chair of the board for FSS and served as an interim director while the organization conducted a nationwide search for a new executive director. There, she found her business and financial savvy well-suited to the grant-writing vital to nonprofit operation. She also had the opportunity to connect with FSS clients more directly.

“I was surprised that there was so many that actually were employed, but they were homeless,” Matthews said. “I hadn't known that component before.”

As Matthews continued to work in the world of housing, she identified specific needs in the Flagstaff community.

“I found out there wasn't really a transitional housing program that could accept a single dad with kids, a single mom with a teenage boy, two-parent families or same-sex families,” she said.

From there, Matthews found herself focused on addressing Flagstaff’s “gap in services” and founded ANEW Living, which rehabbed a Route 66 motel into a transitional housing development that helps residents learn financial literacy and stability while working toward housing security.

“It is a great way to give new life to an old motel and address a real big problem that we have up here -- which is serving the unsheltered,” Matthews said. “My banking experience, my finance experience, my working with the unsheltered, I feel makes me very qualified to be a city council representative.”

One asset Matthews believes she would bring to city council is “out of the box” problem solving. She intends to remain focused on housing as the “heart” of her service and believes the city’s 10-Year Housing Plan has laid a good groundwork that provides a lot of “action items” for city leadership.

Tied into Flagstaff’s housing issues is the need for better paying jobs and a thriving business community, Matthews said.

“We can't just focus on what can we do to bring in more affordable rental units or housing units or shelters,” she said. “We also have to look at what businesses can we attract from entry level, minimum-wage-type jobs on up to professionals.”

Matthews also sees climate action — particularly in the form of healthy forest management — as another priority.

“Climate change, with drought, is impacting our forest health,” Matthews said. “We have one of the biggest natural canopies to absorb carbon emissions in the state: our ponderosa forest. I believe that's where we can make the biggest impact.”

If voted in, Matthews said, she would like to lead by listening.

“We're to listen and learn from the input of the department heads and staff members,” she said. “And then give direction and manage.”

Originally elected to city council in 2018, Regina Salas is running for re-election to a second term. Raised in the Philippines, Salas is the daughter of an influential political leader who was partly responsible for overthrowing the Filipino dictatorship.

At times, her upbringing was steeped in the harsh realities of leadership and politics, but mostly she recalls the ethic of community support she learned from growing up with her grandparents, and without financial means.

“It was all about helping and lifting up our neighbors, our family,” she said. “Serving, serving, serving.”

Salas received a degree in English from the St. Scholastica College in Manila on a Fulbright scholarship. She went on to earn a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from the University of the Phillipines.

“When I graduated from college, I was hired as a junior researcher in Philippine Congress,” Salas said. “And in four years, I was the chief of staff for the Committee on Labor and Employment.”

In this role, Salas would perform direct labor relation functions such as mediating labor strikes. She also collaborated with various organizations, including the United Nations, to improve child labor laws in the Philippines.

In 2004, Salas and her now ex-husband “fell in love” with Flagstaff while visiting on a road trip. They put it on their list of potential permanent homes for when they retired from the demands of their international careers.

“Two years later, we moved to Flagstaff,” she said.

Here, she continued to develop a suite of “well-rounded experience” through teaching communication arts, nonprofit service, business development and community outreach. She worked for the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce and then started her own business helping local nonprofits and businesses with revenue development.

“I have strong foundation in budgeting, policy research and policy advocacy,” Salas said.

When it came to her first run for city council in 2018, Salas said she was motivated to give back to her community and provide a positive example for her sons, the youngest of which was graduating high school.

During her first term, Salas helped establish a Business Service Desk at city hall that serves as a “one-stop-shop” that streamlines cooperation between city government and local businesses. She has also been hard at work developing a code of conduct and ethical standards for city council that she hopes will help improve the quality of communication from city leadership during open meetings.

Transportation is also important to Salas, and she has been highly involved with updating Flagstaff’s transportation systems through MetroPlan, which she represents at the statewide Rural Transportation Advocacy Council, where she is also vice chair.

“The mission of our staff is to bring state and federal dollars to our local transportation projects in rural and in greater Arizona,” Salas said.

These projects include everything from construction of new corridors, such as the Lone Tree Overpass, to improvements in flood zones, such as along Flagstaff’s Highway 180 and 89.

Looking ahead to a second term, Salas intends to build upon her first.

“I want to continue to breathe life into the initiatives that I started,” she said.

That includes continuing to work on business growth and workforce training and being a “strong voice for small business” through her position on the Coconino County Workforce board.

In her perspective, many of Salas’ goals are “intertwined.”

“Business success is related to workforce training,” she said. “Three barriers for workers are transportation, housing and childcare.”

Salas believes she stands out from other candidates through her wide-reaching network of involvement on governmental councils across the state.

“I bring state and federal dollars to our local programs, including job training, transportation, housing,” she said.

Khara House is currently serving as an interim councilmember after having been appointed to the position earlier this year. She came to Flagstaff in 2009 to attend Northern Arizona University for a graduate degree in English, but originally hails from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

“When I hit town, I just fell in love with everything I was seeing,” House said of her initial arrival by bus. “I decided this was where I wanted to establish some roots.”

After graduating, House taught English at NAU for two years before moving on to a job as a leasing consultant in the apartment complex where she lived. From that position, she worked her way up to the role of assistant manager of the complex, and eventually became a property manager for a local organization.

“Through that, I got a lot of access to time to volunteer with different organizations,” House said. “I got involved with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Flagstaff and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).”

At this time, community service was central to House.

“I wanted to learn as much as I could just about this community, about its people and where I could find a place here,” she said.

In 2019, House became the vice president of NAMI and has served in that capacity since.

There, she’s focused on identifying needs among those in the community that are living with mental health challenges.

“Helping family struggling or in recovery, battling the stigma of mental health and mental illness, and just working to provide education support to our community members,” House said of the role.

Shortly after joining the NACCP, House also joined the Coconino County African Diaspora Advisory Council.

“Through both of those organizations, I was really focused on elevating the voice of the African American community,” House said. “As a Black woman myself, I saw how challenging it was to find connection into the community. There was a perception for the longest time that there were no black people in Flagstaff. The reality was, there are thousands of us, but we had just been so unseen.”

House expanded her community involvement in the realm by joining the Lived Black Experience Community Coalition, which produced the city’s Lived Black Experience Strategic Plan, a document aimed at creating a “more fully inclusive Flagstaff community for all” through the “recognition, honoring and ongoing development of the Flagstaff Black community.”

“My focus in really any of my community service has been asking, ‘How can I help to elevate the voices of those who are traditionally underserved or underheard within the community?’” House said. “How can we bolster the resources to all people? I firmly believe what we do for those in the most need, we really are doing for everyone in the community.”

Following her interim appointment to Council, House has maintained focus on the elevation of underserved voices. Her time on the council has also provided her with insight into the working of local governance.

“One of the greatest lessons I've learned on Council is that we are such a unique collection of voices representative of Flagstaff,” House said. “There are perspectives that touch on all of the things that matter most to the people of Flagstaff. And by bringing those voices together, we have a much broader spectrum of worldviews and viewpoints that help us to have a more holistic approach to all of these different issues that our community is facing.”

If voted into a full term, House has three priorities: “Building vibrant and engaged communities, focusing on sustainability and sustainable development, and focusing on neighborhood engagement and empowerment.”

The first of these priorities House sees as a mission to address needs for affordable housing, the needs of those living with mental health diagnoses or mental health challenges, and ensuring “equity of access to community resources” in order to build “strong community infrastructure.” The second is more about environmental stewardship, and continued progress toward Flagstaffs carbon neutrality and sustainability goals. The third is rooted in promoting Flagstaff’s unique character.

“We have so many different neighborhoods that have deep histories, and different stories and peoples who are represented in many different ways within our community,” House said. “How can we ensure that we're engaging all of them in equitable ways, giving them a seat at the table to ensure that what's being done for Flagstaff is truly being done for all of Flagstaff?”

“I recognize what a gift it was to be appointed to Flagstaff City Council,” House added. “And what a gift it would be to continue in that capacity.”

Deborah Harris came to Flagstaff in 1993 to take a job in Northern Arizona University’s apartment and family housing division. She rose to the role of assistant dean, and then associate dean for the entire university.

“I worked with parents and families and students in the conduct area, and then also with students in crisis,” Harris said. “I have a lot of experience managing crises.”

During this employment, Harris also sat on the Flagstaff Unified School District board, serving as president for two years during the economic downturn surrounding the 2008 financial crash.

“We had to do a lot of cutting, because everybody was hurting,” Harris said. The school district ended up having to close schools in that era.

“Those were hard decisions to make,” Harris said. “But we as a board were  able to make those decisions, because we were thinking about all of the students and not just a select few.”

After her retirement from NAU, Harris became the volunteer executive director for the Southside Community Association, where she has served for the last five years.

When it comes to what qualifies her to serve on city council, Harris points to her experience making tough decisions for the good of a group.

“Also my experience working in university administration for almost 40 years,” she said. “I have a lot of background in administration, and a lot of background working with people. I think that's important when you're working with a council. You have to be able to develop relationships based on mutual trust and respect. And that's a strength area for me.”

When asked about her goals for city council, Harris said, “we have to figure out this housing issue first.”

“Everything else I believe will come next,” she added. “Because if people can't live here, that creates another whole set of problems.” She pointed to the potential for labor shortages, or lengthy commutes from more affordable areas.

“That defeats our whole climate action plan if we got to drive 50 miles in and out of the city,” she said. “Housing is key to all of what we're going to do.”

Harris believes solving the housing issue will involve city initiatives, but also “hard decisions” on behalf of property owners to lower rent rates.

“Everyone has to play a part,” she said. “Everybody has got to give a little bit.”

Harris would like to see the city thoroughly investigate the housing issue from the perspective of modifying zoning an incentivizing greater density in certain areas.

“That's looking at the land that we own. How we can manage that, what is possible for us?” she said.

While she doesn’t pretend to have all the answers now, Harris is confident that she has the interpersonal and administrative skills to find them.

“I have the capacity to learn and learn quickly,” she said. “When I get on Council, I'm going to be looking at all our options.”

“We are in a housing crisis,” she added. “We're all in together. It's about us.”

Harris said she stands out as a candidate with everything to give and little to gain.

“I'm not doing this for any other reason than because I think that I can offer something that might not already exist on Council,” she said. “I should be laying on a beach somewhere, but I'm not because I'm committed to Flagstaff.”

She added: “Nobody owns me. I'm not beholden to any one group, any organization. I'm going to make decisions based on what's good for all of us, and I'm going to do that unapologetically.”

Sean Golliher is a fourth-generation Arizonan born in Phoenix. Coming from a “law enforcement and military family,” he enlisted in the Air Force, but was discharged following an injury sustained in basic training. He fought to stay in.

“I even had Sen. (John) McCain at the time trying to write letters and to see if they would keep me in the services,” he said. “I was trying to make a career.”

Unsuccessful, Golliher went on to pursue a degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering at Arizona State University. He left academia and moved to Flagstaff in order to help a family member through a medical crisis. In 2007, Golliher went back to school at Northern Arizona University and obtained a degree in hotel and restaurant management.

“I started working in hospitality because I've been slinging drinks and all that kind of stuff off and on for 20-plus years,” Golliher said. “I've done everything in a nightclub and restaurant except own one.”

He also spent some time volunteering with the American Legion, but around 2009 decided to seek more gainful employment in U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“I went to Washington, D.C. and got hired as a program advisor for the Southwest Border Initiative,” Golliher said. “I was working out there five years. It was a great learning experience to say the least.”

While in this employment, Golliher obtained an online MBA in Global Management from the Thunderbird School. The additional education helped him rise through the ranks of his agency.

“I was basically a rock star in D.C.,” Golliher said.

But Golliher’s old Air Force injury caught up with him and caused another neck injury in March of 2014, at which point Golliher went onto workman’s compensation from the Department of Homeland Security.

In 2016, Golliher barreled through a Border Patrol checkpoint near Nogales in a car carrying methamphetamine and firearms.

The Nogales International reported that “inside his vehicle, authorities found 13 plastic baggies containing a total of 27.8 grams of methamphetamine, as well as two handguns and eight loaded magazines. In addition, they found a glass pipe with residue in his front pants pocket and a butane torch.”

Following the incident, Golliher was convicted of Class 3 and Class 6 felonies and sentenced to five years of probation. His rights to vote and run for public office were officially restored in November 2020.

When asked about the incident, Golliher claims that after attending a party in Nogales, he only remembers snippets from the night.

“All I have is like little flashes. Like one flash I have is like two men knock on my door because I was dead asleep. Next thing I know, I see these two gentlemen. Next thing I know I'm in the hospital. So I don't know what happened.”

Golliher speculates that he was given some kind of drug by a third party that caused him to get behind the wheel and run down the checkpoint. He denied any history of use of methamphetamines.

Though he attempted to argue his innocence in court, Golliher said the process became too expensive, and eventually accepted the charges.

“I embraced the suck,” he said. “And I just went through the steps, took care of everything.”

Still technically employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Golliher is currently on medical leave related to his past injuries.

He decided to run for city council because he was “tired of yelling at the TV screen.”

“Especially since I've been in Washington, D.C., I got to know a lot about politics,” he said. “And it basically made me hate politicians. I never wanted to do this kind of a job, but I felt I had to do something. So I'm just trying to help out, because this is my home. I wanted to make sure my home is going to be here for the future.”

Golliher believes his background as a program advisor will allow him to help improve efficiency across city systems. He is especially concerned with making sure that all aspects of city operation are in compliance with state and federal code.

“I want to do full program review, I want to do an actual audit,” Golliher said. “And make sure everything's working, and then adjust it where it's not.”

He would also like to help attract new industries to Flagstaff.

“From my experience in the federal government, I know how to actually get in with some of those major companies,” he said. “I'm used to working with Boeing, General Dynamics and a few other big defense contractor companies.”

Kevin Dobbe came to Flagstaff in 1991 after being laid off from a career with the Miller Brewing Company.

“I came out here, I made my home here and I'm not leaving,” he said.

Once in town, he was the third person hired to the Print Corporation, where worked before moving on to 20 years of service with Northern Arizona Healthcare. There, he worked in the medical transport and emergency departments.

“I established in my department the community paramedic program,” he said.

Then, Dobbe moved on to the Highlands Fire Department where he served as the Emergency Management Services coordinator for 15 years and managed the fire district finances.

“My area ran a pretty tight budget,” he said. He recently retired from that position.

Dobbe was motivated to run for city council out of a “strong desire to help the community.” The range of his experience gives him a range of applicable skills, he said.

“My background of negotiations with Miller Brewing Company, and being a union official, helped me learn how to communicate, negotiate and obtain things that would be beneficial to both parties,” he said.

From his time in healthcare and emergency services, Dobbe said, “I know the people in Flagstaff.”

“I know what the fire department, what law enforcement and public works needs,” he said.

Dobbe thinks Flagstaff is ripe with opportunity to expand its job market, and points to the success of collaborative training programs, access to education and his experience teaching at Coconino Community College.

“I have seen jobs come and go in the medical field,” he said. “And yet we continue to provide some of the finest educational opportunities not just in EMS, but in all the portions of Coconino Community College.

“I see so much potential in utilizing these programs appropriately,” he added. “And helping give people not a handout, but a hand up to help them improve their standard of living and make housing more affordable for them.”

In the same vein, Dobbe said he would “love to help Council achieve agreements with Northern Arizona University” that could streamline the relationship between education and employment in Flagstaff.

“So that we work together with businesses bringing good jobs to Flagstaff,” he said. “The fire department, the police department, and public works are all running short. There's a lot of vacancies and we need to work on improving those vacancies. Retaining our employees saves us money in the long run from training.”

On the note of retaining employees, Dobbe doesn’t think raising the minimum wage will “attract anyone,” but location will.

“We have a great location,” he said. “We have so much to sell to that employer, the quality of life for people they bring here. We have four seasons, we have beautiful views.”

Aside from using education and the job market to address housing issues, Dobbe also wants to look for ways to bring the community together. He pointed to the example of a recent motorcycle parade he helped organize through the Northern Arizona 100 Club and Arizona Fallen Heroes Memorial Riders.

“Things like that just seem to energize the community,” Dobbe said. “We need to get the community working together like they were 20, 30 years ago.”

As for what he can personally bring to the council, Dobbe points to the attitude he has cultivated through years of emergency management.

“If it's emergency, we're going to fix it,” he said. “If not, we're going to find the best possible solution and get it done as soon as possible.

“I've had a lot of work on emergency scenes where things are chaotic, and I can bring a calmness to it,” he added. “I take great pride in working together with people and making it better for everyone.”

Flagstaff's city elections are scheduled for November 8.

This year, in order to fill all available council seats, the city will have to elect at least two write in candidates. 

In order to be successfully elected, a write-in candidate must receive at least 1,602 votes. 

In order to vote for write-in candidate, voters will need to write the candidates name in the appropriate space then clearly and completely ill in the oval next to the space.

Some variation or misspelling of write-in candidate names is permitted, so long as the name written can clearly be connected to an official write-in candidate. Using the name of county recorder Patricia Hansen as an example, "P. Hansen,” “Patty Hansen” and “Patricia Hanson” would all be acceptable in a write-in situation.

Other important dates leading up to the Nov. 8 election:

Last day to register: October 11

Last day to request an early ballot: October 28

Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

Sean Golightly reports on the environment and the city of Flagstaff. Reach him at sgolightly@azdailysun.com, on Twitter at @sean_golightly, or on Instagram at @golightly_writes.

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The Flagstaff City Council chambers inside city hall.

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