Who is Kevin Robinson, the new Phoenix City Council member for District 6?
A former police official beat out a Republican political consultant to replace longtime Councilmember Sal DiCiccio on the Phoenix City Council on Tuesday.
Kevin Robinson, who worked his way up the ranks of the Phoenix police department for 36 years ending as an assistant police chief, beat out DiCiccio's former chief of staff Sam Stone in the March 14 runoff election to represent District 6, which includes north-central Phoenix, Arcadia, the Biltmore area and Ahwatukee.
DiCiccio, who's been a council member in Phoenix for about 20 years non-consecutively, was term-limited, and a crowd of candidates flooded the field to replace him. None of the eight contenders won more than 50% of the vote in the November election, leading to Tuesday's runoff.
Robinson's election shrinks Republican minority
Robinson's victory as a political independent further shrinks the Republican minority on the City Council from three to two and is a win for Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who not only endorsed Robinson but called on him to run in the first place. Robinson was formerly a Republican and still considers himself a fiscal conservative but told The Arizona Republic he registered as unaffiliated a couple of years ago after growing wary of the direction the GOP was headed.
Robinson's early years and career evolution
Robinson, 63, is currently a criminal justice professor in Arizona State University's Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. He grew up in the Maryvale neighborhood of west Phoenix and graduated from Trevor Browne High School in 1977. Robinson for years lived in Ahwatukee but now resides in the Biltmore area with his wife, Michele Halyard, who's a physician.
Robinson joined the Phoenix Police Department in late 1980 as a patrol officer. He eventually became a spokesperson for the department and then an assistant police chief. As assistant police chief, Robinson oversaw several high-profile cases, including those stemming from the Baseline Killer and serial shooters Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman. Robinson's retirement in 2017 made news because he received a record payout of $944,287 via the state's Deferred Retirement Option Plan.
What are Robinson's priorities?
On the campaign trail, Robinson has shied away from offering specific positions on city issues, saying he doesn't want to get ahead of himself and prefers to understand the situation in its entirety first. However, he said he generally wants to see the city hire more police officers and build more fire stations. He has told voters that shoring up water concerns is a top priority, too.
Robinson said he plans to be a consensus builder on the council, working to understand each member's perspective and finding a middle ground.
Reach the reporter Taylor Seely at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @taylorseely95.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Kevin Robinson, the new Phoenix City Council member?
