Vote for Geoff

Geoff Barnes for Scottsdale City Council

A decade coaching lacrosse. Real experience inside City Hall. Ready to go to work for Scottsdale.

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Meet Geoff

My family's Arizona story starts on Mill Avenue. My parents met there in 1983, while my mom was going to school at Scottsdale Community College and my dad was stationed at Luke Air Force Base. They married in 1985.

The Air Force then stationed my dad at a base in the United Kingdom, where I was born. In 1997–98, when I was five or six, we moved from the UK back to Phoenix when he was stationed at Luke again. In 2001 we moved to Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington.

After graduating from Gonzaga Prep in 2011, I came back to Arizona for Grand Canyon University, where I played lacrosse and earned my degree in Sports Management in 2015.

I'm running for City Council to keep Scottsdale a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

Education

2015
Grand Canyon UniversityGraduated, Sports Management. Played on the GCU lacrosse team.
2011
Gonzaga Preparatory SchoolGraduated, Spokane, Washington

Government experience

2025–26
Volunteer, Office of Mayor Lisa BorowskyCity of Scottsdale
  • Helping with understanding and knowing the details of upcoming meetings
  • Learning about sports tourism
  • Learning the proper channels of how city government works
  • Producing events
Spring 2014
City Hall intern, City of PhoenixPhoenix City Council District 2 office
  • Responded to emails and phone calls from residents
  • Attended City Council meetings
  • Went into the community to check on items the council voted for
  • Learned how City Hall actually works

Campaign experience

2024
Lisa Borowsky for Mayor of Scottsdale
  • Worked with donors to collect donations
  • Put up signs around the city
  • Organized and set up meet and greets
  • Knocked doors and electioneered
Summer 2013
Michael Cannon for Spokane City CouncilMy first campaign, in Spokane, Washington
  • Door-to-door knocking and canvassing

Zoning

What we build, and where we build it, shapes every neighborhood in Scottsdale. Here's where I stand.

High-density housing

We need houses and apartments that people can afford.

  • No more luxury high-rises that price out young families and drive up the cost of living for everyone.
  • No more high-rises that will be overpriced and sit vacant.

Entertainment district and hotels

We need to keep our entertainment district up and operating, because it's a main source of revenue for the city. But we do need to clean up the area.

I want a task force in the entertainment district to deal with the issues that come out of it:

  • Illegal drug sales and use
  • Prostitution and escorts
  • Sexual assault and rape
  • Stopping men from spiking drinks
  • Drinking and driving
  • Making the district safer and more enjoyable for women

Short-term rentals

We need to attack short-term rentals hard. I'm not in favor of them. They displace young and working families from living in Scottsdale, they're a danger to the community, and they turn homes on our neighbors' streets into hotels.

  • Start by imposing harder rules and ordinances, and bigger fines for owners.
  • I don't support investment properties. Those homes should belong to families who live and work in the community.
  • My goal is to cut short-term rentals in Scottsdale by 50% by 2030.

Starter homes for families

I want to see young families able to buy homes at a reasonable price in Scottsdale, especially South Scottsdale.

  • No more homes for rent being built. If any developer keeps trying to build homes for rent, they won't get any of their projects approved while I'm on the council.

No more McMansions

Nothing ruins a neighborhood like a McMansion. Taking a neighborhood where the homes are $600K and building a $2–4 million house benefits no one. The house looks out of place, drives up property taxes and makes it harder for families to start out with a home.

If developers want any projects moving forward, or want to do business in Scottsdale, they need to build homes that families can live in and start a family or a small business with.

Again: no developers building large-scale projects for rent, then raising the rents every year and driving families away. Not with Geoff. Families will actually be able to live here.

Have a question about where I stand?

Ask Geoff

Water conservation

Every decision about Scottsdale's future runs through our water supply.

Water is the lifeline for our community and our residents. I believe our water should be used by the residents, not by big corporations.

  • Large water users, like big companies and data centers, should have to pay more and not be a burden on the community.
  • Residents should not carry the burden for large companies' water use.
  • If large companies use more water, they have to offset it by giving back to the community.
  • We need new, out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to water conservation and water recycling.

Have a question about where I stand?

Ask Geoff

Business

How Scottsdale grows its economy, and who that growth works for.

I'm a pro-business candidate and a lifelong entrepreneur who has built successful businesses in this community.

I believe small business is the answer to our questions. I want businesses that were founded in Scottsdale and stay in Scottsdale.

I'm not a fan of big business coming into our city, taking all our resources and giving nothing back to the community. I'm tired of seeing that.

On day one

I will make sure that any big American or international business that comes to our city gives back to the community:

  • No tax breaks.
  • No hiring international workers and bringing them here to work.
  • If you bring your company here, you hire Scottsdale residents.
  • If you build housing for your employees, it can't be apartments you raise rents on. Those units have to be starter homes for families, or condos your employees can buy.

Have a question about where I stand?

Ask Geoff

Sports tourism

I believe sports tourism is the backbone of our economy and something that sets Scottsdale apart from the rest. I'll back the events that already make us famous and work to bring new ones here.

The WM Phoenix Open

I'm all in on the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. It's one of the most famous weeks in golf and one of the biggest weeks of the year for our local businesses. I'll work with organizers, neighbors, and city staff to keep it running smoothly and keep it in Scottsdale.

Polo in Scottsdale

I love the polo match. It's a signature Scottsdale day out, and exactly the kind of event that shows visitors what makes our city different from anywhere else.

The lacrosse capital of the Southwest

I played lacrosse at Grand Canyon University and have coached for ten years, from youth players to box lacrosse. I'm making Scottsdale the lacrosse capital of the Southwest, with more clinics, camps, and tournaments, and a world-class professional event at WestWorld. My goal is to bring the Premier Lacrosse League to Scottsdale.

Community engagement

Scottsdale is not just a place to sleep or an economic opportunity for me. It's my home, and I proudly tell everyone that I live here. I walk and do business on the same streets our residents walk on.

I don't live in a gated community or in a luxury neighborhood deep in north Scottsdale, away from residents. I'm here every day making the community better, and I spend my free time picking up trash in South Scottsdale and Old Town.

The changes made in City Hall affect me too, and I want to do everything I can to make Scottsdale “America's Most Livable City” for everyone.

Pitch in with me

Old Town cleanup

Help pick up trash in Old Town and keep the heart of Scottsdale looking its best. Sign up and we'll send you the date, meeting spot, and what to bring.

Sign up for cleanup

Youth mentorship program

Connecting Scottsdale kids with adults who can help them with school, sports, and what comes next. Sign up to mentor or to hear when the program launches.

Sign up to mentor

Small business networking

Networking events for Scottsdale small-business owners to meet each other, trade referrals, and tell me what the city can do better.

Get event invites

Volunteer with the campaign

Volunteers are the backbone of any candidate's campaign. If you're looking to get involved, fill out the information below and we'll find a position for you.

How would you like to help?

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Sign my petition

Help put me on the ballot.

To get on the ballot for Scottsdale City Council, I need signatures from at least 1,000 registered Scottsdale voters. If you're registered to vote in Scottsdale, you can sign online in a few minutes through E-Qual, the Arizona Secretary of State's secure petition system.

  1. Open my petitionUse the button on this page.
  2. Confirm you're a registered voterE-Qual checks your information against Arizona's voter rolls.
  3. SignYour signature goes straight to my petition. That's it.

Donate

This campaign runs on neighbors chipping in.

Your contribution pays for yard signs, walk lists, and the events where I get to meet Scottsdale voters face to face. Every amount helps, and it goes further than you think in a local race.