Pastor Warren Stewart Endorsed by Black-Brown Coalition of Arizona for Phoenix City Council's District 8

By Monica Alonzo Wed., Jan. 16 2013 at 5:20 PM

Categories: City Hall

Several candidates vying for a seat on the Phoenix City Council -- and an office in this place.

An organization co-chaired by Pastor Warren Stewart is endorsing his candidacy for a District 8 seat on the Phoenix City Council.

The Black-Brown Coalition of Arizona, forged to maintain an alliance between the black and Latino communities, believes the Phoenix City Council should maintain diversity.

The only black Phoenix City Council member is Vice Mayor Michael Johnson, who has held that post since 1992. Term limits bar him from seeking reelection.

See also: Robinson Joins Race for Phoenix District 8 City Council Seat, Drama Follows
See also: Maupin: White Candidate for City Council Is Attempted "Political Lynching"
See also: Pastor Warren Stewart to Run for Phoenix City Council's 8th District Seat

"Pastor Stewart is a person who is dedicated to diversity issues and has been a strong voice for civil rights and tolerance in our community for years," Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, who co-chairs the coalition with Stewart, says in statement announcing the endorsement.

While Stewart, pastor of the First Institutional Baptist Church, leads an organization with a mission for unity among the city's minority races, another District 8 hopeful says he is looking beyond the color of his skin.

Lawrence Robinson, a young black man, who is also a leader in the gay community, says he and his team of political supporters are "leading an even broader coalition that includes everyone."

Joseph Larios, a community organizer who formed Team Awesome and helped lead Councilman Danny Valenzuela to victory in Phoenix City Council District 5, is running Robinson's campaign.

Rise of South Phoenix, a team of young community activists and neighborhood leaders, have been working with Robinson -- and will continue to do so.

The team, led by Rebecca Larios (Joseph Larios' mother) helped Robinson win a seat on the Roosevelt School District Governing Board.

Also on the District 8 ticket is Kate Gallego, wife of Representative Ruben Gallego. She's endorsed by Councilman Michael Nowakowski. No surprise given that Ruben Gallego ran Nowakowski's initial campaign for Phoenix City Council