Somerton mayor highlights downtown growth, seeks reelection in 2026

Somerton Mayor Gerardo Jerry Anaya used a June 24 radio appearance to make the case for another term just as the city prepares to start the first phase of a nearly $3 million Main Street rebuild between State Street and Somerton Avenue. Anaya, who has served on the Somerton City Council since 2009 and as mayor since 2018, faces Jose Mena in the 2026 race after Arizona’s candidate filing period ran from Jan. 2 through March 23 and the general election was set for Nov. 3.

The downtown project is the clearest marker of what Somerton’s next term will have to manage. City officials say the first phase was designed around 2016 and has been in planning for about 10 years. Main Street is also U.S. Highway 95, which means the corridor has to work as a regional route and as a walkable downtown block at the same time.

Planned improvements include upgraded sidewalks, an arched entry monument, new landscaping and seating areas. The work was scheduled to begin the week of June 22, giving residents a visible test of whether Somerton can deliver a public-works project that supports traffic, storefronts and a more defined downtown identity without losing the function that comes with being part of a state highway.

Anaya’s political case is tied closely to that local identity. He is a lifelong Somerton resident who graduated from the Somerton School District and Cibola High School before attending Arizona State University. He and his family helped establish the El Diablito ASU Alumni Chapter to support scholarships for future Sun Devils from Yuma County, a sign of how deeply his public profile is tied to Somerton families and local institutions.

The city around him is changing quickly. Newer and larger Circle K and Chevron stores have opened, Somerton’s first McDonald’s opened with a ribbon-cutting on June 16, and Bodega 23 is opening in the former 85350 sports bar and pizzeria location. The Somerton-Cocopah Fire Department also marked 25 years of service, underscoring the 2001 intergovernmental agreement that created the partnership between the City of Somerton and the Cocopah Indian Tribe, which tribal materials describe as the first of its kind between a federally recognized tribe and a local municipality.

Somerton’s growth gives those changes added weight. The U.S. Census Bureau put the city at 14,197 residents in 2020 and 14,902 in July 2024, a 4.9% increase. It also lists Somerton as 95.4% Hispanic or Latino, a demographic profile that helps explain why redevelopment, business turnover and preservation of local character now sit at the center of the reelection fight.