Carol Smith Sole Yuma City Council Incumbent Seeking Re‑election

Yuma Councilwoman Carol Smith is the lone incumbent actively seeking re‑election as three Yuma City Council seats move toward the municipal ballot, a development that leaves Deputy Mayor Leslie McClendon and Councilman Arturo “Art” Morales stepping away and Mayor Doug Nicholls pursuing a third term. Smith said she wants to continue public‑safety work she ties to her nursing background and to build on council initiatives already underway.

As of Feb. 24, 2026, Smith’s status as the only incumbent running stood firm. Smith, who served as Yuma’s deputy mayor for the 2025 calendar year, reiterated why she is seeking another term: “It's another chance to serve my community, I'm a nurse and a mom, and I've served before, and I would love to continue doing so.” BallotReady lists Smith’s current council term through December 31, 2026.

Smith has framed her campaign around public health and safety programs she helped start. She joined Yuma Regional Medical Center in 2011 as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit staff nurse and later became a nurse educator for Onvida Health’s NICU, pediatrics and women’s departments. Smith is a governing board member for Crane School District and a founding member of the Greater Yuma Water Safety Alliance; she described that alliance as “a public health initiative I'm really proud of.” City council planning for a youth government program this summer has 20 spots available for high school juniors and seniors, reflecting the council’s push to introduce younger residents to local government.

Smith has urged residents to take part in petition and ballot access rules while explaining limits on signature collection: “There's only three seats available for the city council, you can only sign three petitions, so just make sure you only sign three, and the best way to do that is just log on and do it online at the Secretary of State website.” She emphasized that petition signatures do not equal votes, saying, “These signatures just get people on the ballot,” and “So getting these signatures is not casting a vote, it's just giving people the opportunity to grab a seat for you know the community, they want to serve.”

Non‑incumbent challengers already named in the race include Ron Van Why and Henry Valenzuela. Valenzuela has centered his pitch on public safety, expanding business and youth sports and told voters, “The election is going to be on July 21st, the primary election...and if your not registered to vote, it's not too late you can register to vote now,” adding, “I'm from Yuma, Yuma's what I love, Yuma is what I'm all about and a vote for Henry is a vote for Yuma.”

On council assignments for 2025, Smith was appointed to the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Board, while colleagues hold seats on boards including the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp. and Western Arizona Council of Governments. Smith closed on the campaign rationale she’s offered throughout the cycle: “There's still work to be done that I'd like to be a part of,” signaling a re‑election bid focused on continuity of public‑safety programs and community outreach.