Phoenix City Council swears in two new members for seats formerly held by Sal DiCiccio and Carlos Garcia

PHOENIX - On April 17, Phoenix City Council held a swearing-in ceremony for two people who will join the council.

The two, Kevin Robinson and Kesha Hodge Washington, are the new representatives for the city's 6th and 8th City Council District, respectively. District 6 covers a portion of East Phoenix and Ahwatukee, while District 8 covers a portion of Downtown phoenix, as well as South Phoenix.

District 6's seat, now held by Robinson, was formerly held by Sal DiCiccio, who had to leave office due to term limits. The candidate DiCiccio supported, Sam Stone, lost to Robinson in the runoff race.

District 8's seat, now held by Hodge Washington, was formerly held by Carlos Garcia. Garcia's re-election bid failed following the runoff election in March.

Runoff elections have been a regular feature of Phoenix political life in the past two decades. According to information provided by the City of Phoenix on their website, runoff elections for City Council seats were held in 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019, and in 2021 for either the mayorship or the various seats on the city council.

Both Robinson and Hodge Washington spoke about wanting to cooperate and get things done.

With the swearing in, Hodge Washington also became the first African American female to become a member of the Phoenix City Council. While there have been other members of African American heritage who served on the Phoenix City Council, all of them were men.

Besides Robinson and Washington, two others were sworn in during the ceremony for another term of office: Laura Pastor and Jim Waring.

Kevin Robinson (left) and Kesha Hodge Washington (right) being sworn in as members of the Phoenix City Council.