MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Mayor Jon Post was appointed to the role in January 2025 following the death of his predecessor, Ed Honea.
Marana voters will decide next month whether Mayor Jon Post will serve another term, as the town navigates a proposed data center, a potential ICE detention facility, and steady residential growth.
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Post was appointed mayor in January 2025 after serving nearly 12 years as vice mayor. He took over following the death of Mayor Honea in November 2024 and has held the office for nearly two years.
A proposed data center has drawn significant public attention since its announcement. Post supports the project, saying it will create jobs and benefit the local economy.
"I think data centers can be done safely in a community," Post said.
He pushed back on concerns circulating online about the facility.
"They take careful planning, and you gotta make sure that you have the guidelines in place for these data centers, they're not the danger that you're reading about on social media," Post said.
Post said the data center is expected to generate about $15 million a year for the town, money he said could be directed toward parks and roads.
"They have agreed to do a lot of drainage work in Marana that the town really needs," Post said.
A proposed ICE detention facility at the former state prison in Marana is also generating public debate. ICE previously posted a notice of its intent to award a sole-source contract to Management and Training Corporation to operate the site as a detention facility. Post said the town has limited authority over federal decisions.
"When residents are coming to us saying, hey, we don't want that in our community, whether we agree or not agree, we don't have anything to do with that at this point in time," Post said.
On growth, Post said Marana's pace is consistent with its historical trend.
"I've heard that Marana is growing too fast, but we're actually growing at the same rate that we have grown for the last 20 years," Post said.
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He said the town issues between 800 and 1,000 housing permits per year.
"I think that's very important to continue to do, and you know, as the mayor, those are some of my goals and things that I want to continue to work on," Post said.
If elected, Post said his priorities include growing infrastructure, maintaining public safety, encouraging job growth, and balancing development with community amenities like parks.
Post faces challenger Greg Johnsen. Election Day is July 21.
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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
