Steven Chapman (Arizona)

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Steven Chapman

Nonpartisan

Tolleson Union High School District, At-large

Tenure

Present officeholder

Term ends

2029

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Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Phoenix, Ariz.

Contact

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Steven Chapman is an at-large member of the Tolleson Union High School District in Arizona. His current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Chapman ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Tolleson Union High School District in Arizona. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Steven Chapman was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He studied at Arizona State University and Phoenix College. Chapman’s career experience includes working as a marketing and business development consultant and as a self-employed recruiter. He has also worked for Uber. Chapman was named President of the Arizona School Boards Association for 2019 to 2021 and Chair of the National School Boards Association Pacific Region for 2020 to 2021.

Elections

2024

See also: Tolleson Union High School District, Arizona, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large (3 seats)

Miguel Ortega-Romero, incumbent Steven Chapman, and Leezah Sun defeated incumbent Freddie Villalon in the general election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Miguel Ortega-Romero (Nonpartisan)	29.4	30,763
✔		Steven Chapman (Nonpartisan)	24.0	25,129
✔		Leezah Sun (Nonpartisan)	23.6	24,714
	Submit photo	Freddie Villalon (Nonpartisan)	22.2	23,206
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	716

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,528
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kino Flores (Nonpartisan)
• Stephanie Fernandez (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chapman in this election.

2022

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 22

The following candidates ran in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 22 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eva Diaz (D) (Write-in)	59.0	6,629
		Steven Robinson (R) (Write-in)	33.1	3,722
		Steven Chapman (D) (Write-in)	4.8	545
		Stephen Diehl (Independent) (Write-in)	0.9	100
	Submit photo	Ryan Benson (R) (Write-in)	0.8	94
	Submit photo	Jeffrey Norwood (R) (Write-in)	0.7	76
	Submit photo	Kenya Raymond (D) (Write-in)	0.5	59
	Submit photo	Paul Valach (D) (Write-in)	0.1	7
	Submit photo	Richard Weed (R) (Write-in)	0.0	5
	Submit photo	Justin Crawford (D) (Write-in)	0.0	4

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,241
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Deniece Platt (R)
• Diego Espinoza (D)
• Bryan Kilgore (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 22

Diego Espinoza defeated Richard Andrade in the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 22 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Diego Espinoza	52.6	6,224
		Richard Andrade	47.4	5,600

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,824
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Tolleson Union High School District, Arizona, elections (2020)

The general election was canceled. Incumbent Steven Chapman, incumbent Kino Flores, and incumbent Freddie Villalon were elected without opposition to three at-large seats on the Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board. Their names did not appear on the general election ballot.

2016

See also: Tolleson Union High School District elections (2016)

Three of the five seats on the Tolleson Union High School District school board would have been up for at-large general election on November 8, 2016. The election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbents Steven Chapman, Freddie Villalon, and newcomer Kino Flores were automatically elected. Their names did not appear on the general election ballot.

Results

Since this election was unopposed, it did not appear on the ballot, and the candidates were automatically elected.

Tolleson Union High School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016
Candidate

Funding

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2016

School board candidates in Arizona were not required to file a campaign finance report if they did not raise or spend more than $500. If they planned to stay under this threshold, they were permitted to file an exemption statement. This rendered them exempt from all other campaign finance reporting, provided they did not exceed the $500 threshold. Otherwise, candidates were not required to file any report until they raised or spent more than the threshold limit. At that point, they had to file a Statement of Organization within five business days from when the threshold was reached. The pre-general campaign finance report was due November 4, 2016. All campaign finance filing was handled by the Arizona Secretary of State.

2014

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 28, 2014. Richard Andrade and Ceci Velasquez defeated Steven Chapman and Denise Garcia in the Democratic primary. Aaron Borders was unopposed in the Republican primary. Andrade and Velasquez defeated Borders in the general election. Erminie Zarra (R) withdrew before the primary.

Arizona House of Representatives District 29, General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Richard C. Andrade	36.2%	10,127
	Democratic	Ceci Velásquez	34.1%	9,556
	Republican	Aaron Borders	29.7%	8,320
Total Votes				28,003

Arizona House of Representatives, District 29 Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Richard Andrade	28.7%	2,933
Ceci Velásquez	27.8%	2,843
Denise Garcia	24%	2,455
Steve Chapman	19.4%	1,978
Total Votes		10,209

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Steven Chapman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Steven Chapman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Steven Chapman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chapman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mr. Chapman joined the board in December of 2010 and is currently in his third term. In 2006, he graduated from Westview High School, and has volunteered in the district and the community since. As a passionate advocate for CTE in the district, he spearheaded the West-MEC ballot initiative for the district in 2012 that has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the classroom. In addition to his support of students, during his presidency of the board, he worked with the board to create a strengthened meet and confer policy that brought all employees to the table to have a say in the direction of the district.

Throughout his three terms he has also lead and supported policy development in many areas of the district. Passing policy to ensure inclusion on campus, supporting resolutions to support student achievement, and being the first school district in the state to recognize the General Election date as a district holiday.

In addition to supporting students and educators, his work has also allowed him to support and empower school board members across the state through the state school board association. Highly effective board members can make a positive impact in their schools, and he has worked towards that goal since 2016.

Other Positions: President - Arizona School Boards Association 2019-2021 Board Member - K12 Center 2020-2021

Pacific Region Chair - National School Boards Association 2020-2021

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will continue to not only be a voice for students, staff and community members, but create spaces for them to be a part of the decision making
• Increase Career & Technical Education programs throughout the district
• Pursue educational equity for all students - Every student should receive the education that they need

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education policy has been a passion of mine. I volunteered with schools and student organizations since graduating high school and through college, all the way to running successfully to be a Governing Board Member in 2010.

Collaborating, creating, and passing policy at the local level is key to student success and the future of our communities. If students leave prepared for life, the community will succeed.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a graduate of the district, class of 2006. I have been serving on the board since 2010. I am connected to the district, and have stayed connected to the district since high school. My ability to work with a diverse community, staff, and student population has been proven, and is something I still continue to work towards.

In this role you have to be a good listener, and seek expert advice. You have to be open to more than one perspective, and I will continue to do those things for the 12,000+ students who come to campus each day.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Every elected official has the responsibility to serve all of their constituents. Unfortunately, more often than not, an elected official works very hard for those with the same political affiliation and not the other. Just because some citizens do not support you 100%, is no reason to not work for them.

You have to listen, and be willing to change your mind. This does not make you a bad leader. A good leader gets all the information they can and makes the best decision for people.

You have to be about the people. A quote I am reminded of from a series I watch, "Goodness is not goodness that seeks advantage."

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event to happen in my life was in eight grade at the age of 13, while I was getting ready for school. On the news that morning, with my family, I had seen that an airplane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. Like many, at first, we believed it was a terrible accident that unfortunately turned out to be an attack on our citizens and our way of life.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I would have to say Doctor Who. The Doctor travels through all of time and space getting to see the wonders of the universe, and along the way helping those who require assistance.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

Governing Board Members develop and pass policy that serves the needs of students, staff, and the community. To do this you should be engaged with your district and community. Going to school events, visiting campuses, and seeking professional development to make yourself a better policy maker.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I will continue to engage with community members, staff, and any outside organizations to support public education and my school district. I have attended community meetings held by other business and elected leaders, and am willing to meet with anyone who wants to support the district.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Education has unfortunately become politicized. Decades ago teachers were allowed to teach, administrators supported them and held them accountable, and Governing Board Members ensured that needed resources were provided. We need to better communicate to communities without children, or whose children have left school, that investing in the future is still important.

There is a mindset we have to change. Additionally, there are elements out there working to privatize education because they have learned they can make money from the tax payers and provide, in many cases, a substandard education with no regulations. We have to have parody across the board.

How might you improve the value of a high school diploma? What should a 21st century diploma reflect?

A diploma needs to reflect critical thinking, research skills, and the understanding of basic skills like finance. We focus too much on having students retain information for a test, instead of learning how to critically think and question what is out there. We can see in society now where many people rely on media and speakers who fit their narratives, rather than saying, "Is this true?"

We need to grow thinkers, not adults who can just follow instructions.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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