| NEWS | Elias Weiss Home from p 11 disclosure statement she filed in July. Civil Judgments and Bankruptcy Records show Ceballos-Viner was charged with three unspecified misdemeanors between 2003 and 2011. In 2004, judges in Peoria, Tolleson, and three different Phoenix courts slapped Ceballos-Viner with seven civil judgments against her totaling more than $10,000. Six years later, she and her husband filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in United States Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix. They owed more than $1.75 million, according to the bankruptcy filing. The documents paint a picture of a family mired in civil judgments with expenses outstripping their income after the Great Recession, which ended in 2009. Viner, a police lieutenant with a $122,000 salary at the time of the 2010 bankruptcy filing, and Ceballos-Viner, who listed a monthly income of $1,000 from her businesses and $1,000 in Social Security benefits, lived in a North Phoenix mansion and had two luxury cars. Coupled with loans owed to Phoenix-based Speedy Cash and other high-interest lenders, the Viners owed millions. Concern About Where Ceballos-Viner Lives Ceballos-Viner has raised $3,900 for her campaign, including a $1,000 injection from failed U.S. Senate candidate and election denier Jim Lamon, according to records. Ceballos-Viner is a pro-Trump, anti- Planned Parenthood conservative who hangs out with alt-right gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and endorsed QAnon- affiliated Tempe Republican Jerone Davison’s futile bid for Congress. She’s among a field of five candidates gunning to Ceballos-Viner claims to live in this modest ranch home in South Phoenix owned by the parents of Tatiana Peña. unseat Garcia, a Democrat. The incumbent city council member said he’s received numerous calls from constituents concerned about Ceballos- Viner’s living situation. “I’m committed to the district and the projects we have,” Garcia told New Times. “Folks like Denise will do whatever it takes to stop the progress that we made in the last three years. I hope our city clerk does the right thing.” But the city clerk’s job is done. “Any challenges related to nomination and/or candidate qualifications are handled through the courts,” said Blake, the clerk’s office spokesperson. That’s what happened in early August when another Phoenix City Council candi- date in District 6, Kevin Robinson, admitted to renting a house in Ahwatukee so he would be eligible to run there. Robinson’s opponent in the race, Moses Sanchez, challenged his eligibility in court. Sanchez’s attorney, Jack Wilenchik, argued in court that a person’s residence is defined in the city code as being where the person’s family resides. A judge ruled that Robinson could stay on the ballot and Sanchez is appealing the decision. In his decision, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge M. Scott McCoy cited Robinson’s longtime work in District 6. Robinson also testified in court that he is shopping for a permanent home in Arcadia and plans to relocate quickly. Ceballos-Viner has made no such public promise. Ceballos-Viner’s plan is to “save the community,” according to her campaign website. The question is whether or not it’s her community to save. 13 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES AUG 18TH–AUG 24TH, 2022
