Scott Smith (born 1956) is an American businessman and politician, elected as the 38th mayor of Mesa, Arizona, on May 20, 2008.

He took office on June 2, 2008 and served until April 16, 2014, when he resigned to run for Governor of Arizona in the Republican Primary.

In 1996, Smith received his Juris Doctor degree from the Arizona State University College of Law.

[5][7] Before and during the time that he held these aforementioned positions he was active as a financial and business consultant at ExecuShare, Ltd.[5] Smith also held a variety of quasi-public roles, such as the 2006–07 campaign chairman for the Mesa United Way and as a member of the citizens tax initiative committee.

[14] It is the largest of six cities and a town with populations of 100,000 or more (followed by Glendale, Chandler, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe and Peoria) that surround Phoenix in its metropolitan area.

[15] In March 2009, Smith advocated for a development deal to bring a 1,200 room Gaylord Hotel and Resort to the Mesa Proving Grounds.

[16][citation needed] In November 2011, Proposition 420 proposed an incentive package that would build the Chicago Cubs a new spring training facility.

[19] Smith played a role in the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) agreement, which allows Mesa to lease the facility and eventually own it while maintaining its highly classified status.

In January 2011 Smith unveiled iMesa, an improvement effort where residents submit, vote and comment on ideas for the community.

The Wall Street Journal, Politico and The Arizona Republic have run op-ed pieces about the national debt crisis co-authored by Smith, then USCM president Antonio Villaraigosa and USCM vice president Michael Nutter.

[21] During the campaign, Smith was endorsed by Governor Jan Brewer on August 6, 2014, ahead of the Republican primary.

[22] While a gubernatorial candidate, Smith faced accusations from fellow Republicans that he was insufficiently conservative, due to his support for Medicaid expansion and Common Core education standards.

Smith stated that after five years in the role, he is "ready to move on to the next chapter in my life and turn the keys over to new leadership.