A Western Music Association sponsored event tonight featured songcatcher Judy Coder from Topeka, Kansas, who performed on guitar and also yodeled several of her Western songs. The event was held at the ranch of attorney Robert E. Fee, in the charming Saint Ann Chapel located on his property in the Tucson Country Club Estates.

Judy performed several songs from her three CDs: a lively rendition of “I Want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”, the popular “Shine on Rocky Mountain Moonlight”, and even the slow, melodious “Liberty Waltz”. She said she was inspired to sing her Western style music from Patsy Montana, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Judy also sang her version of “16 Pounds” as well as the “Mourning Dove Song” with cooing sounds like a dove. I especially enjoyed her yodeling, which was a treat here in Tucson for the approximately 25 people in the audience. Judy also spoke of the 150th celebration of statehood for her home state of Kansas.

For more information on Judy Coder, log onto her website www.judycoder.com, or email her at judy@judycoder.com. She heads to California shortly to perform on July 2 in Los Angeles.

And for more information on the Saint Ann Chapel (pictured above from their website) which is available for “rehearsal dinners, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, fundraisers, concerts and other special events”, go to their website at www.saintannchapelandranch.com.. Or you can call Brenda Fee at 520-471-4032 or email ranch_events@comcast.net.

Welcome to Tucson Judy and hope you return really soon!

Rick Grinnell

Blogger James Kelley (“The Cholla Jumps”, formerly with Tucsoncitizen.com) reports that Republican Rick Grinnell is seriously considering a run for Mayor of Tucson, as a write-in candidate. Filing deadline for write-in candidates for the primary race is July 21 with the Tucson City Clerk. Grinnell has been in the news recently serving on the Rio Nuevo Multi Purpose Facilities District board.

Read Kelley’s blog here: http://thechollajumps.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/rick-grinnell-to-run-for-tucson-mayor-as-a-write-in/

I reported on Grinnell last April, 2010 when he applied to be appointed to the Ward 2 Council seat (which subsequently went to Democrat Paul Cunningham, who’s now running for election). Click here for that blog. And here’s my brief description of Grinnell:

Richard K. (Rick) Grinnell, Founder/Registered lobbyist for Smart United Business Strategies, Inc. and President/Registered lobbyist for Rick Grinnell Business & Marketing Consulting, B.S. in Business Management from U. of Phoenix, U.S. Navy veteran, candidate for Ward 2 Council seat in 1995 and 1999, Republican

Grinnell ran against Councilmember Janet Marcus and Libertarian Tim Loomis in 1995, and against former Marcus aide Carol West in 1999. He got 34.06% of the vote compared to incumbent Marcus (47.76%) and Loomis (9.34%). Four years later Grinnell fared better (44.25%) against West, who prevailed with 50.01% of the vote.

He needs 1060 minimum write-in votes in the Republican primary to get on the General election ballot. (Last year Republican Greg Krino got 1519 write-in votes to qualify for the LD 28 State Senate race against incumbent Senator Paula Aboud. Krino only needed 214 write-in votes, after he decided not to run for LD 28 House.)

For more information on SUBS (Smart United Business Strategies, A Business Advocate for Informed Political Involvement) click here. Grinnell can be reached there at 520-624-0231 or Rick@SubsTucson.com.

Both Republicans Ron Asta and Shaun McClusky were found ineligible to run for Mayor recently in Superior Court challenges, due to not having enough valid signatures on their nomination petitions.

David M. Karr

Another write-in candidate political newcomer David M. Karr is listed on the Tucson City Clerk’s website as a Democrat (as of June 22, 2011). He was born here in Tucson, graduated from Sahuaro High School, is a retired Correctional Sergeant and wants to be a stand up comic. His campaign website is http://karrfortucsonmayor.webs.com, and he can be reached via email at karrfortucsonmayor@gmail.com.

Karr faces political newcomer attorney Jonathan Rothschild in the Democratic primary on August 30. The winner of the Green Party primary (either Dave Croteau or Mary DeCamp) will advance to the General Election for Mayor. Croteau has run for Mayor before in 1999 (write-in) and in 2007 as the sole challenger against Mayor Bob Walkup.

So stay tuned to see if Grinnell does decide to run, or if anyone else besides Karr throws his/her hat into this Mayoral race as write-in candidates. The deadline for filing petition nominations was June 1st, so only write-in candidates are now allowed.

7/1/11 UPDATE: Another Democratic write-in candidate has filed: political newcomer architect Joseph Maher, Jr. (click here).

The Pima County Board of Supervisors created the Redistricting Advisory Committee at its April 19, 2011 Board meeting. The Committee will advise the Board on the redrawing of county supervisor district lines before July 31, 2011. The Committee is made up of five members. Each was appointed by a supervisor. Appointments to the Committee were approved by the Board at the May 3, 2011 Board meeting.

The appointees are: District 1: Corey Smith; District 2: Robert Gugino; District 3: Terri Hutts; District 4: Robert Fee; District 5: Augustine Romero. Gugino was elected Chair, and Smith was elected to serve as Vice Chair.

The five committee members have been meeting since May 26, 2011 and have held four other meetings on June 2 (Board of Supervisors hearing room in Tucson), June 8 (Nanini Library), June 16 (Sahuarita Town Hall) and June 23 (Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center). Agendas & meeting summaries of each of these meetings is on their website, as well as other data about voter turnout in the 2008 & 2010 General Elections for each District.

Why this redistricting is necessary (info from their website, www.pima.gov/redistricting):

According to Arizona law, the Pima County Board of Supervisors is required to adopt new supervisor district boundary lines on or before December 1, 2011. The estimated population within each district must be equal, or vary by no more than 10 percent. The Census Bureau recently released county-level Census data for Arizona. Pima County was estimated to have a total population of 980,263. The most populous district, Supervisor Ray Carroll’s District 4, was estimated to be 20 percent greater in population than the least populous district, Supervisor Richard Elias’s District 5. Therefore the supervisors’ district boundaries must be revised to more evenly distribute the county’s population among the five members of the Board of Supervisors.

Pima Community College Board district boundaries are the same as the Pima County Board of Supervisors boundaries. They, too, will change as a result of the redrawing of supervisor districts.

This Advisory committee has come up with a proposed map of several precinct changes (marked “Committee’s Draft Map” on their website’s home page) and now want to have public participation in hearings around the five Supervisory Districts:

June 29, 1 p.m. Cienega High School, 12775 East Mary Ann Cleveland Way in Vail with Robert Fee
June 30, 2:30 p.m. City of South Tucson Council Chambers, 1601 S. 6th Avenue with Robert Gugino

July 6, 1 p.m. Town of Oro Valley Council Chambers, 11000 N. La Canada with Corey Smith
July 7, 4:30 p.m. El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, 101 W. Irvington Road with Augustine Romero
July 8, 10 a.m., Tohono O’odham Legislative Chambers, Main Street in Sells with Terri Hutts

July 11, 1 p.m. Tucson Estates Property Owners Association, 5900 W. Western Way Circle with Terri Hutts
July 12, 4:30 p.m. at Kirk-Bear Canyon Library, 8959 E. Tanque Verde Road with Robert Fee

Each public hearing is scheduled for public comments and the duration of the hearing will depend on how many citizens show up to testify. A court reporter will transcribe the public comments and Pima County staff will be present to assist in these meetings.

Once the committee hears from the public, they will have another final meeting on July 14 at 4:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisor Hearing Room, 130 W. Congress St. A back up date of July 21 is also scheduled. For more information call Nicole Fyffe in the Pima County Administrator’s Office at 520-740-8149.