The 3rd Annual Rodeo Days Arts Celebration Downtown February 23rd is a Rodeo Days weekend art show with live music, beer, bacanora, food trucks and horse-drawn carriage rides in the historic Steinfeld Warehouse Downtown Tucson. Celebrate rodeo in Tucson while getting a peek at the historic Steinfeld Warehouse.

It’s a free celebration of arts, music, history, and culture.

Saturday, February 23, 2013, 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Steinfeld Warehouse 101 W. 6th Street, Tucson, AZ 85701

Dress Western or old west style – Free admission

Artists showcase will feature fine art, glass, ceramics, leather, jewelry, wood, garden art in the historic Steinfeld Warehouse

Live music and dancing featuring Ruben Moreno’s Mariachi Herradura, Arizona Dancehands, George Howard’s R & B Band, and Stefan George’s country ensemble The Ditch Riders.

Taste Tucson beer from downtown breweries and sample bacanora from Sonora. A percentage of sales benefit Tucson Musicians Museum Mentorship Program, Warehouse Artists Management Organization’s Friends of Steinfeld Warehouse

Satisfy your appetite with Dinnerware’s Food Truck Round-up. A percentage of sales benefits Dinnerware Gallery.

Horse-drawn carriage rides with Sentinel Carriage Company will be offered.

The Rodeo Days Art Celebration Downtown is organized and produced by Susan French with French Accent Original Art & Design and Tucson Musicians Museum; Former Mayor Bob Walkup; Marvin Shaver with Warehouse Artists Management Organization and the Downtown Tucson Partnership.

CONTACT:

Susan French, Co-founder Tucson Musicians Museum
Owner FRENCH ACCENT Original Art & Design
520-907-7325
frenchaccent@theriver.com

City of Tucson Ward 1 Councilor Regina Romero is inviting the public to
celebrate the bicycle and pedestrian opening of the Luis G. Gutierrez
Bridge for a “Walk to the West Side” on Thursday, October 11, 2012.
The event starts at 4 p.m. and will include guest speakers, a tour of
the bridge with artist Brenda Semanick, and Mariachi performances. The
event will take place on the west side of the new bridge. Mayor Jonathan
Rothschild, former Mayor Bob Walkup, and former Tucson City Manager Luis
G. Gutierrez, for whom the bridge is named after, will attend the
event.

In addition, University Pedicabs will be available to tour Mission
Gardens and the Mercado San Agustìn will be hosting the Community Food
Bank’s Santa Cruz River Farmer’s Market. Free parking will be
available west of Intersate 10 at Avenida Del Convento and on the
eastside of the bridge at the Riverpark Inn, 350 S. Freeway.

“This beautiful bridge is linking east and west side neighborhoods, and
doubling the size of our Downtown. We need to celebrate it every step of
the way,” said Council Member Romero. “Today we celebrate
pedestrian and bicycle connections, and early next year we will be
multi-modal with the Sun Link Streetcar.”

The 320-foot long “signature” bridge will be a vital connection in
the Sun Link Tucson Streetcar project and will provide an east-west
passage way for pedestrians, bicycles, motorists, as well as buses and
the streetcar.

The bridge is named after Mr. Gutierrez, who had a profound impact on
the City’s west side where he spearheaded downtown revitalization
while maintaining the historic integrity of the area that is often
referred to as Tucson’s birthplace. A gifted administrator, Mr.
Gutierrez was often the “bridge builder” between constituents and
special interest groups.

Tucson artists Brenda Semanick and David Johnson Vandenberg have
created an elaborate public art project for the bridge which highlights
historical and natural aspects of the area. Various artistic elements
of the project include steel cutout canopies, handmade bat sculptures,
and replicas of Hohokam pottery shards.

For more information on the “Walk to the West Side” event, contact
Ward 1 at 791-4040 or visit
http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/announcement/celebrate-luis-g-gutierrez-bridge

Luis Guiterrez is a former City Manager of the City of Tucson (1996 to 2000):

On November 9, 2011, the Tucson Mayor and Council voted unanimously to adopt resolution 21817 authorizing and approving the renaming of the Cushing Street Bridge to the Luis G. Gutierrez Bridge.

As Tucson’s former City Manager, Luis G. Gutierrez worked to make a significant and positive impact with respect to future development on the City’s west side, also known as Tucson’s Birthplace. Mr. Gutierrez’s skills as a superb city administrator and ‘bridge builder’ brought together many constituent and special interest groups. Most notable was his effort to place Proposition 400 on the ballot in 1999, a measure designed to strengthen the City’s investment in the west side and spearhead downtown revitalization in ways that both reflect and honor Tucson’s history. When complete, the Luis G. Gutierrez Bridge will be a vital link that connects the historic west side with downtown and is destined to spur economic development throughout the area.

Mayor Rothschild issued this statement on October 9:
“This beautiful bridge is another key element in linking the westside to downtown. It provides opportunities for walking and bicycling, as well as forming part of the streetcar line. I want to congratulatethose who worked on this project – both city staff and private contractors – for achieving a great result.”

I drove by this area on Sunday and got a peak of the new bridge over the Santa Cruz Wash. Check it out tomorrow at this West Side celebration. View the City’s map below to see the extent of the bridge and where to park for this event. Better yet walk, bicycle, or catch the Sun Tran bus to the celebration.

On Tuesday March 13, the Pima County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution 2012-16 “recognizing the serious public health impacts of excessive weight or obesity, and pledging strenuous and ongoing efforts to improve opportunities to make health nutrition and activity choices and combat this epidemic”.

A Healthy Pima conference on obesity at the Westin La Paloma was held today entitled “The Why’s and How’s of Pima County CPPW”. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more that 35% of adults and 17% of youths (90 million Americans) are considered obese. This Pima County CPPW (Community Putting Prevention to Work) was one of 44 CDC grants nationwide. This two-year $16 million grant chaired by Dr. Donald Gates involved several community partners throughout Pima County. Dr. Gates called obesity a “staggering national issue”, with childhood obesity increasing 3 x in the last 3 decades.

A morning panel composed of several of the partners included Sara Padilla, program mgr. for CPPW Community Food Security Coalition; Armando Rios, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson; Jim Mazzocco, Planning Administrator of the City of Tucson; Andrea Lightfoot, Employer Relations Specialist, NW Heathcare; Dr.Nicholas Clement, Superintendent for Flowing Wells School District. Each of the panelists spoke of how the grant had been administered in each of their areas respectively — food access & security, neighborhood after-school programs for students, changes in the City’s land use code, best practices for workplace wellness, and within a school district.

There were also several workshops on:

Healthy Choices in a School Setting for Students and Parents
Implementing Healthy Changes in a Childcare Setting
Improving Access to Healthy Food through Farmer’s Markets and Gardens
Prevention and Wellness in Faith-Based Organizations
Neighborhood Action Projects
Creating a Healthier Built Environment in Schools
Policy Changes that Make Healthy Living Easier *

Healthy Choices in a School Setting for Teachers and Administrators
Youth Development Efforts and Promoting Healthy Choices
Promoting Wellness in the Workplace and Health and Service Organizations
Using the Media to Create Awareness via a Public Education Campaign *
Creating a Healthier Environment in Neighborhoods and Community Centers *
Engaging the Community to Create Health-Focused Policies

*workshops I attended

Today’s Healthy Pima conference on obesity had invited the 18th Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA to speak but she was unable to attend. Former 3 term Mayor Bob Walkup was the keynote luncheon speaker and spoke of the Healthy Mayor’s Initiative he began almost 10 years ago, and how we must continue to educate our children about healthy food & exercise options “to do right by our children, for the future.”

All one has to do is look around town and see all the obese people (men, women, children) and know that there is an “epidemic” of sorts going on. The problem is lack of education about nutrition, the availability of junk foods, super-sized portions, the lack of an agrarian society & more leisure time, and less exercise options — most of which were discussed today.

A 20 minute video “The Choices We Make, the Choices We Have” was shown at the conference as well, which highlighted the various projects throughout the two year grant period.

Efforts to continue the work past this grant are being advocated through the Pima County Health Dept. website, www.healthypima.org, and through ongoing farmer’s markets at schools & in the neighborhoods, and other agencies in Pima County.

So let us join this community-wide effort to make healthy choices, and combat obesity in Pima County. Eat healthy & keep active!

For those of you still trying to decide whom to vote for Mayor, you can view these online debates:

KUAT Channel 6 of all three Mayoral candidates on October 13 (click here).

KVOI 1030 AM Buckmaster radio Show of all three Mayoral candidates on October 21 (click here).

Brief synopsis of who’s running for Mayor:

–Mary Decamp (Green), community activist, Connector for PRO Neighborhoods, former college instructor, currently camping out at Occupy Tucson at Armory Park downtown. She ran for the Ward 3 Council seat unsuccessfully in 2009, defeated fellow activist/former 2007 Mayoral candidate Dave Croteau in their Green Party Primary in August, 2011.

–Rick Grinnell (Republican), lobbyist (one client of his company Strategic United Business Strategies is Rosemont Copper), Board Member on new reconstituted Rio Nuevo Multi Purpose Facilities District, received 7,770 write-in votes in the August Republican primary, ran twice before unsuccessfully for Ward 2 Council seat (1995 and 1999).

–Jonathan Rothschild (Democrat), attorney/former managing partner of his law firm of Mesch, Clark & Rothschld originally founded by his father Lowell, former Treasurer of Pima County Democratic Party, political newcomer, faced no opposition in the August Democratic primary. Rothschild was endorsed by the Arizona Daily Star on October 16.

Campaign websites below (or click here for previous blog for all Mayoral/Council candidates websites).

Mary DeCamp (G), www.decampformayor.org
Rick Grinnell (R), www.grinnell4mayor.com
Jonathan Rothschild (D), www.jonathanformayor.com

Ballots were mailed out on October 19. Your vote-by-mail ballot must be received by City Elections by 7 p.m. on Tuesday November 8. Mail early.

Mary DeCamp, Green candidate

Rick Grinnell, Republican

Jonathan Rothschild, Democrat

“In 1999 voters approved the creation of the Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District (District). The District is both a municipal stadium district and a special taxing district. The voters authorized the District to receive an incremental portion of State-shared funds derived from transaction privilege taxes (i.e. sales tax called TIF Funds) collected from within the District boundaries within the City of Tucson city limits. The District is a State municipal district with the powers, privileges and immunities granted to governmental, municipal corporations for District purposes: a planned multi-faceted development project, including cultural and recreational amenities and improvements, unique historic re-creations, mixed-use developments, etc. The District was reorganized by the Arizona State Legislature in the fall of 2009 and the board re-appointed in March 2010. Expenditure of the TIF Funds collected is now disbursed and managed by the reconstituted Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District Board of Directors who as of 2010 are appointed by the State’s Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

From: http://rionuevo-tucson.org/

For more info on Rio Nuevo also see this City of Tucson webpage, with financial reports: http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/rionuevo

This 10 year (1999 to 2009) project has received a lot of attention recently due to conflicts between the City of Tucson Council and the new Rio Nuevo board, re-constituted by the State Legislature in March, 2010. Citizens have been asking about who were the Councilmembers (Democrats, Republicans, one Independent) during these 10 years, and beyond. Here’s the list of who was serving (as far as I remember):

Mayor: Robert Walkup (R), 1999 to present (not running for re-election 2011)
Ward 1: Jose Ibarra (D), 1999 to 2007; Regina Romero (D), 2007 to present (up for re-election 2011)
Ward 2: Carol West (D, I), 1999 to 2007; Rodney Glassman (D), 2007 to 2010; Paul Cunningham (D), appointed 2010 to present (up for election 2011)
Ward 3: Jerry Anderson (D), 1999 to 2001; Kathleen Dunbar (R), 2001 to 2005; Karin Uhlich (D), 2005 to present
Ward 4: Shirley Scott (D), 1999 to present (up for re-election 2011)
Ward 5: Steve Leal (D), 1999 to 2009; Richard Fimbres (D), 2009 to present
Ward 6: Fred Ronstadt (R), 1999 to 2005; Nina Trasoff (D), 2005 to 2009; Steve Kozachik (R), 2009 to present

(Some of these Councilmembers were serving before Rio Nuevo began, but I only list the starting point as 1999 when Rio Nuevo was created).

Those who were serving as elected officials during entire Rio Nuevo project: Mayor Bob Walkup, Councilmembers Steve Leal and Shirley Scott.

Those who came on the Council after late 2009: Councilmembers Richard Fimbres, Steve Kozachik, and Paul Cunningham.

And who were the Tucson City Managers during this time: Luis Gutierrez (1999), James Keene (2000 to 2005), and Mike Hein (2005 to 2009). Gutierrez is retired, Keene is now City Manager of Palo Alto, California, and Hein is Director of Pima County Emergency Management & Homeland Security.

Last November, 2010 I reported on the citizen outrage after an audit on Rio Nuevo was released about $230 million allegedly mismanaged:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2010/11/29/citizens-express-outrage-over-rio-nuevo-mismanagement/

Stay tuned as the City Council and the new Rio Nuevo board have recently agreed to mediate their differences.

Mary DeCamp, Green candidate for Mayor

After Mayoral candidate Mary DeCamp won the Green primary election on August 30 over fellow Green activist Dave Croteau, someone asked me if other women had run for Mayor of Tucson. Yes, a few have in the Mayoral primaries in the past, but I can only remember former 2 term Ward 6 Councilmember Molly McKasson running as a Democrat in the General election of 1999. That was the year when Republican political newcomer Bob Walkup won and went on to serve 3 terms as Mayor.

Does anyone else remember other women running in the General election for Mayor of Tucson? 4 term Councilwoman Shirley Scott (Ward 4) pointed out to me last Fall when she was considering a bid for Mayor that there had not been a woman Mayor in the City of Tucson, ever. (Scott is currently running for re-election in her own ward).

There was even one woman in the Democratic Mayoral primary back in 1971 (read my previous blog, “In what year were 10 candidates running for Mayor of Tucson?” Click here.)

Mayoral candidate Mary DeCamp announced today (Labor Day 2011) that Dave Croteau has agreed to become her campaign manager for the General Election, in the collaborative spirit of the Green Party of Pima County. Her campaign press release also emphasized the “decentralization, respect for diversity, and grassroots democracy” of the Green Party.

Her campaign website: www.decampformayor.org
or call 520-327-4705. A former college instructor and Nebraska native, Mary’s extensive bio is on her website, click here. Her previous experience in politics was when she ran for the Ward 3 Council seat in 2009 against incumbent Karin Uhlich (D) and Ben Bueller-Garcia (R).

By the way, the final vote tally for the first-ever Green Party Mayoral primary on Tuesday August 30:
Dave Croteau 127 (24.33%)
Mary DeCamp 369 (70.69%)

Having a woman Mayor is not new for me having grown up in Hawaii County where there have been at least two women Mayors (Helene Hale and Lorraine Jitchaku-Inouye), but it would be new for the City of Tucson.

His first guests were three Republicans — Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, facing a historic recall with over 18,000 signatures submitted by the Recall Pearce campaign, then District 4 Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll and Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik–the latter two were interviewed about the County and City budgets. They were followed by General John Wickham on Libya. Listen to the interviews (click here).

On June 2 Buckmaster interviewed Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup (who is in his 3rd term and not running for re-election), Congresswoman “Gabby” Giffords’ staffer Mark Kimble (former Associate Editor of the Tucson Citizen), RTA Executive Director Gary Hayes, and lastly legal advisor Donald Loose, Esq. about the new medical marijuana laws. Listen to these interviews (click here).

And if you want to hear previous interviews when Bill Buckmaster was on KJLL radio, log onto www.buckmastershow.com. If you miss any of his upcoming interviews on KVOI, log onto the same website.

To call in to this radio talk show, the phone # is 520-790-2040.

Centennial Park dedication to commemorate Arizona’s upcoming 100 years of Statehood, along with “Mansions of Main” Home Tour, both on April 2, 2011:

Mayor Bob Walkup, Councilmember Regina Romero, Supervisor Richard Elias, and Robert Knight, Tucson Museum of Art Director are just a few of the dignitaries who will place the first bricks for the Centennial Park Memorial Brick Path. This pathway is dedicated to honoring Tucson’s pioneer families at the time Arizona was granted
statehood.

Saturday, April 2nd 10:00am – 1:30 pm

* 10 am — Presidio San Agustìn del Tucson Firing of the Historic Cannon
o living history enactment
* 12 pm — Box lunch from El Charro at Centennial Park site
o Davis School Mariachi Band
o Presidio Garrison firing of muskets
o box lunch prices are $10 each; credit cards accepted
o lunch includes soda or water
* 1 pm — Ground Breaking Event at Centennial Park
o Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup and Councilwoman Regina Romero will place the first bricks for the Centennial Park Memorial Brick Path

Centennial Park is located in the El Presidio Historic District at the
Northwest corner of West Paseo Redondo and North Main Avenue downtown.

Centennial Park is an official Arizona Centennial Legacy Project
commemorating the history and culture of the El Presidio Historic District
downtown. From the Hohokam who settled here centuries ago to the Spanish
who established New Spain’s Presidio San Agustin del Tucson eight hundred
years later, the Camino Real (Main Avenue as it is know today) has been the
pathway of commerce. The Camino Real is the connecting thread along which
the pioneer families of Tucson chose to build their futures. Be a part of
building a park next to this well traveled trade route to commemorate
Arizona’s Centennial in 2012. Leave a legacy for future generations by
participate in transforming a vacant lot into an interpretive pocket park.
Purchase a brick to represent a pioneer to pave the way for Centennial
Park.

Proceeds to benefit the construction of Centennial Park.
For information, contributions, or brick orders go to
www.centennialparktucson.org.
For additional brick information call: 520.837.8054. 4″ x 8″ Brick with 3 line message
costs $100.00, 8″ x 8″ Brick with 6 line message costs $200.00.

Also on Saturday April 2nd:

El Presidio Historic District “Mansions of Main” Home Tour
Saturday, April 2, 2011 1:30 to 3:30pm
El Presidio Historic District in Downtown Tucson

The “Mansions of Main” Home tour will feature five beautifully restored
homes on Main Avenue which were in existence at the time of statehood.
Spend the afternoon exploring the history and architecture of the El
Presidio Historic District.

Take a leisurely stroll along Main Street or Calle Real (the Royal Road) as it was known in the 1800’s and let your mind take you back in time to when the Steinfelds, the Corbetts, and the Cheyneys opened their homes to entertain guests. Re-enactors dressed in period clothing will present family histories of selected homes and the home tour will allow guests to experience turn of the century Tucson.

Home tour tickets are $10.00 per person.

For more Centennial information go to www.azcentennial.gov, or www.arizona100.org.

For additional press information contact:
Annette Campbell
Campbell Design and Communications
372 West Franklin Street, Tucson, Arizona 85701
520.882.8800

More about these events on Downtown Tucson website:
http://www.downtowntucson.org/news/?p=3146

Marshall Home at Independent Rights Party meeting, courtesy of a friend

See my previous blog about “multi-billionaire” and political newcomer Home, who has mostly been registered as a Republican since 1994 in Pima County, but changed to Independent last October, 2010. (click here). He did tell me on the phone that he intended to challenge Rothschild in the Democratic primary.

Please note that there may to be a problem with Marshall Home’s residency in the City of Tucson, since when he filed his registration to change his party affiliation to “Independent” last October, his residence address (3051 W. Mexico St. 85746) was not in the City of Tucson. He changed his address back to 2772 W. St. Tropaz, 85713 in Ward 1 on March 18, 2011.

Who else is running for Mayor now that Republican Mayor Bob Walkup has decided not to seek a 4th term? One Democrat: Jonathan Rothschild. Two Republicans: Shaun McClusky and Ron Asta have filed, and Independent (former Democrat) Pat Darcy is considering a run. Both Asta and Darcy have run for Mayor before (and lost), but not so for all the others.

Also, Green Party candidate Jon McLane just filed this week. Click here.

This is assuming that all these candidates can get enough valid petition signatures by June 1st. Stay tuned.

We’re one year away from Arizona’s 100th statehood date, so here’s what the Arizona Centennial Commission in Phoenix is up to:

“Once in a Lifetime Valentine’s Day” at the State Capitol today, 10 to 2 p.m. at the Senate lawn of the State Capitol,

with 50 Expo booths “highlighting Signature Projects & Events, Legacy Projects and Official Centennial Events”.

Click here for more information if you want to drive up there today.

And bookmark that website for additional events all over the great state of Arizona this year leading up to the Centennial next February. Questions? Write to info@arizona100.org or call the Arizona Centennial Commission at 602-364-3702.

Who’s on this Commission from Southern Arizona: Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup, University of Arizona President Dr. Robert Shelton, and Lisa Lovallo, VP of Cox Communications.

And Happy Valentine’s Day 2011.