Political reporter Christopher Conover at AZ Public Media had a good report (see above link) about the recent AZ Supreme Court ruling in favor of the City of Tucson’s city-wide, partisan elections (the only city left in the state with this system). In 2009 then – LD 30 State Senator Jonathan Paton (R) pushed through legislation which the Governor signed, to stop this practice, which has been in place via Tucson’s City Charter (and duly voted upon by the City voters). The City of Tucson appealed that legislation. It was a matter of local control by a City vs. whether the State Legislature could overrule the choice by City voters.

Consequently, with this ruling that 2009 law will not go into effect after all, and the next City election in Nov. 2013 will remain partisan (Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, etc.) and the Councilmembers will run city-wide, though they have to live in their respective wards.

One argument against city-wide elections is the case of when a Councilmember can be elected by a majority of the voters of the City of Tucson, but lose in his/her own respective ward. But the argument for city-wide elections is that the 6 Councilmembers vote on issues affecting the entire City of Tucson.

Who’s up for election in 2013: Ward 3 Councilmember Karin Uhlich (D), Ward 5 Councilmember Richard Fimbres (D), and Ward 6 Councilmember Steve Kozachik (R).
Karin was first elected in 2005, and both Richard and Steve were elected in 2009.

DeCamp defeated fellow activist Dave Croteau in the Green Party primary on August 30, 2011 and also ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 3 Council seat in 2009. Grinnell ran for the Ward 2 Council seat unsuccessfully in 1995 and 1999, and was a write-in candidate in the recent Republican primary. And Rothschild has never run before for any political office and faced no opposition in the August Democratic primary.

“An encore radio broadcast of this special forum will air on NPR-FM89.1/1550AM on Friday night, October 14th at 6:30 p.m. Marketplace normally scheduled at this time will be pre-empted.”

Click here for the “debate” between these 3 candidates.

Prior KUAT Interviews (separately) of each Mayoral candidate:

–DeCamp on October 6 (click here).
–Grinnell on September 9 (clck here).
–Rothschild on September 22 (click here).

If you want to meet these candidates in person (as well as all others running for Council seats in Wards 1, 2, and 4), plan on attending the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson forum on October 17 at Temple Emanu-El (225 N. Country Club), 6 p.m. The forum is co-sponsored by the Pima County Tucson Women’s Commission.

Vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed out by City of Tucson Elections next week on October 19. Vote wisely.

Mayor of Tucson:
Democrat Jonathan Rothschild 26,918
Democrat write-in David Karr 41
Democrat write-in Joseph Maher Jr. 64
Green Dave Croteau 127
Green Mary DeCamp 369
Republican write-in Rick Grinnell 7770
Republican write-in Daryl Peterson 12

Rothschild, DeCamp, and Grinnell will advance to the General Election.

Ward 1 Council
Democrat Joe Flores 1420
Democrat Regina Romero (incumbent) 4695
Green write-in Beryl Baker 10

Romero and Baker will face off in the General (a repeat of 2007).

Ward 2 Council
Democrat Paul Cunningham (incumbent) 5547
Republican Jennifer Rawson 5079

Cunningham and Rawson will face off in the General.

Ward 4 Council
Democrat Shirley Scott (incumbent) 4133
Republican Tyler Vogt 3874

Scott and Vogt will face off in the General.

These figures do not change any of the outcomes from Tuesday’s night Primary Election.
See City of Tucson Elections website: http://www.tucsonaz.gov/elections/

For my Primary Election night blog with the early returns, click here.

The General election will also be vote-by-mail on/before November 8, 2011.

That’s all folks: the deadline is past for filing by any other person desiring to become a write-in candidate for Mayor of the City of Tucson or for Council seats in Wards 1, 2, and 4. *

Update 7/22/11 late afternoon per Tucson City Clerk’s website: Last minute Republican filed for Mayor: Construction worker Daryl A. Peterson, so stay tuned. And Green Beryl Baker filed as a write-in candidate for the Ward 1 City Council seat, which she ran for before in 2007. She got 26.62% of the vote then compared to Regina Romero’s 72.86%.

Remember that the City of Tucson has changed this year to vote- by- mail, where ballots will be mailed to registered voters on August 10, with the actual primary election being on August 30. Absolute deadline to drop off your ballot is 7 p.m. on August 30. (Voter registration cut off date is August 1, so there’s still time to register). The primary election ballots MUST be in the possession of the city personnel by 7 p.m. on August 30 — so mark your ballot & mail early.

7 locations will be open on August 30 for voters to:

• Drop off your ‘voted’ vote-by-mail ballot, or
• Bring your vote-by-mail ballot, cast the ballot in person and drop it in the ballot box, or
• Receive and vote a vote-by-mail replacement ballot

Voting Locations Days of Operation/ Hours of Operation for both the primary & general:
Randolph Golf Complex
600 S. Alvernon Way
August 30, 2011
November 8, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Quincie Douglas Library
1585 E. 36th Street
August 30, 2011
November 8, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Clements Center
8155 E. Poinciana Drive
August 30, 2011
November 8, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox
Church
1145 E. Ft. Lowell Road
August 30, 2011
November 8, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Udall Park Recreation Center
7200 E. Tanque Verde Road
August 30, 2011
November 8, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Valencia Branch Library
202 W. Valencia Road
August 30, 2011
November 8, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Tucson City Clerk Elections
Center
800 E. 12th Street
August 11 – August 29, 2011
8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Mon-Fri

August 30, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

October 20 – November 7, 2011
8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Mon-Fri

November 8, 2011
6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

As to who’s running, refer to my previous blog which lists the campaign websites of almost all the candidates, including 3 write-ins – click here.

There is now two Republican Mayoral write-in candidates Rick Grinnell and Daryl Peterson, plus three Democratic ones, David Karr, Joseph Maher, Jr., and Rich Kessler. The latter was listed on the City of Tucson’s webpage as of 7/15/11, but I don’t have any information on him to date, except that he is “retired.” ^

There is only one write-in Council candidate. Green Party candidate Beryl Baker has filed as a write-in to challenge the winner of the Ward 1 Democratic primary, either incumbent Romero or challenger Flores. I believe that Baker only needs to get 3 Green Party write-in votes to qualify for the General election.

And for more info on City of Tucson’s Elections, go to their website:
http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/gov/elections. *I’ve been awaiting the Tucson City Clerk’s updating of their 2011 candidate listing or an email reply about this deadline being past.

^Kessler has withdrawn from this race (updated 8/5/11).

Registered voters in City of Tucson (as of April, 2011)

Democrats 99,877

Republicans 56,232

Independents/others 69,735

Libertarians 2135

Greens 857

Total registered voters right now in City of Tucson are 228,836 (all six wards)
which gives the Democrats almost a 2:1 edge over the Republicans, but there are almost 70,000 Independent voters who could vote either way in the primary.

But according to Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez and UA Asst. Prof. of Communications Kate Kenski, Independents have a low voter turnout, probably because they don’t choose to vote at all or belong to an organized party.

Back in the last City of Tucson election of 2009, with Wards 3, 5 and 6 up for election, 33.5% of the total registered voters (221,316) voted. So 74,168 votes were cast city wide.

Karin Uhlilch (D) received 33,782 votes, Richard Fimbres (D) 37,749 votes and Steve Kozachik (R) 36,451 votes to prevail over their opponents. Uhlich won by only 175 votes over Republican Ben Bueller-Garcia, although the Green Party candidate Mary DeCamp received 4429 votes, which may have taken votes from the Democrat. In 2005 Uhlich had defeated Republican one term Ward 3 incumbent Kathleen Dunbar, in an upset.

Fimbres won by 4573 votes over Shaun McClusky (now running for Mayor) and Kozachik won in an upset by 1756 votes (defeating one term Democratic incumbent Nina Trasoff). Trasoff herself had upset 2 term Ward 6 incumbent Republican Fred Ronstadt in 2005.

How did Steve Kozachik, a Republican win in a predominantly Democratic city?

And with the Democratic voter edge in this city, how did Republican Robert Walkup win 3 terms? He defeated 1) two term Councilwoman Democrat Molly McKasson, then 2) former Democratic Mayor/Councilman Tom Volgy, and lastly 3) Green Party candidate Dave Croteau (no Democrat even ran for Mayor in 2007). See my previous blog “Will Mayor Walkup run again? (click here).

The Mayor’s seat is up for election this year, with Republican Bob Walkup not running for his 4th term. 6 men are currently seeking that position (3 Democrats, 2 Republicans, 1 Green), with nomination petitions/signatures due on June 1st. None of the candidates have served on the City Council, the usual testing ground for qualification to be a Mayor.

Council Wards 1, 2 and 4 are also up for election this year.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Regina Romero (D) has a Democratic opponent (Joe Flores), and almost had a Republican challenger (political newcomer Janet Gallup who filed last week but told me via email that she is withdrawing this week “for several personal reasons that were unforeseen”).
Regina has served for one term and is the incumbent. (In 2007 she defeated Democrat Ken Green in the Primary, then Green Party candidate Beryl Baker in the General.)

Appointed (May, 2010) Ward 2 Councilman Paul Cunningham (D) has a Republican opponent (political newcomer Jennifer Rawson). 4 term Ward 4 Councilwoman Shirley Scott (D) is being challenged by political newcomer Republican Tyler Vogt. Can either Rawson or Vogt upset the incumbent Councilmembers– like Kozachik did in 2009?

It seems that both Republicans and Democrats have served in Wards 3 and 6, with predominantly only Democratic Councilmembers in Ward 1, 2, 4, and 5 (except for one Democrat who turned into an Independent in Ward 2). And Tucson has had long term serving Republican Mayors (Lew Murphy and Bob Walkup).

So maybe it’s personality over partisan party affiliation that determines the winners in the City elections. What do you readers think?

The AZ Court of Appeals ruled recently for the City of Tucson in a challenge to a recent state law that would have mandated Ward only, nonpartisan elections instead of the current partisan, city-wide elections (though the Councilmembers have to live in the Ward they run from). This decision may be appealed to the AZ Supreme Court.

5/13/11 UPDATE: 6 men still running for Mayor (2 Democrats, as 1 dropped out last week, 2 Republicans, 1 Green (one dropped out, replaced by another Green), and an Independent).
Here’s the current list: Jonathan Rothschild (D), Marshall Home (D), Shaun McClusky (R), Ron Asta (R), Dave Croteau (G), Pat Darcy (I). But the list keeps changing…

If you missed the League of Women Voters’ forum on October 19 about the ballot propositions, here’s another chance to learn more about Proposition 200, the “Public Safety First Initiative”.

Go to Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave. in the Tucson Convention Center downtown on Monday October 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. for an Arizona Public Media sponsored town hall.

Bill Buckmaster, host of “Arizona Illustrated” on KUAT Channel 6, Ann Brown, editorial page editor for the Arizona Daily Star, and Jim Nintzel, political reporter/commentator of the Tucson Weekly will be posing questions to the pro and con reps of Prop. 200.

Or, if you just want to educate yourself about the initiative online, here’s the links: Vote Yes, or Vote No. I’ve been watching those websites, and the list against 200 is growing. You can also watch a live stream of the town hall that evening at www.azpm.org.

Moreover, in the “Sample Ballot/Publicity Pamphlet and Instructions to Voters” sent for the City of Tucson Elections is the full text of Proposition 200, and arguments for and against on pages 13 to 21. It’s very illustrative to see who’s supporting this proposition and who’s not.

This Proposition has taken clear partisan lines with those running for City Council seats in Ward 3, 5, and 6: the Republicans say vote yes, and the Democrats and Green candidate say vote no.

The decision is yours — vote on or before November 3rd.