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.