to celebrate another Thanksgiving, and to give thanks for all we have. My simple list this year of what I am grateful for:

–my wonderful, loving family

–my good friends who bring joy and fun moments to my life

–my health so far (very important asset as we all age). Remember “Aging: if it’s not your issue, it will be”.

–the fact that I’ve now blogged 1183 posts online here, to inform and educate the community about what’s happening here in Tucson and Southern Arizona.

It’s been almost three/half years since I started up “Carolyn’s Community” on June 18, 2009. And it’s been mostly fun and rewarding. Glad we have competent veteran Tucson Citizen reporters Mark Evans (our Administrator) and Wildcat sports guru Anthony Gimino working for us at Tucsoncitizen.com.

Usually I ask everyone at a Thanksgiving dinner just to say one thing they are grateful for. If you would like to add a comment below about what you are thankful for, please do.

Happy Thanksgiving one and all.

Latest unofficial election returns from Secretary of State’s website, click here for updates.

UPDATE: Will try to update each evening as ballots are counted by Pima County and updated by AZ Sec. of State–but only for CD 1, CD 2, LD 9 House, LD 10 House, PCC District 5 Board, TUSD School Board which are close races.

For updates after Nov. 10, go to new summary post: http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2012/11/10/2012-arizona-general-election-updates/

U.S. Senate (open seat)
Richard Carmona (D) 754,416
Jeff Flake (R) 834,206
Marc Victor (L) 72,227

CD 1 (open seat) Kirkpatrick is still leading as of 11/9/12
Kim Allen (L) 13,061
Ann Kirkpatrick (D) 107,750
Jonathan Paton (R) 101,486

CD 2 – may be too close to call – McSally is leading on 11/9/12
Ron Barber (D), incumbent CD 8, 125,187
Martha McSally (R) 125,223

CD 3
Raul Grijalva (D), incumbent CD 7, 67,595
Blanca Guerra (L) 5168
Gabriela Saucedo Mercer (R) 46,419

LD 2
State Senate
Linda Lopez (D), incumbent LD 29, 31,118

State House – 2 seats
Chris John Ackerley (R) 19,698
Andrea Dalessandro (D) 22,483
Rosanna Gabaldon (D) 21,371

LD 3
State Senate (unopposed)
Olivia Cajero Bedford, incumbent LD 27, 31,124

State House – 2 seats (unopposed)
Sally Ann Gonzales (D), incumbent LD 27, 25,986
Macario Saldate (D), incumbent LD 27, 22,482

LD 9
State Senate
Steve Farley (D), 38,191
Tyler Mott (R), 31,361

State House – 2 seats: Orr and Steele still leading as of 11/9/12
Ethan Orr (R), 37,622
Mohur Sarah Sidhwa (D), 35,237
Victoria Steele (D), 39,053

LD 10
State Senate
Frank Antenori (R), incumbent LD 30, 31,919
David Bradley (D), 37,157

State House – 2 seats: Mach & Wheeler still leading as of 11/9/12
Todd Clodfelter (R, 31,712
Stefanie Mach (D), 35,535
Ted Vogt (R), incumbent LD 30, 33,389
Bruce Wheeler (D), incumbent LD 28, 37,609

LD 11
State Senate
Jo Holt (D), 29,185
Al Melvin (R), incumbent LD 26, 38,590

State House – 2 seats
Dave Joseph (D), 27,843
Adam Kwasman (R), 33,517
Steve Smith (R), 35,860

LD 14
State Senate
Pat Fleming (D), 20,958
Gail Griffin (R), incumbent LD 25, 36,049

State House – 2 seats
David Gowan ( R), incumbent LD 30, 31,924
Robert Leach (D), 18,863
David Stevens (R), incumbent LD 25, 31,711
Mark Stonebracker (D), 18,863

Corporation Commission (3 seats)
Robert Burns (R), 696,394
Marcia Busching (D) 552,608
Christopher Gohl (L), 76,729
Sandra Kennedy (D), incumbent, 613,556
Thomas Meadows (G), 46,634
Paul Newman (D), incumbent, 618,251
Daniel Pout (G),39,133
Susan Bitter Smith (R), 690,049
Bob Stump (R), incumbent, 722,434

Returns from Pima County elections of some races, http://www.pima.gov/elections/results1.htm. Go online for the other races — Constables, Justices of the Peace, other school boards.

Pima County Assessor (unopposed)
Bill Staples (D), incumbent, 196,926

Pima County Attorney
Claudia Ellquist (G) – withdrawn
Barbara LaWall (D), incumbent, 195,334

Pima County Recorder
Bill Beard (R), 103,631
F. Ann Rodriguez (D), incumbent, 172,719

Pima County Sheriff
Dave Croteau (G), 9584
Clarence Dupnik (D), incumbent, 154,842
Mark Napier (R), 143,895

Pima County Superintendent of Schools (unopposed)
Linda Arzoumanian (R), incumbent, 187,671

Board of Supervisors
District 1 (open seat)
Ally Miller (R) 42,841
Nancy Young Wright (D) 36,119

District 2
Jim Kelley (R), 13,902
Ramon Valadez (D), incumbent, 21,787

District 3
Tanner Bell (R), 22,131
Sharon Bronson (D), incumbent, 25,771

District 4 (unopposed)
Ray Carroll (R),incumbent, 56,461

District 5
Richard Elias (D), incumbent, 28,431
Fernando Gonzales (R) 10,691

Pima County Treasurer
Beth Ford (R), incumbent, 152,020
Elaine Richardson, 124,456

Pima Community College governing board (non partisan,2 seats):

District 3:
Sylvia Lee, 19,997
“Vicki” Marshall, incumbent, 12,525

District 5: Cortez still leading as of 11/9/12
Marty Cortez, incumbent, 14,186
Richard Fridena, 12,773
Francis Saitta, 6042

TUSD Governing Board (nonpartisan race, 3 seats): no change in status since election night, with Foster, Stegeman & Juarez leading

Menelik Bakari, 5990
Debe Campos-Fleenor, 24,799
Don Cotton 21,647
Miguel Cuevas,incumbent, 25,776
Ralph Ellinwood 19,597
Kristel Foster 36,158
John Hunnicutt 25,071
Camy Juarez 28,666
Robert Medler 13,083
Betts Putnam-Hidalgo 22,181
Mark Stegeman, incumbent 35,268
Alex Sugiyama, incumbent 18,107

For information/updates on which propositions won statewide & for City of Tucson, click here.

Stay tuned for updates, as I will post new figures as they become available — but only if the results are changed from this initial report, as ballots will be counted slowly day by day. This is the update of the latest returns, but not all precincts have reported statewide. Congratulations to the winners.

1. Joseph I. Brown, D, ran twice before for Mayor & lost
2. James N. Corbett, D, the Mayor (up for re-election)
3. James Dunleavy, D (formerly R), political newcomer
4. Douglas Edgell, R, ran before for City Council & lost
5. Harmon Harrison, R, on the School District 1 Board of Trustees
6. Larry G. Kelly, I, political newcomer
7. Lewis C. Murphy, R, former Tucson City Attorney
8. H. Kelley Rollings, D, political newcomer
9. Robert Royal, R, Ward 6 Councilman
10. Cynthia Schiesel, D, political newcomer (only woman in the race)

Trivia questions for long time Tucsonans:
Q 1: Who won these Republican and Democratic Mayoral primaries (out of the 4 Republicans, 5 Democrats listed above) in 1971?
Q 2: And who eventually won the General Election in 1971? (see answers at bottom of this blog)

40 years later in June, 2011 the City of Tucson had 7 candidates vying for Mayor after the June 1 deadline for nomination petitions:

Ron Asta, R (formerly D), who ran against the same Lewis Murphy (#7 above) in 1983
Dave Croteau, G, ran for Mayor in 1999 (write-in), and again in 2007
Pat Darcy, I (formerly D), ran for Mayor in 1999 Democratic primary
Mary DeCamp, G, ran for Ward 3 Council seat in 2009, only woman in the race
Marshall Home, D (formerly R and I), political newcomer
Shaun McClusky, R, ran for Ward 5 Council seat in 2009
Jonathan Rothschild, D, political newcomer

There were almost 10 candidates this year, but political newcomers Green Jon McLane and Democrat Thomas Lombardi withdrew before the June 1 deadline for filing of nomination petitions. Both had residency problems.

Subsequently 3 of these candidates (Asta, Darcy, and McClusky) were found to not have enough valid petition signatures, and one (Home) withdrew due to a lawsuit over his residency in the County and not in the City of Tucson.

There are three candidates left (Croteau, DeCamp and Rothschld) and currently three new write-ins, Democrats David Karr and Joseph Maher, Jr. and Republican Rick Grinnell. So with the 3 additional write-ins, there have been 10 candidates vying for the Mayor’s job this year as well.

Stay tuned for any additional write-ins prior to the July 21, 2011 filing deadline.

For you history buffs, may I recommend a 1970 booklet, “The Tucson Citizen – A Century of Arizona Journalism” by former reporter Don Schellie. Our Tucsoncitizen.com editor Mark Evans was giving out copies of this booklet at our Tucson Festival of Books booth in March, 2011. (In 1970 after 100 years of publication of the Tucson Citizen newspaper, Schellie reports that the population in Tucson was about 320,000 people. In 1870, the population was only 3200.)

Answer to trivia Q #1: Mayor James Corbett (D) and Lewis Murphy (R)
Answer to trivia Q # 2: In the General election Lew Murphy upset the Mayor by receiving 32,699 votes (52.32%) to Corbett’s 29,797 votes (47.67%), and went on to serve 4 terms as Mayor.
(The official canvass of November 2, 1971 does not list the Independent candidate Larry Kelly.)

And I have no idea what the results of that voter straw poll were. Anyone know? Tucson Daily Citizen readers were supposed to “vote for any one candidate of your choice regardless of his or your party affiliation”, and mail in to:
“STRAW VOTE, Tucson Daily Citizen, Tucson, Ariz.” No further address was provided. And no internet in 1970, so no online-voting.

Reporters/editors from the Arizona Daily Star (Sarah Garrecht Gassen), Tucson Weekly (Jim Nintzel), Green Valley News & Sahuarita Sun (Dan Shearer), KJLL radio (John C. Scott) also join this “Friday Focus” newsmaker interview show, as well as the Roundtable. They all comment on the weekly news and events.

The Buckmaster Show airs Monday to Friday at 9 a.m. for one hour, recast at 7 p.m. Click on the blue links for the specific show you may have missed:

March 25, LD 30 State Senator Frank Antenori (R)
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/03/25/buckmaster-show-3252011/

March 18: TUSD Governing Board President Mark Stegeman
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/03/18/buckmaster-show-3182011/

March 11: LD 28 House Rep. Steve Farley (D)
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/03/11/buckmaster-show-3112011/

March 4: Ward 3 Councilmember Karin Uhlich (D)
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/03/04/buckmaster-show-342011/

February 25: Outgoing President of Tucson Chamber of Commerce Jack Camper
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/02/25/buckmaster-show-2252011/

February 18: Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik (D)
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/02/18/buckmaster-show-2182011/

February 11: LD 26 House Rep. Vic Williams (R) & Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Rogers
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/02/11/buckmaster-show-2112011/

February 4: Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/02/18/buckmaster-show-2182011/

January 28: Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup (R)
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/01/28/buckmaster-show-1282011-2/

January 21: Tucson Unifed School District Superintendent John Pedicone
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/01/21/buckmaster-show-1212011/

January 14: Tucson City Manager Mike Letcher
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/01/14/buckmaster-show-1142011/

January 7: LD 28 House Rep. Steve Farley (D) and Former Pima County Republican Chair Bob Westerman
http://www.buckmastershow.com/2011/01/07/buckmaster-show-172011/

Since this radio show is “interview driven” if you have a story idea or comment, write to Bill Buckmaster at bill@buckmastershow.com.

I went to 3 talks in just 4 hours (amazing) and heard historian Douglas Brinkley (“The Great Deluge”) talk about failed politics and economic recovery in New Orleans. He also said that “inaction was the policy” in Louisiana. He had a conversation at this talk with State Democratic Party Chair Andrei Cherny, also an author (“The Next Deal: the Future of Public Life in the Information Age”). I especially appreciated how Brinkley said that we all needed to “preserve Wild America” and save our state parks for our grandchildren, to carry on the vision of President Teddy Roosevelt.

Then I listened to two very powerful women/feminists. The first was Dr. Connie Mariano (“White House Doctor: My Patients were Presidents”) who spoke of being a Filipina-American in the U.S. Navy and then becoming the White House doctor, advocating for change in their policies. She said that always striving to be better was one of her life’s goals. Along with her in that talk was Gloria Feldt (“No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think about Power”), who has been a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. She said that women had the “power to choose, and should choose power”, and were capable of doing anything.

Finally, I listened to hilarious author/blogger Amy Alkon speak about civility (or the lack thereof) in modern society. Her book is entitled “I see Rude People: The Collapse of Civility and What We Want To Do About it”. She related very humorous stories of how she embarrasses people who are rude, and how she makes a “hobby of righteous indignation” when confronted by uncivil individuals in our so-called “strangerhoods”. She attributed today’s rudeness to mobility and not knowing your community and neighbors, like in the past. But she also advocated “paying it forward” when someone was rude to you, to try to be nicer to the next person.

Amy also mentioned the lack of civliity & name calling from anonymous readers– and I could identify with that right here online.

Check out the schedule for tomorrow Sunday March 13 at www.tucsonfestivalofbooks.org.
And drop by our Tucsoncitizen.com booth (click here for Editor Mark Evan’s blog). We’re on the West mall area, just north of the Star Pavilion.

There’s even a free strawberry/banana real fruit smoothie sample at the McDonald’s wagon.

Enjoy reading!

Today January 7, his premiere “Media Meat” political discussion weekly show was hosted by himself with Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly, and Sarah Garrecht Gassen of the Arizona Daily Star, and Dan Shearer of Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun. These editors/reporters used to join him on the Friday Roundtable on KUAT, along with Linda Valdez of the Arizona Republic, Mark Evans of our Tucsoncitizen.com, and John C. Scott of KJLL radio.

All of these 6 reporters/editors are now his media “host contributors” on this radio show (click here). (I’ve highlighted Evans’ bio/photo below since he is our online Editor, and worked for the print edition of Tucson Citizen, which shut down on May 16, 2009).

And you listen to the radio shows live on www.buckmastershow.com, or thereafter by Standard Podcast. Today’s reporters/editors discuss ethnic studies, the state budget, flags in Green Valley, Rio Nuevo, Shaun McClusky’s candidacy for Mayor of Tucson.

Click here for today’s show, which also includes “Friday Focus” interviews of LD 28 Democratic House Rep. Steve Farley (now State House Assistant Minority Leader) and former Pima County Republican Party Chair Bob Westerman. (Former CD 8 U.S. House candidate Brian Miller is the new Chair).

Buckmaster’s new one hour radio show airs at 9 .m. Monday to Friday, and is re-broadcast at 7 p.m. Stay tuned for next week’s schedule of interviews and
more of “Media Meat”. (I hear this title has been changed to “Reporters’ Roundtable on the Radio”).

Mark Evans

Mark B. Evans is the editor and administrator of TucsonCitizen.com. He writes about local and state politics and government, freedom of information and the news industry. He was an assistant city editor for the Tucson Citizen for two and a half years before tasked with heading up TucsonCitizen.com after the print version of the Citizen was closed.

Joining him on the final Friday Roundtable were Tucson Weekly’s Investigative reporter Jim Nintzel, Arizona Daily Star’s Opinion Writer Sarah Garrecht Gassen, and Dan Shearer, Editor of the Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun. Click here for their final episode together discussing the top political and community issues of 2010.

the final Friday Roundtable on KUAT (L to R: Shearer, Gassen, Nintzel, & host Buckmaster)

Prior to the Friday Roundtable this group of journalists interviewed District 4 Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll, who has served in that position since 1997. Carroll answered questions about Pima County finances, Tucson Padres baseball, the 2010 Census & redistricting, the town of Vail, the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, Rosemont Mine, a new sewer plant, Hell’s Angels, and Raytheon. Watch it here.

Buckmaster has joined KJLL “The Jolt” 1330 AM Radio, and will still be concentrating on political issues and interviews of politicians/community leaders. His new one-hour M to F radio show begins 9 a.m. on January 3, 2011, with a re-broadcast at 7 to 8 p.m.

Tucsoncitizen.com Editor Mark Evans also wrote on October 4 about Buckmaster taking his dulcet voice to radio (click here). Evans appeared several times on the Friday Roundtable as well.

Read my previous blog (click here) about the December 4th holiday party (and fun was had by all).

Today there is a recap of these administrative changes and the future hiring of a part time Social Media Editor, to assist Mark and Anthony, in the Arizona Daily Star (page E2) by Phil Villareal:

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_b892b30a-81d7-5165-b6e4-52138df78fbf.html

Meanwhile, the site appears to be thriving. Evans said TucsonCitizen.com, which uses content from about 650 unpaid bloggers, had 520,000 unique visitors and 1 million page views in November, bettering the site’s monthly average of 400,000 monthly unique visitors in 2008 and the portion of 2009 before the print edition stopped publishing.

I think Villareal must have meant 65 (typo) as we don’t have as many as 650 bloggers online here. We did start off with only 7 bloggers back in June, 2009, after the Tucson Citizen newspaper published its last print edition on May 16, 2009.

Questions about these staff changes or information about blogging for this site should be directed to mevans@tucsoncitizen.com, or 520-573-4561.

Keep on thriving fellow bloggers/citizen journalists, and being “The Voice of Tucson”.

After an initial meet & greet (as many of us have never met), Mark talked about how our page views have almost doubled since January 2010, about staff changes with Anthony Gimino coming on as a Sports Network Administrator, and the resignation (today) of Co-editor Ryn Gargulinki, but the hiring of a new Social Media Editor in January. He wants to add more bloggers, more content, perhaps a new site design & features. Hopefully in the future, some of the blogsites will be generating revenue through advertisements. Mark also spoke of more community outreach through other local media, having a booth at the upcoming March 12 & 13 Tucson Festival of Books, and a booth at next December’s 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair in 2011.

Who attended this afternoon:
Anthony Gimino (Anthony Gimino’s Wildcat Report)
Sonja Taysom (Living Thin)
Peter Norback (One Can a Week)
Jonathan DuHamel (Wry Heat)
Carolyn Classen (Carolyn’s Community – me)
Cherlyn Strong (Paranormal Old Pueblo)
Linda Strader (Dry Heat Gardener)
Bonnie Lewis (Pour me Some Grapes)
Debbie Price (future photo blog)
Molly Thrasher (Tucson Bites)
Karyn Zoldan (From Market to Food Market)
Art Jacobson (The Data Port)
Kyle Arps (Bleed Red & Blue)
Denise Early (Medicare & More)
Charles Spillar (Artistic Tucson)
Larry Liascos aka Jimmy Petrol (Humor: Fueled by Petrol)
Penelope Starr (Telling Stories)
Karl Hoffman (Living on the Border)
Matt Minkus (The Matt Minkus Show)
Bjay Wooley (Tucson Tales)
Scott Terrell (UA Sports.net)
Pamela Powers (Tucson Progressive)

About 7 guests (spouses/partners/friends) also attended and enjoyed the luncheon.
Mark created a 10 question Tucson Citizen trivia contest, which was won by yours truly and 2nd place went to Cherlyn Strong. I won a lightly used Lumix camera (which I need), and Cherlyn won a gift certificate to Target. (If any of you are interested in what the questions were, comment below and I’ll let you know.)

Missed the rest of you who weren’t able to attend & party with us. The online Tucsoncitizen.com started off with 7 bloggers (along with Mark and Ryn) back on June 2, 2009, went up to 45 in January, 2010 and is now at 65 bloggers online! Keep writing everyone!

Happy Holidays from Tucsoncitizen.com.

Mondays: former Ward 6 Councilmember Nina Trasoff, “Pima Community College Perspective”, 6 p.m.

Tuesdays: former District 1 Pima County Supervisor Ron Asta, “Ron Asta’s Tucson”, 12 noon

Tuesdays: former Ward 6 Councilmember Fred Ronstadt, “The Fred & Jeff Show” (with his younger brother Jeff), 5 p.m.

Thursdays: former Ward 5 Councilmember Steve Leal, “All Things Political“, 12 noon

Daily: former State Senator John C. Scott, “The John C. Scott Show“, 3 to 5 pm. M to Th, 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays.

Incidentally Scott is also the General Manager of KJLL.

Host John C. Scott sometimes appears on Arizona Public Media‘s KUAT Channel 6 TV’s “Friday Roundtable” political discussion at 6:30 p.m., with reporters/editors from the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Weekly, Arizona Republic, Green Valley News & Sun, and even sometimes our Editor Mark Evans of Tucsoncitizen.com.

J.D. Hayworth in Phoenix was also a radio talk show host (KFYI 550 AM) after he lost his job as CD5 Congressman, and before he resigned to run for U.S. Senate in Arizona this year against incumbent John McCain.

So stay tuned, for more former politicians evolving into radio talk show hosts & hostesses. Anyone else I missed?