The Arizona Daily Star endorsed three candidates for the Governing Board of Tucson United School District (TUSD) and Pima Community College (PCC) today. Click here for the editorial.

Here’s whom their editorial board recommends for three seats:

Ralph Ellinwood
Betts Putnam-Hidalgo
Mark Stegeman (incumbent)

This week the Tucson Weekly endorsed Ralph Ellinwood and Cam Juarez for TUSD school board, with “honorable mentions” to Betts Putnam-Hidalgo and Kristel Foster. Read their endorsements, click here. The Weekly did not endorse for the PCC governing board.

The three incumbents on the TUSD board seeking election are Miguel Cuevas, Dr. Mark Stegeman, and Dr. Alex Sugiyama. This is a non-partisan race, with 12 candidates running. For more info the official twelve candidates, click here for my previous blog post, with campaign websites (updated).

And for the Star’s endorsements for Pima Community College governing board in which their editorial board urged change and voting for the political newcomers: http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/editorial/change-is-imperative-vote-for-lee-and-fridena/article_ddf76307-5b9f-57ab-b7eb-ac0f4528882a.html:

Sylvia Lee (District 3)
Richard Fridena (District 5)

The incumbents at PCC are “Vicki” Marshall (District 3) and Marty Cortez (District 5).

Another TUSD candidate forum coming up next week:

Save our Students: Save our Schools
TUSD Candidate Board Forum
How will you vote to make sure your child is getting the best education possible?

Our students/children deserve excellent public education and YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT! Learn where school board candidates stand on what matters most to our families:

Description:
(1) Safe transportation to neighborhood schools

(2) No small school closures

Lemonade, Coffee & Pan Dulce!

Join us October 16th 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at St. John’s Catholic Church (12th Ave and Ajo, 602 W. Ajo Way).

Early voting for the AZ General election began on October 11. Vote wisely on or before November 6.

If you missed last night’s rowdy 90 minute debate at PCC West campus between Democratic CD 7 Congressman Raul Grijalva and his two women challengers, Republican Gabriela Saucedo Mercer and Libertarian Blanca Guerra, click here for the taped one hour edited video on AZPM, Channel 6. All three are running for the new Congressional District 3.

AZPM’s political reporter Christopher Conover was the moderator of this League of Women Voters and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce sponsored forum.

About 300 people were in attendance at the Proscenium Theater, including District 5 Supervisor Richard Elias, PCC board member Marty Cortez, Dr. Manny Arreguin (Democratic challenger in CD 3 primary), and Barney Brenner, former candidate for District 3 Supervisor. The audience disregarded Conover’s repeated requests to hold their applause & outbursts.

Prepared Sponsor questions asked were about the polarization in D.C., immigration reform, the economic future of Southern Az, and the proposed Rosemont mine. The audience questions were about how to create jobs in Yuma (highest unemployment in AZ), foreign policy & the War in Afghanistan, government regulations (good and bad), and border security (which is better drug policy or immigration policy to secure the border to Mexico?).

I announced this event earlier on October 1st:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2012/10/01/congressman-grijalva-vs-challengers-saucedo-mercer-guerra-at-cd-3-debate-on-october-9/, listing their campaign websites, for those of you who want to read more about the 3 candidates.

Vote wisely on or before November 6. Early voting starts tomorrow.

Candidates running in District 3 and 5:

Dr. Sylvia Lee, District 3, former PCC Campus President, www.sylvialee-PCCBoard.com

Sherryn “Vikki” Marshall, District 3, incumbent board member, re-employment specialist with Pima County’s Community Services Department, no website

Marty Cortez, District 5, incumbent board member, retired senior advisor for statewide academic programs at Northern Arizona University, no website

Dr. Richard Fridena, District 5, former PCC Dean of Instruction – East campus, www.fridenaforabetterpimacollege.com

Dr. Francis Saitta, District 5, adjunct faculty member at PCC, www.sciencedigest.org

Info on the current 5 member PCC governing board, click here.

Vote wisely in the November 6 general election.