In two weeks on December 5, Mayor-elect Jonathan Rothschild, Ward 1 Councilmember Regina Romero, Ward 2 Councilmember Paul Cunningham and Ward 4 Councilmember Shirley Scott — all Democrats– will be sworn in to their respective City of Tucson offices. This is Rothschild’s first political office, Romero’s 2nd four-year term, Paul’s first elected term (he was appointed to this seat in May, 2010), Scott’s fifth term on the Council.

The other City Councilmembers currently serving are Ward 3 Karin Uhlich (D), Ward 5 Richard Fimbres (D), and Ward 6 Steve Kozachik (R). They are up for re-election in two years.

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Tucson Convention Center (TCC) in the North meeting rooms. Thereafter the Pima County Democratic Party is hosting an inauguration luncheon at the TCC Ballroom, also at 260 S. Church Ave. Details for tickets below to this “Moving Tucson Forward” luncheon.

Additional invited guests: former Mayors Tom Volgy and George Miller.

Master of Ceremonies: Elliot Glicksman

Special Live Performance by Calexico and friends!

Congratulations again to the winners of the City’s 2011 General Election.

“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.

Free Movie in the Park and Science & Technology Festival for Kids and
Families

Science is the theme of the 2nd Annual Movie in the Park with Cox
Communications. Co-sponsors include Arizona Technology Council, City
Councilor Regina Romero and City Council Member Richard Fimbres. To help
educate our youngest workforce about the benefits of science and
technology, the event features a festival with science-based fun
attractions for young people.

What: Free Family Fun Movie and Festival in the Park – Kennedy Park
Fiesta Area
Where: 3700 S. La Cholla Blvd – Take I-19 to Ajo, head west
to La Cholla, north on La Cholla and take first left into the Fiesta
Area, which is on the left
When: Saturday, October 1, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Movie starts at 7 p.m.
Festival 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Cox will be showing “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” where a
young girl learns the importance of science and making a difference in
our world. In the animated film, young people investigate how weather
can affect people, plants, and animals.

Volunteers with the non-profit International Council on Systems
Engineering (INCOSE), Raytheon, U of A and The Physics Factory are among
the groups providing a variety of science experiments. Experiments
include making a ping pong ball float. Can you control a ping pong ball
as it floats above a hair dryer? Put your hand-eye coordination skills
to the test while learning about gravity and air pressure. Kids can also
have fun making a dry ice bubble that will grow and grow as it fills
with fog. How big will it get before it bursts? Give it a try and find
out! Non-profit organizations El Rio Health Center Foundation and
Chicanos Por La Causa will be tabling at the event as well as the
Mission Library and others.

The event is free and open to the public. Food will be available for
purchase at the event. You may want to bring a blanket or lawn chair for
the grassy area to watch the film on the big screen under the stars. You
can also bring an ice chest with food and drinks but no alcohol is
allowed. Please call Regina Romero’s Ward 1 City Council office at
(520) 791-4040 for more information and speak with Diana Rhodes, Council Aide.

The next Movie in the Park with Cox will be October 22 at 6 p.m. at Jacobs Park.