Chris DeSimone and Joe Higgins (morning radio talk show hosts on KVOI “Wake Up Tucson”) will be the guest speakers at the

Eastside Republicans meeting
April 20, 2011
6:30 p.m.
Bear Canyon Branch Library, 8959 E. Tanque Verde Rd. (community room)

Their topic is “Pima County– who are the players and what’s the impact”.

“Wake Up Tucson offers a unique perspective about the southern Arizona region. The topics range from small business, tourism, politics, economic opportunities and education. Tucson and the surrounding communities are at a turning point. The challenges and obstacles are great. Now more than ever the community needs to engage in a discussion about our options. The host are highly involved in the community and bring first hand accounts to their listeners. Wake Up Tucson is a radio show with a mission and purpose to educate the community and engage the listeners to get involved in our community. ”

KVOI’s radio dial is 1030AM, and this “Wake up Tucson” show airs 8 to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Meeting is free and open to the public.

Higgins ran for District 1 Pima County Supervisor in the September 2008 Republican primary against current Supervisor Ann Day.
He got 47.19% of the vote (8798 votes) to Day’s 52.75% (9835 votes). She is up for re-election in 2012. And I hear that Higgins is considering another bid for this office.

More info: Lori Oien, 520-749-3471, oienjmo@msn.com, Parralee Schneider, 520-749-0312, pmstucson@aol.com.

Republican Ron Asta, a civil engineering consultant and former Pima County Supervisor, is “seriously considering” a bid for Mayor of the City of Tucson in 2011.

Ron is Vice President at CPE Consultants (civil engineering/lands plannng firm), 378 N. Main Street (at the Owl’s Club) in downtown Tucson. He has his own radio talk show “Ron Asta’s Tucson” on KJLL 1330 AM The Jolt, on Tuesdays at high noon. He was the District 1 Pima County Supervisor from 1972 to 1976.

He can be contacted at astapz@cox.net.

Read my previous blog on “Will Mayor Walkup run again?” (click here), with names of other Mayoral hopefuls.

Ron is mentioned in a March 18, 2010 Tucson Weekly article (excerpt below) about the Marana Landfill issue:
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/more-trash-talk/Content?oid=1872211

During the early March supervisors’ meeting, Republican Supervisor Ann Day voiced concerns about comparing the Pinal County project to the proposed Marana landfill. Day alluded that something unethical could be going on between Pima County and the Durham project.

She drew attention to Ron Asta, a former supervisor who now works with CPE Consulting. The company represents the Durham landfill and worked closely with Pinal County officials on rezoning and the landfill agreement with the county. Asta has also been a vocal critic of the Marana project, which would compete with the Durham landfill on collections from northwest Pima County.

It also troubled Day that after the supervisors voted to approve the resolution to the Marana Town Council, the next vote focused on renewing the contract for a countywide manhole count. The company doing the count: CPE Consulting.

“This firm has had that contract for a number of years,” Bronson said in response to Day’s comments. “What’s incoherent are Supervisor Day’s comments.”

Asta told the Tucson Weekly that he was asked to get involved in the Marana project by John Kai, who wanted Asta to talk with neighbors who oppose the landfill. John Kai’s brother Herb Kai, is a Marana Town Council member who owns part of a parcel where DKL wants to build its landfill. John Kai is against the project, while his councilman brother supports it, although Herb Kai told the Weekly he’ll recuse himself from voting when the matter comes before the council.

2/23/11 UPDATE: Asta announces for Mayor of Tucson:

http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2011/02/23/ron-asta-announces-bid-for-mayor-of-tucson/