From one term Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik’s re-election campaign:

On Wednesday, March 20th, Ward 6 Council Member Steve Kozachik will be joined by the City of Tucson’s four most recent mayors for a campaign kickoff event. Former mayors George Miller, Tom Volgy and Bob Walkup will join current Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild at Borderlands Brewery in downtown Tucson for the event.

Steve Kozachik Campaign Kickoff
Wednesday, March 20, 5:30 – 7:00 P.M.
Borderlands Brewing Company
119 E. Toole Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701

“Borderlands is the perfect venue for this kick-off,” said Kozachik. “It’s the poster child of a successful private sector venture that has quickly grown into a successful downtown business. It is emblematic of the successes we’re seeing in the downtown core, a success story that I’m proud to have been a part of and one that I am excited to continue to support.”

Former Council Member and honorary campaign co-chair Carol West will also be in attendance. Kozachik announced previously that West, Walkup and former United States Surgeon General Richard Carmona will be co-chairing his campaign.

The event marks the first time in recent memory that four mayors, representing two parties have come together in support of a city council candidate. Each mayor offered their own insights into what makes Kozachik an effective leader, deserving of their endorsement.

The current Mayor Jonathan Rothschild (elected 2011) is a Democrat, along with former Mayors Tom Volgy (1987 to 1991) and George Miller (1991 to 1999). Former Mayor Robert Walkup (1999 to 2011) is a Republican.

Councilman Steve Kozachik (aka “Steve K” or “Koz”) is running unopposed for the Ward 6 Council office so far. He was elected to this seat as a Republican and just changed to a Democrat on January 14, 2013.

Two term Ward 3 Councilmember Democrat Karin Uhlich is facing Republican challenger Ben Buehler-Garcia, who ran against her before in 2009. He lost by 175 votes in a three-way race with Councilmember Uhlich and Green candidate Mary DeCamp.

One term Ward 5 Councilmember Democrat Richard Fimbres is facing a Republican challenger as well, political newcomer Mike Polak II, a self employed businessman. Stay tuned for a future post about Polak’s candidacy. He just filed his Statement of Organization on March 6 with the Tucson City Clerk.

Ben Buehler -Garcia

Republican Ben Buehler-Garcia filed a campaign finance Statement of Organization on 2/22/13 to challenge 2 term Councilmember Karin Uhlich in the Ward 3 race.

As a political newcomer he ran against incumbent Democrat Uhlich four years ago in 2009, and lost by 175 votes (33,782 to 33,607). Green party candidate Mary DeCamp got 4,429 votes in that three-way race. Uhlich was first elected in 2005 by defeating Republican incumbent Kathleen Dunbar in Ward 3.

Biography from the candidate:

Ben Buehler-Garcia is a 34 year resident of Tucson and Ward III. He first came to Tucson in order to attend the University of Arizona where he earned a degree in Public Administration with a Criminal Justice minor.

Ben has 25 years professional experience in Economic & Community development, serving 9 years in a management role at the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

For the last 16 years he has been self-employed, providing Economic & Community Development Planning, Small Business Advocacy and Non-Profit Consulting Services.

A firm believer in volunteerism and community engagement, he has been recognized with the Copper Cactus Award for Community service for his role with organizations such as the United Way, Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, the Arizona Children’s Foundation and the Tucson Community Cares Foundation.

He also volunteered 9 years with the City of Tucson Industrial Development Authority Board of Directors and 2 years as a member of the City of Tucson Economic and Workforce Development Selection Committee. For the past 9 years he has also served as Executive Director of the Stand Up for Kids Tucson Chapter, an all-volunteer organization working with homeless teens and street kids.

2013 campaign goals by Buehler-Garcia on why he is running again:

I have a great passion for our community and it breaks my heart that it has been allowed to drift so far from its true potential.

Things have not improved; Tucson was ranked the 6th poorest large metro area in 2011 and the City of Tucson’s most recent stress index states that 29.7% of children in the City live in poverty. More than half of our residential streets are in failing or poor condition. The same study shows that Ward III is ranked highest in the incidence of burglary & domestic violence (My own property has had 6 attempted burglaries and one successful burglary!) The lowest median household income in Tucson is in Ward III.

We have a top research university, a major defense installation & manufacturer, wonderful weather and are located 50 miles from one of our nation’s largest trading partners. How is it conceivable that we are not leading the state in economic recovery rather than trailing?

I believe that much of the waste in Rio Nuevo resulted from the lack of professional knowledge and political courage. Budgeting priorities are misplaced.

City Council Wards 3, 5, and 6 are up for re-election this year, and all three Democratic Councilmembers are speaking at Democrats of Greater Tucson (click here for earlier post). No Republican opponents have filed any statements of organization as yet against Councilmembers Fimbres (Ward 5) or Councilmember Kozachik (Ward 6).