By Sarah Spieth, MPAC, BS, BA

“…And not a dang thing in that Alanis Morissette song is ironic anyway…” 

I can’t remember who it was, but ever since someone nonchalantly threw this statement into a conversation a couple of years ago, I have been insecure about my degree of understanding of irony. It’s not? For fear I would look like a fool, I secretly avoided the term ‘ironic’ in my vocabulary like the poo-poo I had to step over on the way to my point.

This was until one fateful day, the day I got into a fairly substantial bicycle accident on a bridge, right in front of a sign that read ‘Murphy’s Overpass.’ That was the moment I understood that Iron does not equal Murph and that most things Murph-y are not iron-y and vice versa. I am still not totally confident in my use of the term, but my wounds have healed and I am ready to start bridging the poo-poo as opposed to avoiding it. Bring it on, I say!

But this piece is actually not really about irony. It’s more about Hitler. Well, it’s not really about Hitler, either. It’s a story about a great kingdom. Oh …I don’t know…, maybe it’s about propagandizing. Yes, propagandizing! Um…and irony, yes, and Hitler and definitely also about a great kingdom….. See?!?! Finally puts pen to paper and experiences massive brain aneurism – murph, not iron!

Here’s the thing. We all know that the rules of media-land have changed. Once upon a time, investigative journalism roamed the dark forest, followed tracks, and stayed up all night, watching, listening, and learning about its prey. Back then it was driven by a hunger to illuminate a subject and maximize transparency to ultimately lay it at the feet of the public as a gift – the gift of being empowered to form an opinion. Today, in this epoch of King Rupert who rules all the land, all that effort has become boring and unnecessary, as the fox makes its way to the freezer, microwaves an opinion and serves it to us. We inhale it – done. Burp.

You already know all this. I don’t need to bore you with this story again.

The part that is interesting in all of this though – is Hitler…

Let’s play a game – think of a really bad man, a man you frankly can’t say anything good about, where pretty much everyone will agree that this person was no good….? Yes! Hitler! Congratulations! You win as many washing machines as you can carry!

So, Hitler has become a symbol then, of tyranny, of evil, not a human being, which, on a little side note, he likely was. And as this symbol of evil, his name is uninterruptedly thrown around our media discourse because once someone is identified as Hitler or aligning with Hitler, really all debate about good or bad is over. You know, there’s someone else who used this little tool of rhetoric in steering the public sentiment……. Hitler.

When our media discourse uses ‘Hitler’ as symbol for the personification of evil and then applies it to entities and persons in an attempt to maneuver public cognizance, we ought to ask, how this is different from when Hitler writes in Mein Kampf, “…the personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew.”? To which degree is this a solicitation of the same tactics?

There does seem to be a difference in the application, however. Hitler applied this tool of public manipulation with much greater deliberation, precision and repetition in regards to his targets than does our media sphere of today, which more closely resembles an aimlessly running, sugar-high child with a hot branding iron for a toy.

Further, in Mein Kampf, Hitler fully owns the way in which the invocation of basic emotional responses yields itself to the manipulation of public opinion when he writes – “All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.” – In other words, when we are ‘informed’ by our media of anything being in resemblance of Hitler, we are immediately inclined for this ‘anything’ to be something worth rejecting. The notion of anything ‘Hitler’ being ‘not good’ is a very palatable notion. It accommodates itself to a very basic response in all of us; it doesn’t take much thinking about. We don’t need to go back to the drawing board. We don’t need to have a discussion group. We don’t need to get to know Hitler, the man. No one has to go and google ‘The Holocaust’ to be sure that, indeed, it really was a bad thing. It’s basic. It’s simple. It’s over. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a no-brainer.

Whenever our media dialogue invokes base emotional responses within us and throws a stick into the spokes on the wheels of our intellect, it also side steps our sense. And here I get to write words I didn’t realize I ever would … I fully align with Adolf Hitler when he says “The man who has no sense of history, is like a man who has no ears or eyes”.

This is the point, where I have to wonder if Hitler would chuckle or be downright embarrassed about the fact that in the public discourse of the 21^st century, he himself is used as the kind of tool for public suasion that he once advocated for. And this, even after my minor concussion, I can say with almost complete certainty, is a great, great irony.

It’s none of my business what others like to have for dinner, but all I would like to say is that next time you hear ‘Hitler’ or related terminology thrown around in the media rhetoric, perk up your ears. That was the ‘ping’ on the microwave; the opinion is thawed and ready to eat.

There is, however, a potential for disastrous indigestion.

…

Well, I want to thank: the city of Tucson for maintaining no bicycle lanes whatsoever (okay, sorry, there are some), Hitler, for assistance in helping me become more confident in my understanding of irony (though I don’t think it will do much in affecting the karmic balance sheet if you know what I mean) Murphy for teaching me the hard way so the lesson always sticks, and the Universe for the once in a life time opportunity to bleed on my boss, and my desk and the computer and stuff. I’ll never forget it and forever relish in the symbolism – thank you!

Ms. Spieth holds Bachelorette Degrees in Management and German Studies from the University of Arizona and an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Sydney, Australia. She has worked in the fields of disaster response management, community bridge building and logistics management on an international level.  She enjoys working with children, teaching yoga and riding her bike.

As the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in Pima County, I have had the privilege and responsibility of serving the citizens of this community for over three decades. During that time, I have seen many changes aimed at the betterment of our State. Unfortunately, I have also witnessed several ill-conceived, poorly planned legislative efforts become law.

House Bill 2571 is one such short-sighted, ill-intended piece of legislation. The Arizona Legislature – with the support of Governor Jan Brewer – intend to strip protections afforded public employees returning our state to an earlier, problem-plagued time in which public servant’s were subject to termination at any time without cause. And worse yet, the Governor is offering a bribe — a five percent pay raise — for those employees willing to forego the protections of the merit system.

The Merit System was a response and a solution to abusive hiring practices. I know this first hand; my agency – the Pima County Sheriff’s Department – was formerly a hotbed of political cronyism and corruption. In 1970, before I became Sheriff, then-Sheriff Walden Burr was indicted for selling jobs and promotions. He was allowed to make hiring and firing decisions based on political and financial considerations.  Absent the State Merit System protection for workers, politicians could be afforded this same ability to end the careers of valuable public servants and replace them with incompetent political hacks or unqualified family members.

Merit Systems provide protection and brings integrity to the practices of hiring, disciplining, and firing government workers. For thirty-two years, I have worked with merit systems and—while not always agreeing with their findings— have always been and will remain a staunch supporter of their objectivity and independence. As an elected official, I do not have, nor do I want, the power to hire and fire personnel based on politics. I believe any leader, whether elected or appointed, who desires such authority is not working in the best interest of the State.

Eliminating Merit System protections for State workers is the first step toward eliminating merit system protection for all public servants. Elected officials and appointed leaders will be given the right to hire and fire on a whim, replacing the fairness of a merit system with favoritism and politics.

Arizona cannot afford the cost of this legislation; removing the protections of the Merit System will result in the loss of loyal, dependable public servants subject to replacement by political lackeys. Calling this legislation a solution is inaccurate; the loss of the Merit System will only return Arizona to the problem filled days of yesteryear.

President Garfield must be turning over in his grave. His assassination was the impetus for civil service reform. Generations have worked hard to insure fairness and equity in government employment. But Arizona’s legislature wants to return to the days of rotten and corrupt administrations, replacing “Help Wanted” advertisements with signs reading “Jobs For Sale.”

To state the obvious, the roads in Tucson and in many of the surrounding jurisdictions and unincorporated Pima County are horribly in need of significant reconstruction. The problem is far beyond potholes.

The taxpayers of the region should not be asked to dip further into their incomes to pay for road repair until elected officials and public servants have exhausted every other option available.

One option that contains the seed-bed of a very large pool of money, and that exists in the form of an existing tax is the RTA sales tax.

In 2006, the voters were asked to approve a 1/2 cent sales tax, the use of which was to go into expanding road capacity in the region. The 20 year anticipated revenue stream from the tax was estimated at being $2 billion. The projects shown on the ballot included something for everybody – and so it passed. That’s how we do bond elections around here. Everyone sees some ornaments on the Christmas Tree that they like, so they buy the whole deal.

Fast forward to today’s reality. The RTA continues moving ahead, as they were told to do by the voters, and starting projects that will expand our road capacity. And while that is occurring, our existing transit infrastructure has deteriorated to the point that it is a safety issue throughout the community.

It is also a disincentive to businesses thinking of relocating to our area.

And some of the projects are based on flawed traffic projections, and if designed as per plans will eliminate millions of dollars worth of sales and property taxes generated from existing businesses along corridors that we now know do not need to be expanded to the extent the voters were told would be the case.

For example, based on 1987 traffic studies, the voters were told that by 2030, Broadway would need to be 150′ wide to accommodate traffic projections. The RTA has now found that those projections were invalid.

The Broadway project has $42 million of RTA money as a funding base. The total project cost is over $71 million. The difference was to be made up by county bond money – but that pool has dried up, so the city of Tucson is on the hook for the delta if the project goes forward as planned.

Never mind that it will eliminate 115 historic structures and small businesses that form the tax base for our local government General Fund.

Never mind that we’re spending millions of dollars for a project to which multiple neighborhood associations and business owners have taken exception.

And never mind that in doing the work, we’re encouraging traffic density along that arterial, knowing that the volumes do not exist in reality, and knowing that when the Broadway traffic passes into downtown, it will pinch into a single lane. Gridlock.

The RTA correctly says that their list of projects was “voter approved.” As economic, traffic and road conditions change, I am advocating that we hear the voice of the people again in two specific areas:
First, do a project by project reanalysis to see if the underlying bases on which they were sold to the public are valid. If not, down-scope the projects and save millions of dollars in both project costs and saving businesses along the corridors.

Second, ask the voters in each jurisdiction if they’d approve setting aside 20 percent of their RTA tax dollars and earmark it for road reconstruction in their jurisdiction. On a population basis, for the city of Tucson that would equate to over $200 million over the 20 year life of the RTA. Then let’s have a community wide conversation that identifies how we re-scope and possibly put on hold projects so we can afford that reallocation of funds.

What I am proposing is offering the taxpayers a dedicated funding source that already exists and earmark it to road repair. The trade off is forcing the RTA into a modern-day community discussion about what the “voters approved” back in 2006.

Before we ask the taxpayers to take on more debt, let’s ask if they’d like to reallocate some existing debt to fixing our roadways. Getting to that point will require the RTA Board to present an idea such as this to the County Board of Supervisors. It might require tweaking a State statute. But if the people speak out, and if there is that level of leadership at the Board of Supervisors and in Phoenix, the question can still appear on the ballot this fall.

Arizona suffers from a critical shortage of physicians which is compounded by the downturn in the national and state economies and the subsequent loss of many jobs. Five years ago, the legislature took steps to address these issues by supporting the expansion of the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine in downtown Phoenix.

Despite our successes, the project stands at a crossroad. Having produced its first graduating class, the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine – Phoenix is poised to make an important developmental leap with the completion of the Health Sciences Education Building.

My colleagues in the state legislature endorsed the budget to construct the building in downtown Phoenix. This allows the university to expand its class sizes and bring other health science education programs to the campus. In addition to the College of Medicine expansion, plans have been made to add programs to the colleges of Pharmacy and Public Health. Northern Arizona University is also set to start a physician’s assistant program and will expand the physical therapy program at their campus.

The state must complete its commitment to training more health professionals to care for our citizens by funding the planned expansion as requested by the university. This $15 million request will pay innumerable dividends now and for years to come. It will do so not just by increasing the amount of health-care workers but also by increasing the amount of faculty, staff and research-based private spinoffs. According to a 2005 study by Tripp Umbach, those firms create a dramatic economic impact estimated to be at least $2.5 billion each year.

This appropriation will help the Phoenix campus realize part of its potential as the only medical school in the state’s largest city. Its effects will, however, be felt in every region of the state. To that point, many of the students enrolled are from rural Arizona and of those, many plan to return to establish practices in their hometowns.

The first 24 students of the program graduated in May. Sixteen chose to stay in Arizona and of those sixteen, all are pursuing careers as primary care physicians. There are currently 190 students studying medicine on the campus. The school is poised to increase that class size with the additional space of the new education building set for completion this summer.

These students are training with national leaders in academic medicine. They have already made their mark by excelling on national exams and providing free health services to the local community and beyond.

Their classes are instructed by professors and researchers from the college focusing on advancements in medical research on devastating diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and more. Through their collaborative efforts, they are tackling the challenging healthcare issues that face Arizona.

This appropriation will not only benefit the university system and the University of Arizona in particular, but all the citizens of Arizona. I recently introduced HB 2551, which the House Higher Education Committee heard and favorably passed. The legislation will restore funding for the expansion of health science education in downtown Phoenix. We want this funding included in the budget because it is vital to the future of healthcare services in our state.

This week, the Legislature took the first steps in the budget process. As a lawmaker, I know we have difficult fiscal decisions to make again this year. I, personally, want to make sure those decisions are made based on the long-term fiscal health of our state.

Arizona suffers from a significant lack of practicing physicians. At the same time, our economy and collective quality of life depends heavily on the research conducted in the Arizona’s medical facilities. This allocation signals the beginning of an age of improved healthcare for all Arizonans through stronger partnerships with hospitals, research centers and health organizations across the state.

Project SEARCH intern Melissa Moore inspects white blood cells at the University of Arizona Medical CenterÕs Laboratory. (Photo by Dan Habinek)

A high-school transition program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities is giving children in Tucson with special needs the opportunity to gain real-world working experiences before making the transition to college or employment.

Project SEARCH, now in its second full year and provided through the Pima County Joint Technical Education District, is a proven success preparing developmentally disabled students for jobs in Tucson.

Shane Dasso, 19, works Monday through Friday as a mailroom clerk at the University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus. His tasks include sorting, delivering, picking up and sending the mail. Shane has Asperger’s syndrome, or high functioning autism, and graduated from Project SEARCH in May after completing the nine-month program.

“It came on when he was just finishing eighth grade,” said Steven Dasso, Shane’s father. “He had trouble walking and started twitching really bad. He was being treated for Tourette syndrome and at first we just thought that the Tourette’s was getting worse.”

After spending weeks with different neurologists and psychiatrists in different hospitals and trying various medications and higher dosages, a psychiatrist in Phoenix finally diagnosed Shane with Asperger’s and prescribed four medications that cured his symptoms.

“It was amazing,” Steven said. “It only took about two days and we saw a remarkable difference.”

Shane never went to a regular high school after his diagnosis. The doctor told the family that he thought it better for Shane to be home-schooled. His parents chose Direct Link, Tucson Unified School District’s homebound program, for Shane’s schooling.

After three years at home, both parents and Shane’s home-school teacher saw improvements with his health and functionality and even considered sending him to a regular high school for his junior or senior year. Then his teacher recommended Project SEARCH.

“My family and I discussed it for like a month until we actually signed the papers,” Shane said. “I am glad that we did, because I don’t know what I would do without that program.”

Project SEARCH is for students with disabilities in their last year of high school and includes a nine-month internship at a health industry or business setting where there is immersion in the workplace, continuous feedback and application of new skills.

What started in 1996 as an innovative business employment-training model for high school students with disabilities at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio has now been replicated in 39 states and four countries with the hopes of continued expansion.

Marcie Mendelsohn, transition coordinator for Project SEARCH in Cincinnati, said the process of bringing a site to a community could start as soon as contact with the national office begins. “If there is someone out there serious about getting a site started, we work with the statewide Developmental Disability Councils to create grants and partners to support a site,” Mendelsohn said.

The Sonoran University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities is the licensee with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (national Project SEARCH) and coordinator for Project SEARCH at the UA Medical Center South Campus.

“After visiting the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital’s Project SEARCH, we started working with partners here to develop the program in Tucson,” said Laura Schweers, statewide coordinator for Project SEARCH Arizona.

The Sonoran UCEDD recruited the Pima County Joint Technical Education District, which agreed to fund the unique, business-led program by providing certified special education instructors who also were certified in career and technical education.

Greg D’Anna, director of public relations for Pima County JTED, said Project SEARCH Arizona covers most of the program’s operating costs.

Pima County JTED also provides necessary facilities, equipment, supplies, maintenance, property and liability insurance to conduct the JTED Courses. Students must apply for Project SEARCH.

“Our goal is to have a broad representation of students,” Schweers said.

A prospective intern must be able to maintain appropriate behavior, hygiene, and social skills in the workplace without immediate supervision. While instructors and job coaches support interns in their rotations, the expectation is that support fades as interns gain skills and confidence within a rotation. Therefore, a student requiring one-on-one support would not be a candidate for the program.

“Selection criteria can vary,” Schweers said. “We typically have candidates who have autism, but we don’t really look at look at disability types.”

Potential interns must also be from Pima County between 18 and 21 years of age who are nearing high school graduation.

Although there is a little bit of wiggle room in the capacity for the program, Schweers said enrollment is usually limited to 12 a year because there is only one dedicated instructor who is augmented by several job coaches.

“We wouldn’t really want a larger number in a particular business because you wouldn’t want to over saturate,” Schweers said. “And of course we hope that the business is going to hire 30 percent of the student interns. If you have a higher number then you are over saturating the applicant pool.”

Two graduates from last year’s pilot program have been hired part-time at the UA Medical Center South Campus.

There are 11 Project SEARCH students this school year who get to the UAMC South Campus every morning before 8 a.m. and stay until 3 p.m. In that time they have classroom instruction, morning rotation in a chosen hospital department, lunch, afternoon rotation and then reflection and journaling with the classroom instructor at the end of the day.

Project SEARCH class of 2012-13: Back row, from left, Chelsey Perpignani, Carina Loya, Daniel Morales, Christopher Crawford, Patric Sepulveda, Michael Morales. Front row, from left, Alexis Villalta, Melissa Moore, Job Coach Jackie Beem, Griselda Elias. (Photo by Dan Habinek)

“It is not a typical thing where a student would report to a rotation and be asked to go make a copy and get coffee or something,” Dan Habinek, Project SEARCH instructor said. “They are a part of the system at the hospital and they do dynamite work on a daily basis. We couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Frank Granillo, a paramedic and Project SEARCH supervisor in the emergency department, said he has seen a lot of social growth with the students after working with them the past 16 weeks.

“They have to get involved in introducing themselves to their co-workers to knowing who they are. You’ll see them develop and come out of their shell and have better social interaction,” Granillo said.

Christopher Crawford, 19, finished his first rotation of the year a few weeks ago in the emergency department with Granillo. Crawford said he helped restock the department storage room and get the patients what they needed while keeping them comfortable and warm. He said that he enjoys every part of his day at the hospital.

“Project SEARCH has been a blast. It’s been really fun. You’re always seeing a lot of new faces, entertaining people… and lunch—the food is very delicious,” Crawford said.

The students don’t need much outside motivation to come to the hospital every day and work hard. Habinek said they are all dedicated and committed to their work in a professional environment and that many kids will only miss a day or two throughout the year.

“One fascinating thing that we’ve seen with these students is that they want to be here,” Habinek said. “They love the program and they buy into it.”

Now working in the mailroom and attending a writing class at Pima Community College, Shane has come a long way from where he was with his Asperger’s.

“I can’t believe what a blessing and what a great program it is,” Steven Dasso said. It was the best thing so far that has happened for Shane.”

Shane agrees. “I’ve learned a lot of great job skills, met a lot of really nice people, and I got hired — that’s the main thing,” he said.

He has transformed and grown tremendously and not only do his family members notice it, but also doctors and nurses in the hospital.

“In the first two weeks of school, you could hear a pin drop. And then all of a sudden they start growing,” Habinek said. “We will be in the hospital and doctors and nurses will say that they saw these students the first week of school and they were so timid and so shy but that they have grown so much since then socially, and that’s the biggest part of the program — they become advocates for themselves.”

Not only has the program been successful for the students and their families, but it has been beneficial to the hospital as well. From a financial aspect, Habinek said the hospital saves about $200,000 a year having interns help with their tasks and rotations.

Other businesses will have the opportunity to save money if the program follows through with plans to expand to new JTED-funded Project SEARCH sites.

The Sonoran UCEDD is recruiting another business partner in hopes of having a second Project SEARCH site.

Schweers said discussions have been underway with UA student affairs to develop a program for the 2012 – 2013 school year that would include internships in the bookstore, campus recreation and dining at the student union.

“We are in the process of establishing a memorandum of understanding of what they will offer.” Brent Neilson, director of central campuses for Pima County JTED said. “This involves a classroom space and access to different clinical rotations similar to that of at the hospital.”

Although the partnership has not yet been finalized, Habinek said it is looking like a slam-dunk.

“One of the big things we were looking forward to in our expansion with the University of Arizona is to give students a little more taste of the business world.” Habinek said.

Pima County JTED hopes to continue to expand Project SEARCH sites throughout Tucson in the near future, and many businesses and organizations such as Raytheon have expressed an interest.

“There is a huge need for this program,” Habinek said.  “So that is kind of the goal, awareness and to expand.”

Flying dirt and emerging orange cones in March will signal the official start of construction on the modern streetcar route and a continuing balancing act between revitalizing the city and encouraging tradition.

The streetcar will connect the Arizona Health Sciences Center with Fourth Avenue, downtown Tucson and the development area west of Interstate 10. The University of Arizona is expected to supply a steady flow of riders between campus and the downtown area, providing an economic boost to downtown. The streetcar should open for public use in 2013.

Official construction on the route was bumped back from the start of the New Year to March so that potential contractors could prepare their bids. Overall, the delays should not impact the project significantly.

Because the streetcar uses major streets such as Congress Street, its operation has forced several Tucson events to accommodate it.

The annual All Soul's Procession will alter its route to avoid the Modern Streetcar line. (Citizen file photo)

Large parades such as the 21-year-old All Souls Procession will have to modify routes away from the streetcar. The procession draws about 20,000 people each year and participants make their way through downtown, honoring and celebrating deceased loved ones.

The streetcar also will require Tucson Weekly’s Club Crawl music festival to make some changes, eliminating closing off Congress Street the day of the event. Instead of filling the street with stages for the dozens of local and national musicians and bands that serenade bar hoppers, the streetcar route will force the event to slip stages in club-side nooks and crannies so the streetcar can run on a continuous schedule.

“I’m actually excited about Club Crawl becoming more of a true pub crawl than just a festival,” said Todd Hanley, the general manager at Hotel Congress. “It will create pockets for people to go to instead of a big, outdoor area.”

Jim Glock, Tucson’s former transportation director, said he believes that establishing public credibility in a reliable transit system that arrives every 10 minutes will make these changes worth it.

“The goal is to keep the streetcar operating during events and get people to them,” Glock said. “I am cautiously optimistic that we can accommodate events and use the streetcar to get patrons down there.”

The city also hopes to work with the Old Pueblo Trolley, which stopped running at the end of October to prepare for construction of the new streetcar tracks. The streetcar will span the trolley’s traditional route, and the two transit systems may share a track when the streetcar opens in 2013.

Tom Gorman, the vice president of the Old Pueblo Trolley’s street operations division, said he hopes that the trolley can meet the new safety regulations after construction in order to resume the trek it has made up and down University Boulevard and Fourth Avenue since 1993, according to the trolley’s web site.

Although he supports the streetcar, Gorman also said he values the historic tradition behind the Old Pueblo Trolley.

“Some people don’t give a damn about history, but for some it’s a little sense of where things were and where they came from,” Gorman said. “We’re not trying to throw everyone back. We’re trying to remind people that we’ve come a long way.”

Shellie Ginn, the city’s project manager for the streetcar, said she understands the importance of history and tradition but admits the trolley may have a difficult time meeting the safety requirements necessary to operate.

With $63 million of funding for the $196.8 million project coming from stimulus money through Federal Transit Administration TIGER grants, all elements of the system must meet safety requirements proposed by the city and federally approved. This includes Old Pueblo Trolley.

“We want to help Old Pueblo Trolley to see if they can run again,” Ginn said. “They might run weekend and special event services. The streetcar focuses on transportation, but the Old Pueblo Trolley is more for tourists.”

Ginn says the city has also begun working with other Tucson traditions, advising alternative parade routes that move away from the tracks and the overhead, electric wires.

“We can’t just close down a street where the streetcar line is,” Ginn said. “We’re trying to be really sensitive to the needs of Tucson and the tradition of the city.”

The biannual Fourth Avenue Street Fair is the only event not moving for the streetcar, instead the streetcar is accommodating the fair.

The fair attracts anywhere from 200,000 to 350,000 visitors, according to the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association website. Over 400 vendors peddle their artistic handiwork, and dozens of food options satisfy the palate. Instead of running through Fourth Avenue during fair days, the streetcar will stop at both ends of the street—a deal worked out between the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association and the city.

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Thousands attend the Fourth Avenue Street Fair every December and April. The new Modern Streetcar route runs right through and will have to stop on either side of the fair. [Citizen file photo

The streetcar will not end Tucson traditions; it will work with them, revitalizing downtown by framing the city’s heritage in a context of progress, Ginn said.

“For decades, downtown has been languishing for want of success and contribution to the city,” said former Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup. “This is a single project that gives hope to the future.”

As early as the 1980s, Tucson has explored light rail and streetcar systems, Glock said. When the FTA approved the project in 2009 and awarded the city a grant in 2010, a rail system became a reality for Tucson.

“There’s always that perception that the project is never going to happen,” said Carlos de Leon, the Regional Transportation Authority’s director of transit services. “A lot of people say, ‘Show me. I don’t believe it.’ They don’t believe it until they see streets torn up.” The RTA co-manages the streetcar project with the city..

An intergovernmental agreement between RTA and the city promises to provide any additional funding needed beyond the estimated amount in order to make the streetcar a reality. The city also took responsibility for securing funds for “project costs in excess of RTA funds contributed to the project,” according to the funding agreement, signed in May 2010.

Although the city continues to apply for grants to fulfill its end of the deal, the project can continue full-steam ahead.

For businesses along the streetcar route, imminent construction will bring a headache that can threaten to overshadow the excitement of increased traffic.

In order to help businesses cope with limited access and fewer visitors, RTA offers free consultation through MainStreet Business Assistance.

“The biggest challenge is not the project, but the public perception of the project,” said Britton Dornquast, the program manager for MainStreet Business Assistance. “A lot of people avoid an area when they see cones.”

On Fourth Avenue, the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association plans to turn construction into a positive experience. The delayed start to construction will not impact the street fair, Sedwick said.

“We’re going to try and make construction fun rather than an obstacle,” Sedwick said. “We’re going to draw people down here with contests and takes pictures of the construction as it happens.”

Surviving construction requires “turning off victim mode,” Dornquast said.

“Focus on what you can control, because you have zero power over the fact that it rained and construction is a mud hole,” Dornquast said. “Crap happens during construction. Screaming at the construction workers gets you nowhere.”

While construction will affect some access to business on the streetcar route, many of the businesses downtown and along Fourth Avenue and University Boulevard already rely heavily on pedestrian traffic. As sidewalks will remain primarily open, people can continue to park and walk, Dornquast said.

When the streetcar opens, those along the route will see the payoff for enduring construction.

“[Tucson residents] can park in a garage at one end and take the streetcar to any destination along that route,” said Donovan Durband the former director of Downtown Tucson Alliance and current staff for Councilman Steve Kozachik. “The streetcar would become part of a multi-modal trip, with driving and walking as well as streetcar-riding.”

For much of Tucson, the streetcar won’t be part of daily life.

“People have questioned why we put the route where we did,” Walkup said. “They’re upset that it’s not in their own backyards.”

To start, students and professionals will be the primary users of the streetcar, until the rest of the city becomes accustomed to the value of parking in one garage for multiple destinations, de Leon said.

“The streetcar is a connector to make people feel like they can get places both physically and mentally,” Ginn said. “There are psychological barriers like the railroad by Fourth Avenue, the Interstate-10, and Santa Cruz River. These make people feel like parts of the city are inaccessible.”

Simply connecting the University of Arizona to the downtown area opens up a significant portion of the city to otherwise trapped students.

“The two busiest places in the whole city are campus and downtown,” said David Heineking, the UA director of parking and transportation. “The university needs to do our part to make Tucson a great place to live, and we can do that by making downtown accessible. Faculty and students will be able to swing down for some lunch or drinks.”

The streetcar will run through the UA campus, through the Warren Avenue underpass and down Second Street. This connection allows a physically landlocked university to expand to other areas of Tucson, incorporating its academic programs, student housing, and general presence into the community.

“My belief is that this is a real, economic stimulus,” said Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. “People want to live and work close to the route, and this was the shot in the arm to get student housing happening downtown.”

Although the final plans for this phase of the streetcar project were just completed, future plans reach as far as 2040, including extensions to other areas of Tucson such as the Tucson Mall and Tucson International Airport, said de Leon.

Some Tucsonans still haven’t bought into the belief of this initial route as the city’s lifesaver.

“There is a lot of skepticism outside of the downtown/UA area that this may be an expensive boondoggle that no one will ride,” Durband said.

Shaun McClusky, an early Republican contender in the recent mayoral race and a Tucson realtor, believes the streetcar is an “exorbitant cost” destined to be a “colossal failure.”

“Right now, I don’t think the city is doing anything to encourage proactive growth around the route,” McClusky said. “They’ll claim it’s the hardship of the economic times, but if not now, when? What will drive people to use the trolley if there’s nothing down there?”

McClusky only sees the benefit for drunken college students and the businesses they patronize.

“Some entrepreneurs are fighting the good fight down there, and they’re winning,” McClusky said. “It’s voter-mandated and voter-approved. Once you get that federal money, you can’t unwind. This is an avalanche that is already moving forward, so you have to create the hype.”

De Leon sees it instead as depicting a realistic and hopeful future.

“Projects are painful; there’s no way around it,” de Leon said. “After it opens, though, people see the value and forget the construction. They start thinking about extensions.”

By Pearl Chang Esau,

Arizonans cannot afford to wait for better education. Although Arizona is one of the fastest improving states in education, at the current rate, it would take decades for our students to catch up with those in the number one state in the country, Massachusetts.

Arizona students continue to lag their national and international peers in academic performance, high school graduation rates and degree attainment. With 74 percent of Arizona fourth graders below proficient in reading and 69 percent of our eighth graders below proficient in math, the gap is only widening between the preparedness of our graduates and the skills and knowledge Arizona employers require.

Fortunately, Tucson has many examples of bright spots that show all of us the potential for Arizona education.  Tucson Unified School District’s University High School was recently named a 2011 Higher Performing School by the National Center for Education Achievement; Vail Unified School District is nationally recognized for its use of technology to engage students and raise student achievement; BASIS Charter School, which started in Tucson and has grown to other parts of the state, was named a top high school by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report; and the University of Arizona is ranked among the top public research universities in the nation.  All of them embrace a culture of high expectations and are working to ensure all students graduate ready to compete and succeed in the 21^st century global economy.

Arizona needs more of these bright spots, and the public has an important role in making that happen. In addition to its efforts to mobilize students, business leaders and voters, Expect More Arizona, a statewide movement dedicated to making Arizona education the best in the nation, recently launched a parental engagement initiative.  Its goal is to challenge more Arizona parents to create a high expectations culture in their home, ultimately increasing the academic success of our students.

Creating a high expectations culture in the home is one of the most important commitments parents and families can make to their student’s future and it starts with making education a family priority—ahead of sports, entertainment and work. Second, parents need to set completing college or other postsecondary program as the ultimate academic goal for their student. And third, parents must commit to being actively engaged to ensure their child is on the path to succeed in college and career.

As part of its new initiative, Expect More Arizona is providing valuable information, tools and resources to help parents stay engaged in their child’s academic success every step of the way including at-home activities by age and benchmarks by grade at www.ExpectMoreArizona.org.

From a variety of studies and conversations with students we know students with actively engaged parents are more likely to do well academically and go on to college or other postsecondary program. Education starts at home and with your help we can create transformational change that ensures every Arizona student receives the highest quality education – from birth through career.

The voters elected Congresswoman Giffords to represent Congressional District 8. As everybody knows, through no fault of her own, she has been forced to step down. That istrict now needs a caretaker until November. Ideally, the Congresswoman would select somebody from within her inner circle to carry out her agenda through the end of her term. The logical names that come to mind are Ron Barber or Mark Kimble, both of whom have been loyal and reflect Gabby’s principles.

Both Democrats and Republicans should stand down on campaigning for the D8 seat. In November, it will dissolve and become  embedded within the new District 2. There will be plenty of candidates competing for the new District seat, but 8 belongs to Ms.Giffords. That was the will of the voters as expressed in 2010.

The Congresswoman’s staff has been doing the heavy lifting of constituent work, lobbying on behalf of causes that are important to the Congresswoman, and keeping the D8 office afloat during the course of her recovery. That work should be honored and if there exists within that staff one who is willing to step up and take on the duties of being her arms, legs, and voice on the House floor through the end of the term, that staff has earned the right. They are the staff she chose. They are the staff who knows the issues.

In fairness to the D2 candidates, I understand that there are built in advantages to running for office as an incumbent. For that reason, my use of the word ‘caretaker’ was intentional. Whoever steps into her shoes must do so with the open commitment that this is for the remainder of her term. At that time, the will of the voters will have been honored and the ‘caretaker’ Representative will step down. Afterwards, the District boundaries will change, the constituents will change and the campaign for that new seat should be conducted on a level playing field; no advantage of incumbency.

If D8 is filled through the Special Election in a competitive race, candidates will have to run 2 simultaneous campaigns (one for the Special Election, and one for the new D2 seat,) they will need to raise money for 2 campaigns, the winner of D8 will take office and have to continue to focus on the D2 campaign for the rest of the election cycle, and in the process money will be wasted, attention to the needs of the D8 constituents will go unaddressed, and the work of the current D8 staff will be dishonored.

In the event the current D8 staff members simply want to ride out the remainder of the term doing the fine work they have been doing, I would still propose that Gabby offer up her strong choice for a caretaker candidate. That person would be honor bound to retain her entire staff, pursue her Congressional agenda through the remainder of the term, and step aside in November for the newly formed D2 Representative. If she were to do that, I would hope both Republicans and Democrats would stand down on running for the D8 seat and simply allow her choice to run unopposed.

Gabrielle Giffords was elected to an office that will end in November, 2012. Her staff has been focused on the needs of her constituents, despite the tragic events that threw her plans off course. We don’t need people running simultaneous campaigns for her seat, with the unspoken, but real intent of gaining an advantage by virtue of being called an ‘incumbent’ in what is rightfully her seat. She should be
given the opportunity to select her successor – and that person must take on that role with the expressed intent of stepping aside at the end of her term.

There are those who will say that it is the electorate who is to choose the Representative for D8. In fact, they did. Gabrielle Giffords was the choice of the voters in 2010. Her staff has shown it can ride out the storm and finish the term. Candidates should not subvert the will of the voters by taking advantage of the tragic events of January 2011.

Republican Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik represents Ward Six. He’s the director of facilities for the University of Arizona Department of Athletics.

Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF) are the primary source of funds available to Cities and Counties throughout the State to be used for the repair and maintenance of our roadways. The State charges a variety of transportation related fees and collects a tax on motor fuels, keeps some of the revenue and distributes by formula the remaining dollars to localities.

By Statute, Cities and Counties are precluded from collecting similar fees and taxes. We are dependent on the good faith of the State to keep its part of the bargain and return to us the dollars we are due.
At least, that’s the script. The actors at the Legislature aren’t reading their lines.

The formula is supposed to be that the State keeps 50.3% of the funds collected, Cities receive 27.5% of the money, and Counties are to receive 19% of the funds. The final 3% is to be distributed to Cities with populations in excess of 300,000.

Since the 2009 election, the State has swept $373 million in HURF money State-wide, and has shifted it to paying for other budget line items at that State level.

These past two years aren’t the anomaly. The fact is that every year for the past 12 fiscal years, the State has swept HURF money into their own coffers, to the tune of almost $1.5 billion of your dollars.

Those sweeps took place under the leadership of both Republicans and Democrats. Perhaps you’ve noticed the impact on the quality of the roads on which you’re driving in both the City and in the County.

In 2007, Pima County received $44.5M in HURF dollars. In 2010 that figure had dropped to $38M. That same comparison for the city is just under $50M in 2007 and right at $43M in 2010.  The City took another $5M hit in fiscal year ’12. The County took another $4.2M hit that same year.

Both jurisdictions are anticipating the trend continuing into the 2013 fiscal year. The condition of our roadways is a public safety issue, an issue that impacts tourism, and inhibits our ability to recruit and attract private sector investment into the area.

We believe that every State Legislator who represents any portion of Pima County, including the City of Tucson should be actively resisting any further reductions in the HURF allocations to this region. In fact, the State should refund the dollars that have been swept from the Pima County and City of Tucson taxpayers so our elected governing bodies can be about the work of repairing your roads.

During the most recent Legislative session, this region saw a flurry of bills that were undeniably aimed at both Pima County and the City of Tucson. Many of those were sponsored by members of the Southern Arizona Legislative Delegation. We find that a curiously odd way to represent your constituents.

We are committed to applying every penny returned to the City and to the County exclusively for road repair and maintenance – not a dime for administrative fees. We are committed to working with our respective governing bodies towards that end. Without the willing consent by the State to refund HURF dollars, we are also committed to fighting for what belongs to you through whatever means it takes.

We believe that all of our communities, Marana, Oro Valley, South Tucson and Sahuarita could use more money to maintain their roads.

Steve Kozachik is a Tucson City Councilman representing Ward 6 and Sharon Bronson is the Pima County District 3 Supervisor.

Michael Hicks

by Michael Hicks
TUSD Governing Board Member

Ever since the tragic shooting of so many innocents at the hands of a mentally ill man, Tucsonans, and the whole country for that matter have engaged in a discussion of civility and civil discourse. City Councilperson, Karin Uhlich says rightly that civility is a core value of Tucson.

Until now, the discussion has focused solely on the supposed lack of civility by the public. It ignores the lack of civility by us, the elected officials; those of us who are supposed to be “civil” servants to the public.

Just recently both the TUSD and Tucson City Council determined that it was going to begin enforcing “civility” rules on those addressing the their boards. TUSD’s Board, of which I am a member, conducted a coup against Dr. Mark Stegeman because he put the First Amendment before Board members’ intolerance of what they perceived to be uncivil speech. His replacement, Miguel Cuevas stopped a speaker for “impertinence” which is now the new definition of incivility.

These recent actions by elected officials beg the question; how civil are we? Our uncivil behavior in the form of poor decision making is the primary source of their ‘incivility.”

More often than not, it is the public’s very feeling  that they are not being heard, that is the cause of “incivility.”

Let’s be honest, if a person comes before our Boards time and time again saying the same thing over and over again; we stop listening if there is no new information.

If a person comes before us and rants, we don’t listen. They have a right to speak no matter how ineffective they might be.

I want to hear from the public. I don’t want them to be polite, I want them to be honest, and I will return the favor. The public must feel free to tell me what I am and am not doing right. I will take the time to explain my actions. I might not like what the public has to say, and they might not like what I have to say, but we can’t stop listening.

We are experiencing difficult times. People feel disenfranchised and disconnected. The frustration can be heard in voices from all sectors. We have a long way to go, and a lot of damage in our government al organizations to fix, we can’t shut down the taxpayers, or they will most surely shut us down.