Off and running

District 2's Heinz and Backer take questions for the first time together ... Tempers flare at Benson GOP meeting.

Voters got their first good look at the two candidates running for Pima County supervisor in District 2 this week.

Supervisor Matt Heinz, a first-term Democrat, and Republican challenger John Backer took questions for about an hour on Tuesday evening at a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson.¹

The questions were pretty good. They showed key differences in how the candidates see the big issues in the county, and what they'd do if they were in charge of the county's $1.7 billion budget.

Their top priority if elected:

• Heinz wants to align the county’s budget priorities with the needs of residents, such as addressing homelessness and affordable housing.

• Backer wants to focus on public safety, particularly with regard to fentanyl, vandalism, retail theft, and homeless encampments.

On homelessness, they had different understandings of who is living on the street and whether county efforts could help them.

• Backer estimated just 10% of people living on the street would be open to getting help. The rest want to be left alone, he said, although he still supported offering them treatment for drug abuse.

• Heinz, a physician, said none of the homeless people he treats actually want to remain homeless. Many of them are trying to get off the street through programs for drug abuse treatment or eviction protection.

The two candidates also had drastically different ideas for what they would do if the county found itself with an extra $10 million.

• Heinz said he would take half the money and leverage it to fund programs to reduce the homeless population. He’d invest the other half in gap funding for affordable housing.

• Backer said he’d be inclined to give the $10 million back to taxpayers to help them get through tough economic times. Even $10 or $20 a month could be a big deal for people, he said.

What is the biggest problem at the county jail?

• Heinz says too many people who face nonviolent charges are being sent to jail, instead of being offered alternatives like ankle monitors.

• Backer pointed to structural problems at the jail due to lack of maintenance. He’d bring in structural engineers to determine whether the county should fix or replace the jail. As for who should be in jail, he said those decisions should be left up to judges.

What should be the county’s role in lowering the poverty rate in Pima County?

• Backer said the cure for poverty is opportunity, and opportunity has been lacking in Pima County for a long time. He’d try to attract businesses that can offer a living wage. He also said he wouldn’t fall back on what he called “artificial separations” like race or religion. Instead, he’d “help people who live in poverty across the board.”

• Heinz said the Prosperity Initiative will coordinate county efforts to combat poverty. He pointed to county efforts that helped bring large-scale projects to District 2, like the Mosaic Quarter and the American Battery Factory.

Are Arizona’s elections fair?

• Heinz said they’re safe and secure, perhaps more so than anywhere else in the country. He gave the example of voters being able to track their ballots all the way down to the stack they’re in. He lauded the county’s excellent elections staff and said he had complete faith in them.

• Backer said “by and large, we’re pretty good,” but the county still had room for improvement. He’d like more county departments to share information, such as property records, to verify a voter’s identity.

The forum was a cordial affair, but Backer appeared to take a subtle jab at Heinz in his closing remarks, saying it’s important to elect a supervisor who has the time to do the job. Heinz is known to pop in and out of board meetings and one of the main photos on Backer’s campaign website shows Heinz’s empty chair.

Up next, voters will hear from candidates in Legislative District 17 at a debate this evening. The Clean Elections commission invited all the Democratic and Republican candidates for the district’s two state House seats and the Senate seat.

As of Wednesday evening, it looked like only the two Democratic candidates, House candidate Kevin Volk and Senate candidate John McLean, had agreed to show up.

Precautionary measures: As local schools deal with a rash of social media threats over the past few weeks, Tucson Unified School District officials say they plan to use some of the $480 million in bond money that voters approved last year to add security cameras, bullet-proof windows, and fences to schools, KVOA’s Jafet Serrato reports.

A little savings: Southwest Gas customers should see their bills drop by about $7 a month this winter, the Arizona Daily Star’s David Wichner reports. The company is cutting a surcharge for wholesale natural gas costs for customers in Tucson and the rest of the state.

Got out of hand: Tempers flared at a meeting of Republican precinct committeemen in Benson last weekend, leading police to open an investigation of intimidating behavior and possible assault, the Herald/Review’s Terri Jo Neff reports. The dispute had to do with Frank Antenori, a former lawmaker and current candidate for a seat on the Cochise County Board of Supervisors, objecting to Jacob Kartchner, a former Republican who is running against Antenori as an independent, attending the meeting.

The plot thickens: As officials sort through an alleged $38 million embezzlement scheme, the lawsuit filed by Santa Cruz County officials against former Treasurer Liz Gutfahr got a little bigger this week, the Nogales International’s Daisy Zavala Magaña reports. The lawsuit now includes Gutfahr, her husband, her son, and her daughter-in-law, along with local real estate and construction firms. The lawsuit also tweaked the dollar amount to “at least $38 million,” to include unsuccessful fraud attempts, such as rejected wire transfers.

In the nitty gritty: The Arizona Luminaria’s John Washington has more details about the discussion that led the Pima County Board of Supervisors to ask Sheriff Chris Nanos to answer questions about how his department looked into an accusation that a sergeant sexually assaulted a female deputy.

Not over yet: Migrant advocates in Nogales say they’re seeing evidence of the latest effort by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to transport migrants from the border to blue states, the Border Chronicle’s Melissa del Bosque reports. Organizers of the “My Bright Horizon” program are handing out brochures to migrants in Nogales and offering free transportation and lodging. Similar efforts last year led to criminal charges for tricking migrants into flying to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

$10,000: The minimum size for projects to be eligible to receive funding from the City of Tucson’s Community Partner Grant Program. The third round of funding is now open and officials are asking for applications for arts programs, micro-loans for businesses, youth activities, and an array of other goals.

1. The Green Valley News also hosted a debate for the District 2 candidates on Monday.