The Daily Agenda: Cuevas says it's time for 'new leadership' at county
Democrat Miguel Cuevas is trying to win Bronson's former seat in District 3 ... He says he has more experience than any other candidate for the seat ... End of an era at KVOA.
The District 3 race is one of the key local races this year, with former Supervisor Sharon Bronson holding the seat for more than two decades before resigning last winter for health reasons.
Now, four Democrats are vying to replace her, and keep the party balance on the Board of Supervisors to four Democrats and one Republican. One of those Democrats, Miguel Cuevas, says he has more experience, both in business and as an elected official, than any of the three other candidates for the seat.
Cuevas works in the tech industry, which he says positions him well to understand what local businesses need and how to attract large corporations to the county. He also served on the Tucson Unified School District governing board after the Great Recession, when he and his fellow board members had to make tough decisions.
“On day one, I will be ready for the job in terms of budgetary, policymaking and getting things done,” he said.
Born and raised in Pima County, Cuevas attended Tucson Unified School District schools and then the University of Arizona, before going on to get a master’s of business administration at Grand Canyon University.
He has lived most of his life in Tucson, but he was “fortunate enough to travel around the world, predominately for work.” His LinkedIn profile shows he’s worked at major corporations, like Priceline and Uber.
As for his experience in public office, he served on the TUSD governing board in what he called the “tumultuous time” after the Great Recession from 2009-2012.
“We had to make hard decisions, cutting up to $100 million of the school district’s budget and also, this is when the Tea Party was in effect and really pushing anti-public education initiatives, really anti-Latino policies.”
He wasn’t re-elected, but he remained active in politics by volunteering for various campaigns, such as for Sen. Mark Kelly and President Joe Biden.
With a vacant seat in District 3 for the first time in more than two decades, Cuevas said this serves as an opportunity to bring in “new leadership” and new ideas.
The local economy
One area he’d like to focus on is smoothing out the permitting process for small businesses, which business owners told him “has not always been friendly.” That was a “huge Achilles heel” during the pandemic, he said.
He also wants to attract manufacturing and tech companies that bring high-paying jobs, as officials in Maricopa County have done. Pima County has a very educated workforce and he sees a “huge opportunity to retain that talent.”
County officials should offer property tax incentives or other agreements, in conjunction with state officials, he said, adding that he’d lean more on the county’s 300 days of sunshine and the county’s infrastructure as an attraction for large businesses.
Cuevas also supports the Prosperity Initiative, which he said prioritizes early education and helping small businesses get loans.
The environment
Bronson was at the forefront of protecting the environment with a strong conservation plan and Cuevas said he’d “continue that commitment.”
He’d encourage businesses and housing developers to locate in the existing metro footprint of Tucson. If they want to locate outside the city, he’d keep an eye on the environmental impact.
He is not in favor of the proposed route for Interstate 11 through the desert. He’d work to bring it into the Tucson area, as the current county supervisors are advocating.
If a new mining project is proposed in District 3, Cuevas’ immediate reaction would be to oppose it, saying “there’s going to have to be a lot of hurdles” that a mining company would have to get over.
Homelessness and housing
Cuevas said he would embrace the Housing First approach, adding that people need to be in a safe place before they can seek help or be “reintroduced as productive citizens.”
He also wants the county to put the right services in place to rehabilitate people affected by the opioid crisis, which he says has exacerbated homelessness.
He’d also advocate for the county to provide affordable housing and resources for people impacted by the pandemic, including assistance with rent and down payments, such as those offered in the Lighthouse program that helps first-time homebuyers.
The border
If elected, Cuevas said he’d pursue federal funding to support asylum seekers who come through Tucson.
“My general sense is that, you know, we’re all God’s, Mother Earth’s children and we need to be taken care of. So if someone is an asylum seeker, then absolutely I support that."
As for enforcing the border, Pima County should stay out of it, he said. It’s important to secure the border, but it is a federal responsibility. However, crime in rural border areas is the responsibility of county law enforcement.
Transportation
Even in a budget crunch, cutting funds for transportation in District 3 would be “off the table,” he said.
“It is clear that the county has de-prioritized some of that in the past. I know that the county just recently allotted additional funds, but we have to be consistent,” he said.
He used Silverbell Road as an example, saying it serves as an “unofficial highway” and “immediately needs attention.”
He supports re-authorizing the Regional Transportation Authority. Despite the “local tug-of-war,” he thinks it’s the “right thing to do” so all local jurisdictions get the resources they need to improve roads.
Voters can learn more about Cuevas at his campaign website. He also will participate in a debate with two other Democratic candidates, Jennifer Allen and Edgar Soto, on Saturday. The fourth candidate, April Hiosik Ignacio, had a prior commitment so she won’t be able to participate in the debate.
For more information on the debate, which will be moderated by Curt, go to the Democrats of Greater Tucson website.
This story was supported by the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.
Water woes: Local environmentalists are suing Gov. Katie Hobbs and the head of the state’s Water Resources Department, saying officials are failing to protect Southern Arizona’s San Pedro River, the Tucson Sentinel’s Paul Ingram reports. The lawsuit claims officials failed to perform a mandatory review of the river to “determine whether active management practices are required to preserve long-term, reliable groundwater supplies in the basin.” It also says Hobbs and others have abused their discretion by ignoring data showing that groundwater is threatened in the basin.
End of an era: KVOA’s Lupita Murillo will no longer be a staple on Tucson TV, as she’s hanging up her high heels this week after 46 years. Murillo started at KVOA in 1978 and has been actively involved with community organizations and charitable causes over the years, using her platform to advocate for others and highlight the work of Tucson’s nonprofits. KVOA is inviting community members to share their memories of Murillo and her work.
Moving ahead: Despite protests from several Sonoita and Elgin residents, steering committee members of the wine cuisine initiative voted earlier this month to continue studying the possibility of developing overlay districts in the area, the Patagonia Regional Times’ Marion Vendituoli writes. Santa Cruz County was awarded a $300,000 wine tourism grant in 2022 to support the creation of a “comprehensive ‘cuisine tourism’ strategy and implementation plan.”
New homes incoming: Work on a modern, affordable neighborhood for Pascua Yaqui families on Tucson’s west side is moving right along, KGUN’s José Zozaya reports. Builders are working to finish construction on a new apartment complex by January and complete the main road that will connect the neighborhood. Families began moving into full-size homes in the neighborhood last April and 27 new town homes will soon be occupied by qualified community members.
Night ride: The Sabino Canyon Crawler’s night tours are back starting July 6, This is Tucson’s Elvia Verdugo writes. The tours run every Saturday through October, with start times varying each month. The tour is a 7.4-mile roundtrip that takes about an hour and tickets cost $15 for adults and $8 for children ages 3 to 12 (kids under the age of 3 ride for free.) The rides sometimes sell out, but buying your tickets online guarantees your spot.
Lost and found: The Pima County Sheriff’s Department had a scare yesterday, when its drug-sniffing K9, Daemen, went missing from his home on South Houghton Road and East Drexel Road late Tuesday night, KOLD reports. Luckily, Daemen was found safe and reunited with his family last night.
$4,789: The amount of in-kind contributions to Miguel Cuevas’ campaign as of March 31. Most of that was campaign literature Cuevas contributed himself. He reported no other campaign contributions.
We were successful in getting an AMA (Active Management Area) established to slow the excessive groundwater pumping in the Douglas Basin. Most of the harmful pumping was the responsibility of out of State agricultural entities. They drilled down 200+ feet and peoples wells were going dry. We can't wait for people to do what's best for the San Pedro "River". They won't. Establish AMA protection from the Border to the confluence with the Gila. It's the only way.
Unfortunately Cuevas’ time on the TUSD board was less than stellar. He was very young, so maybe thats why he followed the Superintendent and Board colleagues into closing multiple schools without any indication that he cared one way or another about the students and parents . Our site council invited him and Adelita Grijalva to come tour our school when it was on the chopping block and he spent the whole tour and discussion on his cellphone while Ms Grijalva attended to her fingernails. So bland phrases like “ more experience in office” don’t really cover the reality of how much of a sycophant he was at that time. Ultimately our school was not closed but it certainly wasn’t thanks to Miguel Cuevas. I hope you will afford April Ignacio the chance to answer the debate questions in written form as it is high time Bronson’s area, which includes alot of Native American land, was represented by a Native American who is actually aware of and deeply involved in trying to fix the issues facing her community.