The Daily Agenda: South Tucson council seats in high demand
There’s plenty of competition in small-town politics … Seven candidates are vying for four spots in South Tucson. … Phoenix's streets are no joke.
With a population of just under 5,000 living in its one-mile city limits, South Tucson is one of the smaller local municipalities participating in this year’s elections.
But small-town politics matter, too. And if the number of candidates seeking a spot on the South Tucson City Council is any indication, they matter a lot.
The South Tucson City Council is made up of seven members who serve staggered four-year terms. One of the members is designated as mayor, one is designated as vice mayor and a third is designated as acting-mayor.
Four spots are up for grabs this year, with seven people vying to fill them, including Mayor Paul Diaz and Vice Mayor Herman Lopez. Diaz was removed by recall in 2015, but re-elected in 2018 after then-Mayor Ildefonso Green lost a recall election of his own.
Candidates elected to the city council will have their hands full with an underfunded police and fire department at a time when Tucson officials are urging South Tucson to stop their heavy dependence on the Tucson Fire Department. They’ll also deal with myriad other community concerns including housing affordability, the local economy and taxes.
But despite the stiff competition in the race, none of the candidates have campaign websites, making it hard for voters to understand where they stand on certain issues.
The Tucson Agenda asked all seven candidates three important questions: What is the biggest problem facing South Tucson? What are your priorities if elected? Why do you believe you are qualified to lead the City of South Tucson?
Since Substack limits the length of our emails, we’ll be publishing their answers over the next two days. You can read their answers in Spanish here, and feel free to share them with your Spanish-speaking friends and family members.
Melissa Brown-Dominguez is the co-founder and arts administrator of Galeria Mitotera, a Latinx/queer-owned gallery created to serve as a space to celebrate culture and uplift artists of color in the community. She works at the University of Arizona as a project manager in the Enrollment Management department and was appointed to a recent Citizen’s Bond Committee to decide on recommendations for the fire budget in South Tucson.
Brown-Dominguez says the biggest problem facing South Tucson is the need for comprehensive and equitable community development. The city must address “economic disparities, access to essential services, and sustainable urban planning to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to thrive and contribute to our collective progress,” she said.
Her priorities include fostering inclusive growth, advocating for social justice and implementing sustainable practices in South Tucson.
“I believe I am qualified to lead the city of South Tucson due to my deep-rooted commitment to our community, my track record of advocacy and service, and my ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to effect meaningful change,” Brown-Dominguez wrote in an email to the Agenda.
She says her background in community-based work and project management, and as a small business owner in South Tucson make her well equipped to lead the city and listen to residents’ concerns.
Paul Diaz was designated mayor of South Tucson in 2013, after being elected to the city council in 2011. He was removed in 2015 during a recall election after allegations that he had taken actions “detrimental to the financially struggling town” but was re-elected in 2018.
Diaz thinks the biggest problem facing South Tucson is its own administration.
“The administration runs the city in its interest,” Diaz said in an email. “Residents and businesses pay the bills without being informed or misinformed by how the interim city manager and the finance director announce the budget. Not knowing that approval of the budget is setting policy.”
He also mentioned problems with the fire station: primarily keeping it staffed, and properly funding and equipping firefighters, but also South Tucson’s heavy reliance on the City of Tucson for fire assistance.
As for why he is still qualified to lead the City of South Tucson, Diaz said the city “demands and deserves a qualified city Manager, per our city code.”
Tim Escobedo has a lengthy history of community engagement. He was the president of Los Changuitos Feos, a youth mariachi group, and has also worked on events like Tucson Meet Yourself, El Tour de Tucson, Ride On Tucson, the 4th Ave Street Fest, the Refugee Fest and the Tucson International Mariachi Conference.
“I bring a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to community service with a proven track record of leadership and dedication,” Escobedo said in an email. “I am poised to make a significant impact on the future of the City of South Tucson.”
He was born in Marana where he served on Marana’s Town Council before resigning in 2007, citing personal reasons following a DUI arrest. He has also served on the Planning and Zoning Commissions where he learned about urban planning, community development and the “intricacies of local government operations.”
Escobedo lists a multitude of issues facing South Tucson, including its underfunded police department, drugs and prostitution, homelessness and weeds and waste in neighborhoods.
He also cites delays in licensing approvals and inspections for local businesses, the lack of communications with other governmental jurisdictions and the absence of promotion of the history and culture within the community.
Escobedo said his main priority if elected would be finding funding resources, nationally, regionally, statewide and locally. He also proposes creating a policy where management pays for every time an officer responds to an incident, which he says would force management to review their policies for residents.
Escobedo says he has plenty of ideas about how to solve some of the city’s biggest problems: Addressing abandoned properties to minimize homeless encampments, finding ways to beautify the community, creating a streamlined and timely process for business to thrive, building relationships with other governmental agencies, and promoting community by celebrating the city as a historical and cultural hub.
We’ll be back tomorrow with the four remaining candidates.
Susan's work with the Tucson Agenda is supported by the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.
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Backgrounding the sheriff: The Arizona Luminaria’s John Washington checked the backgrounds of all five candidates running for Pima County Sheriff and found that while none have “significant legal histories,” there are some lawsuits, financial troubles and a settlement agreement in the mix. In a trio of articles, Washington details the more than two dozen lawsuits involving incumbent Sheriff Chris Nanos, the financial struggles in challenger Heather Lappin’s past and the settlement agreement that Terry Frederick entered into with the department when he left in 2004.
Toe to toe: The Arizona Daily Star’s Charles Borla spoke with Pima County Attorney Laura Conover and her Democratic challenger Mike Jette in anticipation of the July 30 primary election that will decide the race. Borla writes that while Conover and Jette both want to prioritize prosecuting violent crime and avoiding sending people with substance use issues to jail, they differ when it comes to the role of the county attorney, how the job should be done and the definition of effectiveness.
Getting creative: The City of Tucson has opened two “COOLtainers” at the Amazon Shelter on West Miracle Mile to provide a place for people to escape the heat, KVOA’s Megan Spector reports. The “COOLtainers” will be open from noon to 5:30 Tuesday through Saturday until August 1 and are in addition to the city’s six cooling centers around town. The “COOLtainers” are part of the city’s Housing First approach to addressing homelessness.
At least we’re not in Phoenix: New thermal infrared images from NASA show that Phoenix’s streets can reach up to 160 degrees during the summer, KJZZ’s Katherine Davis-Young reports. NASA used a thermal radiometer on the International Space Station to measure surface temperatures in central Phoenix, creating a color-coded map to illustrate temperatures. On June 19, the daily high was 106 degrees, but asphalt across the city that day ranged between 120 and 160 degrees.
Beat the heat with a book: This is Tucson has teamed up with Why I Love Where I Live to create a summer reading list of 28 books by local authors or with Tucson ties, Gloria Knott reports. The goal of the summer reading challenge is to encourage community members to read local and support independent bookstores and libraries. During August, readers will have the chance to win cool prizes by checking books off the list.
Cheat sheet: Washington and the Luminaria put together a voter guide on the Pima County Sheriff, breaking down the role, what’s at stake and where four of the five candidates stand on three key issues: The jail’s most pressing issue and how to fix it; their thoughts on HCR 2060, the Secure the Border Act; and their solution to the department’s staffing crisis. Frederick did not respond to the Luminaria’s questions.
The next meeting of the solutions-focused community book club Caitlin co-hosts with the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona and Tucson Tome Gnome is just a few weeks away. Join us on Thursday, July 25 as we discuss True Biz, a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. RSVP for free here.
