The fight for midtown

Dems agree on (almost) everything … Another meaningless CD7 poll ... And laughing is a lot like sobbing.

We’ve always been big fans of Stephen Colbert’s classic bit, “Better Know a District,” where he tried to profile all 435 congressional seats — one hilarious interview at a time.

While we’re not aiming to cover all of Tucson just yet, we did get a double dose of democracy last week, as the three Democrats running for the Tucson City Council Ward 6 seat faced off in a pair of debates.

Ballots are going out today for the August 5 election to pick a new councilmember to represent the midtown ward. And we think it’s worth diving into the political history of the district, considering this election marks the first open midtown seat since Steve Kozachik was first elected in 2009.

So today, we’re talking about the “Sensational Sixth,” as Colbert might have called it.

Ward 6 is one of the most densely packed wards in the city, encompassing neighborhoods like West University, Sam Hughes, Poet’s Square, and Armory Park, as well as the University of Arizona campus.

While the ward has been a reliable deep-blue Democratic district in local and national elections for years, Kozachik got his start as a Republican.

Fighting with the state Legislature over gun buybacks and gun shows at the Tucson Convention Center pushed Kozachik to switch parties in 2013. He was easily re-elected as a Democrat until he stepped down in 2024.

Kozachik’s brand of politics reshaped the area and leaves big shoes to fill for the three Democrats — and one Republican — running for the Ward 6 seat.

During his 15 years on the Council, Kozachik was an unwavering force for progress, whether it was going the extra mile to house refugees in his ward office, fighting with the state Legislature on gun control and pushing developers to save the Benedictine Monastery from the wrecking ball.¹

With ballots going out this week, Democrats will have to choose between public-school science teacher Jim Sinex, attorney Leighton Rockafellow, and KXCI radio host Miranda Schubert.

Sinex, Rockafellow and Schubert talk about transit during a debate organized by the Democrats of Greater Tucson.

Last week, the three Democrats spent more than two and a half hours squaring off at forums hosted by the Democrats of Greater Tucson and the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson.

During the two forums, the candidates mostly agreed on the big issues:

• They all oppose the proposed camping ban ordinance, arguing it criminalizes homelessness without offering real solutions.

• They’re united in their opposition to the Rosemont Copper open pit mine — citing enormous water demands, even as they acknowledged the economic need for jobs in southern Arizona.

• They also support dismantling citywide voting in favor of electing councilmembers by ward.

However, there were a couple exceptions to the agreement-fest.

Schubert and Sinex said they’d prefer to leave buses fare-free, while Rockafellow said going back to charging fares would free up funding for other city priorities. He emphasized the need for discounted rates for low-income residents.

And they differed on what to do about Project Blue.

Sinex offered a vague rejection of the data centers, stating if he was on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, he would have rejected it.

He said he thinks the data centers use too much water in the middle of the desert, but said he believes the project will prevail.

”Nonetheless, we've got a data center coming. Okay. The city's going to have to annex it because it's a resource. Tucson Water is going to have to provide water to cool the data center. We're kind of stuck. And that's a real problem,” Sinex said.

Schubert, who challenged Kozachik in 2021, is opposed to Project Blue.

“I'm a definite no. I would need to learn incredibly compelling information that would lead me to believe that this is better for our long-term water future and the long term health of our residents,” she said. “Unless it's some magical data center that's like environmentally friendly.”

Rockafellow, however, was more hesitant — citing a lack of transparency as his biggest concern.

“It's hard for me to say whether the city should or should not annex because there's a dearth of information here. But I do think that we as a city have this tendency to shun any investments, and it continues to hurt us,” he said.

We’ve linked to each candidate’s website above if you’re a Ward 6 resident who is still having a hard time deciding.

And, a reminder: Whoever wins the primary will have to face Republican Jay Tolkoff — and fill some very well-worn shoes.

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“Never give up, never surrender!”

That timeless wisdom from Galaxy Quest came to mind as we, perhaps foolishly, wade back into the unpredictable waters of reader polls.

You may remember our last effort — asking paid subscribers whether they supported Proposition 414. Spoiler alert: You did.

The city’s voters? Not so much.

And yet… here we are again.

This time, we’re asking paid subscribers who they support in the upcoming special election for Congressional District 7.

Here’s the thing: This only works if everyone answers honestly. So please, don’t stuff the ballot box for your dream candidate if you don’t actually live in CD7.

We get it — the heart wants what it wants — but this poll wants to hear from our CD7 peeps.

That’s why we’ve included a friendly “I don’t live in CD7” button. Click it with pride. We wouldn’t blame you.

El Jefe’s route: The plan to build border wall across the San Rafael Valley is going to cut off a prime migratory route for jaguars, Arizona Public Media’s Katya Mendoza reports. A new report from the Center for Biological Diversity says that particular corridor has more jaguar sightings than any other area over the past century.

“This is the corridor that has been used by at least three jaguars since 2015, and that’s El Jefe, Yo’oko and O:shad, so that’s the big concern,” said Russ McSpadden, who works at the Center.

Quick count: The unsheltered population in the Tucson area ticked up this year, at least according to an annual snapshot. The point-in-time count in late January showed 2,818 people in shelters, transitional housing or living without shelter, the Arizona Daily Star’s Charles Borla reports. That’s about a 5% increase from the previous count, which showed 2,102 people in need of shelter. Officials caution that these snapshots are likely an undercount.

Voters incoming: So far, about 33,000 Democratic voters have returned their ballots in the special election in Congressional District 7. Updated statistics from Sam Almy of Uplift Campaigns shows a roughly 17% turnout rate so far. Yesterday was the last day to mail your ballot back, per elections officials’ recommendation, but you can still drop off your ballot or vote early in person. Go to Pima Votes for more info about how you can vote between now and the July 15 primary election.

Breaking it all down: The Arizona Luminaria just put out their helpful voter guide for the Tucson City Council election in Ward 3. They break down where the candidates stand on the issues, their budget priorities, and much more.

Keeping cool: As temperatures climb, the City of Tucson is re-opening cooling centers, AZPM’s Samantha Callicutt reports. The network of cooling centers will be open daily from noon to 4 p.m. from now until the end of August.

Getting ahead of the game: The University of Arizona is partnering with Corona de Tucson residents to monitor air quality as Hudbay’s Copper World mine gears up to start operations next year, KGUN’s Joel Foster reports. They’re measuring particulate matter that can cause respiratory problems and publishing it on their Purple Air dashboard.

This is one where we’re laughing so we don’t cry.

How bad is it getting out there? The Trump administration has wrecked funding for research so badly that a University of Arizona cancer lab is turning to crowdfunding so they can keep researching metastatic breast cancer.

They need to raise about $2,000 a month to keep the lights on.

So far, they’re at about $4,300.

1. That's not a knock on the current Councilwoman in Ward 6, Karin Uhlich. She’s held the seat since May 2024, after Kozachik stepped down. Uhlich previously served more than a decade on the Council representing neighboring Ward 3. But because of his long tenure and distinct legacy, those vying for the seat are either going to embrace Kozachik’s politics or run against them.