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By Justin Bow
More than 30 engaged citizens attended the May 15 Nucleus Club meeting, to hear from six candidates for Tucson City Council. Answering audience questions were:
- Ward 2 incumbent Councilman Paul Cunningham
- Ward 4 candidate Nikki Lee,
- Four candidates for Ward 1: former CD 3 Congressional aide Sami Hamed, former Ward 3 Chief of Staff Miguel Ortega, former Ward 1 Senior Council aide Dr. Lane Santa Cruz, and businessman Rob Elias.
After opening comments from all candidates, each audience-submitted question was answered by three candidates determined by the moderator. The format offered effective insight into each individual’s background and positions.
In his opening statement, Paul Cunningham stressed the successes that Tucson has achieved during his tenure on the City Council, including the growth of the General Fund, an increase in the water supply from 20 years to 50 years, general road improvements and an additional 50,000 jobs. He said that he is running again because he believes there is still more work to be done, particularly in the area of continuous improvement in environmental responsibility, growing the water reserves to 100 years, adding solar rooftops, and potentially providing a Universal Kidcare program, which would make the city unique.
Nikki Lee noted her previous experience as a former candidate for LD 10 House and said that she felt she could best serve the city by supporting initiatives that increase sustainability, improve infrastructure and promote a Smart Tucson.
All four candidates for Ward 1 discussed the poor state of the roads, parks and general infrastructure in the ward, and promised to fight for improvement. Lane Santa Cruz commented that communities without power often blame themselves, but they need to see real outcomes, not only opportunities.
Sami Hamed placed emphasis on the need to extend the distance covered and the number of stops on mass transit.
Miguel Ortega highlighted the importance of supporting local business, both in the ward, and citywide. And Rob Elias wants to inspire greater interconnectedness in the community.
What is the Future of Recycling Now That China Will be Taking Less?
Ortega: “We’re not doing enough to partner with small businesses to increase greening. Like solar panel subsidies. Leadership needs to catch up and recognize how critical this is, admit climate change is real and be courageous.”
Lee: “We should do a root cause analysis. Why are we producing this waste in the first place? How can we reduce it – particularly single-use plastic? We have to innovate and find solutions.”
Elias: “Why are we sending recyclables to China? Can we recycle here instead? Can we reduce waste at the source? Grocery bags are an especially large problem.”
Since the streetcar was put in, Downtown has gotten bigger economically, but when does development destroy the culture of a neighborhood?
Cunningham: Development becomes negative when it compromises our desert – our environment. Downtown had a lot of incentives to get development going and to promote dense, sustainable building. Soon you won’t need to incentivize. By building densely, with energy efficiency included from the start, our city will become more sustainable. But we have to act quickly.”
Hamed: “We have to preserve culture and character, while also being welcoming to people who want to join a neighborhood.”
Santa Cruz: “We need to balance private investment with public need. For example, when the TCC was put in, it created a physical and social barrier with the Hispanic neighborhoods to the south.”
What Makes You, as a Ward 1 Candidate, Stand Out?
Elias: “I’m a business leader.”
Ortega: “I’ve learned to fight hard by fighting for the preservation of the El Rio golf course. I have worked to protect our school. When a small business is threatened by construction projects, I have supported them by moving meetings into their space to provide additional revenue.”
Hamed: “I’m a homeowner, a transit user. I sit on the Homeless Services board and the Savvy Services for the Blind board. I will listen to you. I will quit my job and be a councilman full time.”
What Should Tucson do to Help the Homeless?
Santa Cruz: “We should promote Housing First policies. Right now, it’s too restrictive to get into a shelter, there are too many rules and requirements and they vary shelter to shelter. There needs to be a one-stop source of information on options and assistance in getting people into the shelters.”
Hamed: “Housing first. Then address problems. And we need to work closely with the VA. It’s a citywide issue. And we should be working at keeping people in their homes in the first place, instead of putting in the streets after a foreclosure.”
Cunningham: “We have a surplus of bed spaces as it stands. The regulations are the issue. For example, some people have pets, but you can’t be in a shelter with your pets. We also need to ensure that people are receiving services that deliver permanency and personal stability. We need to fill those service gaps. They’re human beings and we should treat them with dignity and respect.”
Do You Have Plans to Promote Police Diversity and Sensitivity Training?
Ortega: “I’ve joined the Democrats on Families Free and Together. I think that’s a really important program. We can reduce crime by encouraging illegal immigrants to call the police without fear. And we should increase funding to improve training on these issues.”
Lee: “Unconscious biases exist. My husband is black and so is my son and they have a different experience with law enforcement. We need to ensure that everyone feels safe.”
Elias: “We’re all human. We need to provide the increased resources for this type of training for our officers.”
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