In the Ward 2 northeast side City Council race the choice is between Democrat Paul Cunningham, who is the incumbent with a decent record of accomplishment, and Kelly Lawton, a Republican newcomer to city politics.
The Star endorses Cunningham, a social studies teacher who has matured into a politician who does his homework. During our editorial board interview he displayed an impressive grasp of the insomnia-inducing details of governance and a vision rooted in practical thinking.
There’s no dodging that Cunningham was an embarrassment to the city in the past. A report in 2012 found that he sexually harassed female employees, most publicly on a business trip to San Diego.
He sought treatment for alcoholism, and by his actions in the past three years has earned a second full term on the City Council. He is focused on what is best for Tucson in the long run but also pragmatic.
He is proud of bringing major league soccer to town and has supported other economic development projects. He hopes to retool the KIDCO after-school recreation program as a public and private partnership with the help of the Legislature. The program is expensive for taxpayers but vital to many low-income working Tucson parents. He supports shifting the management of Sun Tran to a regional transportation authority.
In the months ahead, our municipality will face a pension crisis, a costly transit contract to fulfill, employees long overdue for wage increases, and the need for upgrades to city computer systems — all with a revenue pool that is unpredictable and inadequate. Cunningham is the best qualified of the two candidates to navigate these matters.
Lawton, the challenger, is not knowledgeable enough about city government to identify concrete solutions to Tucson’s problems. For instance, one of the first things he told us is that the city has about 900 police officers but needs 1,100. A possible way to pay for them, he said, is to charge a half-cent sales tax on gas, with the money dedicated to public safety. Would that cover the cost? we asked. He did not know.
We encourage Lawton, campus director at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, to get involved with one of the city’s many citizens committees as a means to share his private-business expertise.
Both candidates are native Tucsonans who speak about their love of the city and desire to see it improve. Cunningham is the one with the knowledge to turn that passion into positive results. We endorse Paul Cunningham.
