A quick guide to Tucson's upcoming general election

Election Day is two weeks away, and ballots have already been mailed to voters across Tucson who will decide the outcome of three City Council races and two propositions with long-term implications.

Every registered Tucsonan, regardless of what part of the city they live in, will be able to choose City Council members for Wards 3, 5 and 6. The winning nominees will be tasked with addressing key city issues such as transportation, COVID mitigation and public safety over the next four years.

Tucson could also see an increase in the city-wide minimum wage through Proposition 206, and the salaries for the mayor and City Council could be raised by Proposition 410. Both deal with issues of equity, according to proponents.

Residents who vote by mail have to send their ballot by Oct. 27 to make sure it’s counted. Ballots can also be dropped off at any one of eight locations across the city on election night on Nov. 2.

City Council Ward 3

Ward 3 will see a new City Council member this year with three new candidates vying for the position. Current Councilwoman Karin Uhlich, who served on the council from 2005 to 2017 and was appointed to serve the remainder of former Councilman Paul Durham’s term after he resigned earlier this year, is not seeking the job for a full term.

Democrat Kevin Dahl is a longtime conservationist who led the environmentalist groups Tucson Audubon Society and Native Seeds/SEARCH. He is currently the Arizona Senior Program Manager at the National Parks Conservation Association and says addressing climate change would be a key issue for him on the council.

Alan Harwell Jr., a Republican, is running on issues such as increasing funding for law enforcement, the elimination of COVID mitigations such as mask wearing at schools and vaccine mandates and fixing potholes in roads.

Independent Lucy LiBosha is a high school math teacher in the Tucson Unified School District and former airborne paratrooper in the U.S. Army. She served as a union representative for the American Federation of Teachers, as a board member of Bicycle Inter-Community Art and Salvage and on the Complete Streets Coordinating Committee for Tucson. LiBosha’s key issues include investing in social services and prioritizing neighborhood-led public works programs.

Ward 5

Richard Fimbres is hoping to continue his 12-year-long tenure as the City Councilmember in Ward 5. The long-serving Democrat was previously running unopposed, but he now is being challenged by two write-in candidates: Shelley Cross, a Republican and former nurse, and Libertarian candidate Adalberto Diaz.

Fimbres’ top priorities are continuing to increase economic development and investment in Ward 5, as well as getting “Ward 5 and Tucson through the COVID-19 health pandemic.”

Cross said her focus will be on doing away with vaccine requirements for city workers, strengthening the Tucson Police Department and filling potholes on city streets.

Ward 6

The election in Ward 6 has shaped up to be one of the more contentious City Council races this year. Democratic incumbent Steve Kozachik is facing Independent challenger Val Romero, a right-wing small business owner who opposes COVID vaccine requirements.

Kozachik has served on the City Council since 2009 and has led the charge on issues ranging from transportation to water security during his time in office. He has called Romero “fringe right,” unqualified, and said his opponent is “not even sure what the scope of the job is.”

Romero has not held office before and admits that he may lack the experience needed to grasp how the “process works” but is confident he will gain that knowledge on the job. He contends that Kozachik “doesn’t represent the city of Tucson” and that the city needs a change in leadership.

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The political newcomer said his focus is on issues including 5G utility poles, transportation and public safety staffing.

Kozachik’s key issue is water security, specifically the elimination of toxins in the city’s groundwater. The Democratic incumbent said continuing COVID mitigation efforts and funding roadway improvements are among his other top priorities.

Propositions

Prop. 206

Proposition 206 is a ballot measure to gradually raise Tucson’s minimum wage from $12.15 to $15 by January 2025. Wages would then incrementally increase based on inflation rates.

It would also create a city “Department of Labor Standards” that would field complaints from employees and allow them to sue in court when they believe they have not been paid properly.

The proposition includes a provision to prevent employers from shaving time off workers’ schedules at the beginning or end of a shift. A “yes” vote would increase minimum wage to $13 and hour in April 2022 as the first wage increase.

Prop. 410

A “yes” vote for Proposition 410 will raise the salaries for Tucson’s mayor and City Council members by $12,000. That represents about a 30% increase from the current mayoral pay and a 50% increase from what council members now receive.

The raises would bump the pay to $54,000 for the Mayor and $36,000 for council members beginning in 2023. The salaries would also continue to increase with inflation after that.

Proponents said the raises would provide a livable salary for the positions, opening the door for those who are not independently wealthy or working a second job to hold office full-time.

How to vote by mail or in person

Ballots have to be filled out with a black or dark blue pen; otherwise the vote might not count. Those who make a mistake can get a new ballot at a voting location on Election Day or at the Tucson City Clerk Elections Center anytime ahead of election night.

Poll workers will require either one form of photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID — such as a valid Arizona vehicle registration or insurance card — before they will provide a replacement ballot.

Mailed-in votes must be received by the City Clerk’s Office by 7 p.m. on election night, Nov. 2, in order to count, regardless of when it was actually placed in the mail.

Voters who choose to vote by mail have to send in their ballot by Oct. 27 to ensure it makes that cut-off time. Otherwise, they should drop it off at one of the six regular voting locations or the Pima County Recorder’s Office on Election Day.

Ballots can also be dropped off at the City Clerk Elections Center’s early-voting location on or before Nov. 2.