Mariano Rodriguez has never held political office but is well-known in local Republican circles for his full-throated support of President Trump.
The 54-year-old architect, who appeared on CNN and other global news outlets and in the Star during last year’s presidential election for his support for Trump, announced he will challenge Democrat Steve Kozachik for the Tucson City Council Ward 6 seat.
He is the only Republican so far in the race. A Green Party candidate, Michael Oatman, has also filed paperwork to run in Ward 6. This sets up a contested race for Kozachik in the Nov. 7 general election for the ward, which covers a swath of the central city from downtown to about Wilmot Road up to about Grant Road and south to about 22nd Street.
Kozachik was unopposed in 2013.
In other city council races this year:
- The soon-to-be open seat held by the retiring Councilwoman Karin Uhlich has three Democrats and Libertarian vying to replace her, setting up a contested primary for the Democrats.
- Democrat Councilman Richard Fimbres has no opponent as of now in his bid for another term.
The city primary is Aug. 29.
Rodriguez, a political newcomer, said when it comes to fixing roads he wants to see road reconstruction funds go into every part of the city even if it means taking money away for road projects in Ward 6 for another part of town that needs it more.
The roads near the University of Arizona are well-maintained, he said, asking if this is an example of how the city picks where it invests its road repair budget.
City officials have repeatedly rejected this claim, noting road repairs are decided by a complicated formula that takes into account the cost of the project, the amount of traffic on the road, planned utility projects as well as whether the Regional Transportation Authority has long-term plans for the road.
Getting government out of the way of businesses is part of his philosophy, noting he has seen first-hand how the city can make something overly complicated.
Rodriguez said he and his midtown neighbors approached the city a few months ago about putting up a small bulletin board in their neighborhood park, but their efforts quickly became mired in red tape.
“We raised enough money to put up a small, simple bulletin board because we have a lot of elderly people who don’t have internet and stuff,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez, even though he is somewhat skeptical how the money will be spent, said he is leaning toward supporting Prop. 101, the temporary half-cent city sales tax hike to be voted on by city residents May 16. The $250 million raised over the five years of the tax is to be used to fix roads and replace aging equipment for the police and fire departments.
However, Rodriguez does call for deep cuts in what he calls nonessential services the city supports. Including, for example, funding arts projects. It isn’t something that will go over well in his home, his wife is an artist, but it’s a necessary measure to put more money into the police, fire and other core services, he said.
