The three Democrats looking to replace City Councilwoman Karin Uhlich discussed mass transportation and a proposed half-cent sales tax as they vied Thursday for support from politically connected party members.
In a packed meeting of the Democratic Nucleus Club of Pima County, teacher Felicia Chew, business owner Tom Tronsdal and lawyer Paul Durham spent about 40 minutes discussing their vision for the city.
Those in the audience included Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jo Holt, County Supervisor Richard ElΓas, former state legislators Matt Kopec and Tom Chabin as well as Uhlich, who had previously announced she was not seeking re-election this year for her Ward 3 seat.
The candidates were repeatedly asked about mass transportation and specifically whether they would support either cutting Sun Tran bus service or raising fares.
Durham said the city has gone down this road before and refuses to accept that it has to choose between raising fees or cutting routes.
βWeβve tried that before and it didnβt work,β he said. βI think we need to find a better solution.β
One possibility, he said, is a regional solution.
βThere is an idea being tossed around at the city of creating a separate authority with a governing body that would be elected, have a separate revenue source and an independent budget,β he said.
Chew jumped at the same question, excitedly saying βYes!β over and over again as part of her response. βWe need a dedicated funding source for transit,β she said. She also discussed a more-modest proposal for a family friendly type bus pass that would charge a single fee for a family to ride the bus.
βWe are going to start developing ridership at a young age,β she said, adding that she hoped it would lead to a new generation of mass-transit riders.
Tronsdal also said he supports some regional solution. Transit services, he said, are vital for Ward 3 residents.
βI was only able to attend high school because I took the bus and used a discounted pass every day for four years,β he said. βFor most people in my ward, mass transportation isnβt a choice. It is how they get to work, how they get to school and how they get to day care.β
On the question of Prop. 101, a half-cent city sales-tax hike up for a ballot vote next month, all three said they supported the temporary tax hike, which would last five years. If approved, the $250 million generated by the city tax would be used for new equipment for the police and fire departments and to fix city roads.
Chew said it was important to replace aging vehicles in the police and fire departments, noting she learned many were overdue for replacement. βThey do need to have these vehicles replaced,β she said.
Tronsdal said he was on board with the proposal. βI believe 101 is essential for the future of our community,β he said. βWe need to take care of our first responders.β
He said the proposal has a large portion set aside to fix neighborhood streets that otherwise would not get fixed.
Durham was also supportive.
βPolice and fire have a very difficult job,β he said. βWeβve got to give them the tools they need to do the job.β
He explained that with the recession of 2008, the city was forced to make significant cutbacks and could not afford to fix some streets and forced some public-safety equipment remain in service longer than intended.
The three candidates are all Democrats and will face off in a primary Aug. 29. Julian Mazza, a Libertarian, filed paperwork to run in the Ward 3 race in the general election, Nov. 7. No Republicans have entered the race.
