Tim Steller's column: New supervisor, Andrés Cano, vows to continue mentor's legacy

A surprisingly strong slate of six candidates offered themselves as possible replacements for former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva.

Karla Morales stood out as a real contender.

Kimberly Baeza came out of nowhere and was intriguing.

In the end, though, there were no surprises. The Pima County Board of Supervisors, without absent member Steve Christy, voted quickly and unanimously Tuesday morning to approve Andrés Cano as Grijalva’s replacement.

While Supervisor Jen Allen moved to appoint Cano, and Supervisor Matt Heinz seconded the motion, board chair Rex Scott even had a speech prepared extolling Cano’s qualities. Despite the surprising strength of other candidates, they clearly only had one choice in mind.

“When I spoke with Mr. Cano, it was as if I was engaged in dialogue with somebody who is already a supervisor,” Scott said. “Such was the extent of his extensive knowledge and obvious preparation.”

Allen and Heinz also attributed Cano’s selection to his preparation, with Allen noting, “we need someone who can hit the ground running.”

Cano was an aide to former Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias before winning three elections to the Arizona House of Representatives and rising to minority leader. Then he resigned to get a master’s degree in public administration at Harvard University, returning to Tucson last year and going to work for the city.

Immediately after the board’s vote, Pima County Superior Court’s presiding judge, Danelle Liwski, swore Cano in. Then, after a long round of photos and congratulations, he stepped up to the dais and assumed his new job.

His first comments, though, were not thanks or offering a vision for the future but to request a moment of silence for an elder in District 5, Pascual Erunez, who died earlier this month and whose funeral was Tuesday morning.

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I thought of this moment when I spoke to Albert Elias later on Tuesday. Albert Elias was a Tucson official who retired as assistant city manager and, more importantly in this context, the brother of Richard Elias, who died unexpectedly in 2020. Richard Elias was Andres Cano’s mentor when Elias served as the District 5 supervisor and Cano was a top aide.

While people like me have sometimes referred to Cano as part of the Grijalva political machine, his direct mentor was Richard Elias, who replaced Raul Grijalva on the Pima County Board of Supervisors in 2002.

When I asked Albert Elias on Tuesday what he saw of his brother Richard in Cano, Elias mentioned a few key qualities: Remembering their roots, the ability to listen and respect for their community’s elders.

“The elders have lessons to teach you,” Albert Elias said. “Richard and Andres always remember where they came from. They embrace that.”

Indeed, Cano choked up when he credited Richard Elias’ impact on him and thanked Elias’ wife and daughter.

“Chairman Elias shaped not just my career but my heart,” Cano said. “He showed me that service is not about spotlight — it’s about showing up no matter how heavy the moment. I carry that lesson and his legacy with me into this new chapter.”

“District 5 raised me, and I’m ready to return that gift by doing what I’ve always done — show up, listen, and get to work.”

To start with, that meant voting with the rest of the Democratic supervisors on a run of unanimous, 4-0 decisions. They appointed Allen as vice chair, appointed Heinz to the board of the Pima Association of Governments and put Cano on the Visit Tucson board.

By the end of the meeting, he was already digging into details and questioning a Health Department proposal for spending $8 million the county received from a legal settlement over opioid abuse.

“What I would hope these opioid dollars going to our region really promote are creativity, direct ability to fund key programs, and do it in a way that’s responsive to community need. I do believe we have that, but this feels a little bureaucratic to me,” Cano said.

It was a small sign of how quickly this young old hand is settling into the seat his mentor occupied.