Burkholder will be an effective voice for Tucson taxpayers

Margaret Burkholder served 10 years on the Vail Unified School District board before she became a candidate for the Ward 4 Tucson City Council seat.

We believe she understands the role of an elected representative and is the best choice on Nov. 3 for the southeast side job.

Burkholder, a Republican and a math teacher, spoke at the Star’s editorial board meeting about the importance of setting measureable goals for the city and then making budget and policy decisions to support those outcomes.

An example, she told us, would be to raise Tucson’s median household income to a specific level. The council would benefit from having more members whose decisions on the myriad of challenges confronting the city are driven by that sort of thinking.

On the Vail board, Burkholder had a reputation for asking staff tough questions. This trait, in particular, is one that sets her apart from the Democratic incumbent, Shirley Scott.

In our interview with Scott, which took place two days after the Sun Tran bus strike ended, we asked whether she had read the agreement between the employees and the private company the city hired to run the buses. She told us, in essence, that she did not need a copy because she could do nothing to change it and, besides, the city manager already knew the details.

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The settlement gives employees raises — money that can be covered for now out of savings from not running buses during the strike, but that will certainly pose a budget challenge to the city in the future. Local taxpayers already pump almost $30 million a year into Sun Tran. It is inconceivable to us that Scott would not be curious about the settlement and its long-term implications.

We did not endorse Scott four years ago because of similar concerns. Back then, she blamed the decade-long Rio Nuevo debacle on bad advice from former city managers and senior staff. At that point, the city had spent $230 million on downtown redevelopment with little to show for it. Staff may have been out of control for chasing crazy projects like a science center bridging over Interstate 10, but it was most certainly the council’s responsibility to question the spending.

Recently, Scott told a local group that Rio Nuevo critics “haven’t come back to me and said, ‘You know, you were right, it’s really good.’” Downtown is much better now, but that is not because of Scott’s leadership. A new Rio Nuevo board, mayor, city manager and others deserve the credit.

Scott has served on the City Council for 20 years and is without question dedicated to the betterment of Tucson. We believe, however, that Burkholder will be a more effective voice for taxpayers.

The Star endorses Margaret Burkholder for Ward 4.