The following is the opinion and analysis of the Arizona Daily Star Editorial Board.
The Starβs Editorial Board endorses candidates and ballot propositions that we conclude, after much research and discussion, are the best option.
We make endorsements because voters are busy, and we view it as a community service. We have more access to candidates than the average voter, and it is our job to pay close attention to whatβs happening in our communities year-round.
The Star's news reporters donβt weigh in on the Editorial Boardβs endorsements (or other opinion content), and we on the opinion side donβt weigh in on news coverage.
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The Editorial Board includes: President and Publisher John DβOrlando, Star editor Jill Jorden Spitz, Opinion editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen and opinion writer Edward Celaya. Cartoonist David Fitzsimmons is not part of the board.
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In the one Tucson City Council race featuring an incumbent, the Arizona Daily Star Editorial Board endorses Paul Cunningham to continue his work representing Ward 2.
Cunningham, a Democrat, faces off against Republican Ewart Williams and Green Party candidate William Peterson in the Nov. 5 general election.
In asking for a third four-year term, Cunningham acknowledges that his reason for running is to finish the work heβs started.
βWhen you start setting up those goals and youβre evaluating your time in office, youβre thinking to yourself, βI didnβt get this done, I didnβt get that done,ββ he said, noting that Tucson spent years grappling with the economic recession. βPart of it was, in those ... first few years in office, we were just playing catch up.β
However, Cunningham is not short on new ideas, especially when it comes to transit. In a conversation with the Arizona Daily Star Editorial Board, Cunningham noted the disparity between fares the streetcar takes in and the number of rides it provides. βPeople arenβt paying,β he said.
His proposed solution? Taking an idea from Salt Lake City, he proposed making fares free, sort of. βIβd like to see it be paid for by the University of Arizona β just collect the full $2 million the university has a blanket (budget) line item for and make the streetcar free.β
Perhaps more than anything, Cunningham brings experience and knowledge to the position that only a seasoned politician who cares deeply for both his job and constituents can deliver. His answer on improving Tucsonβs infrastructure for transportation was a master class in communicating public policy.
Itβs evident Cunningham has done his homework on the issues, and he knows how to present his arguments. On top of that, his day job as a physical education teacher in Tucson Unified School District affords him the unique perspective of teacher, parent and decision maker that is vital to help the city navigate its future.
Paul Cunningham offers voters both the stability of experience, and the promise of a practical vision.
