The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
District 1 has changed.
Four years ago, when the incumbent supervisor was reelected, there were close to 12,000 more Republicans than Democrats registered to vote. Today, that GOP advantage is down to fewer than 3,000. There are also more than 40,000 independents and members of smaller parties. District 1 is now truly a “purple” district.
Local government, the level closest to the people, should be the least partisan. When it comes to public health, libraries, parks and roads, few of us are conservative, liberal or even centrist. We are pragmatists who want county government to provide all its services and supports with attention to equity, customer service and respect for the use of our tax dollars.
Back in 1981, when I turned 18, I registered as a Republican and remained one for 19 years. After a four-year stint as an independent, I registered as a Democrat and have been one for the last 16 years. I still know a great many Republicans and independents. More importantly, I know that there are people of good will across the political spectrum who care about our county and want it to be a better place to live, work and raise a family.
For the last 19 years of my career as an educator, I was an administrator at five different Pima County middle and high schools. When you serve as a school leader, you quickly learn the value and necessity of listening to all voices and honoring all points of view within your community. You also come to recognize that having a title in front of your name does not mean that you know everything. In a complex, learning-centered organization like a school, collaboration and dialogue are essential. And as was said to me many times over the course of my career, principals must be “leaders of leaders.”
While I was pursuing my second bachelor’s degree at Ohio University, I was elected as a city councilman in Athens, Ohio, when I was 24. When I resigned near the end of my second term to move here, I had learned a great deal about local government and how it best operates. As a young person who was sometimes headstrong and rash, I also learned a lot about the importance of leading with humility and tact.
During this pandemic, one of the governors I have respected the most for the decisions he has made has been Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who has also held several other state and federal offices. In a recent interview, he said that the times in his career when he was most likely to make mistakes occurred either when he did not ask enough questions, or when he failed to listen to people who knew more than he did about a topic. All leaders should be so self-aware.
I spent half my career serving three different schools within our district. There are thousands of families in District 1 with whom I have built rapport and trust based on the work I did on behalf of their children. I will use those strong relationships as the foundation for outreach to every citizen within our district.
District 1 deserves a supervisor who will focus on service and results, who will ask a lot of questions and listen to those who know more than he does, who will respect and listen to all the voices in our “purple” district and who will lead with both a caring heart and an open mind.
That is the kind of supervisor I promise to be. I hope to earn your trust and your vote.
