The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
I live in Ward 6, and I am running as a Democrat to represent my friends and neighbors as the next Council Member on the Tucson City Council.
When we get together (virtually), we talk a lot about our ward and our city, and what needs to change to make Tucson a better place for everyone who lives here. 5G poles have occasionally come up in our conversations, and we agree they are an eyesore, but honestly, they are not at the top of our list.
The pandemic only amplified existing failures our country and community have grappled with for centuries. We are facing the public health crisis of racism, a climate emergency, and a growing eviction tsunami — all of which are the result of not addressing root causes on a systemic level.
We now find ourselves at an inflection point: Uphold the status quo or rebuild our systems to be more equitable and just.
From 2000 to 2018, the percentage of people living below the poverty line (2020 City of Tucson Poverty and Urban Stress Report) increased in Ward 6, which has the highest percentage of people below the poverty line of all Tucson city wards.
My friends and neighbors raise concerns about the single mother with two kids who cannot afford Tucson’s skyrocketing rents and will sleep tonight in the alley behind Armory Park. Even if that mother can somehow find a place to rent in one of the most expensive housing markets in the state, she will have plenty of other worries, like finding a job in her community that pays her enough to live on in a ward with the fourth-lowest median income in the city.
If she can afford a roof over her head and the heads of her children, the likelihood that they have access to green public space is unclear, since only 3% of Tucson’s land is used for parks and recreation (the national median is 15%).
Ward 6, like all of Tucson and the Southwest, faces enormous challenges. The housing market, job market, climate change, voter suppression and criminal justice reform demand our attention and our action with ever-louder insistence.
How we face these challenges will dictate not only our lives but the lives of our children and grandchildren. The time for half-measures, band-aid solutions and narrow thinking is past.
We should not answer demands for change by saying these problems are bigger than our city. We should not tell future generations that the reason they do not have enough water to drink or clean air to breathe is that it was outside of our jurisdiction.
Prosperity, environmental protection, and justice for all have no jurisdiction.
I will be a councilperson who shares the priorities of the working people of this city; I will spend my time and energy acting to help families facing eviction and houselessness.
This moment demands leadership that centers on justice and compassion. This means understanding that immigrants don’t just need temporary shelter, but to be valued and legally protected members of our community.
It also means knowing that a crucial part of ending sexual, domestic and gun violence requires educating our boys and men about toxic masculinity and emotional intelligence.
A public servant who is prepared for the daily work that anti-racism entails knows that trust is earned, not deserved. If I have the honor of being the next Ward 6 Council Member, my words and actions will always reflect these priorities.
Being a leader means rising to face the challenges that confront our neighbors and families every day, no matter how big those challenges are. The Council Member for Ward 6 might not be able to stop climate change, restructure public safety or alleviate poverty — but she sure should try.
