Want To Help Determine Pima County's Future? Here's How. By Dave Devine ELECTIONS THIS YEAR will fill many posts, from President of the United States on down. There are several less-publicized, but very important, local jobs up for grabs, too--positions on the Charter Government Committee for Pima County, and for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board. The Charter Committee will draft a document giving Pima County independent decision- making powers for the first time. Currently, county government is a subdivision of the state and tightly bound by the powers granted by the Legislature. The charter, once it's written, and assuming it's approved by the voters, would replace that system. The Charter Committee will be made up of 15 members, three from each county supervisor's district. Kurt Cooper, an early advocate of the charter form of government, believes people serving on the committee should have four basic qualifications. "They should know something about organizational theory" Cooper said, "and something about the history of Pima County. The charter will be like a suit tailored to fit Pima County, so they should have a feel for the area." The other two qualifications Cooper would like to see in candidates is the skill to work well with other people and the ability to conduct research on certain issues. So far mostly special interest groups have shown interest in the Charter Committee. Real estate people, representatives of current elected officials and business organizations are said to be ready to put their candidates on the ballot. Speculation has focused on the possibility that some currently elected positions could become appointed posts when the charter is written. Thus, the speculation goes, the present holders of these jobs may want to have representation on the committee to prevent that from happening. Cooper believes it shouldn't even be an issue. He says the state Legislature requires an election to do away with any elected office, so the charter can't do it in a roundabout fashion. Besides, he adds, lobbying for a particular position to be an elected office isn't what the charter committee should be focused on. Instead of special interest Lobbyists, Cooper hopes the committee will have equal representation from all segments of Pima County. If it doesn't, he believes the work of the group will be unacceptable. "It's important for people to realize the charter won't affect the direction Pima County takes," he said. He bases that opinion on the belief that if the draft charter produced by the committee is too biased in one direction or another, the voters will reject it. Or it will constantly be revised by whatever political group is in power, thus making it almost meaningless. Those wishing to seek a position on the Charter Committee must first pick up a packet of information from the Pima County Division of Elections in the old courthouse, 115 N. Church Avenue. The number of valid petition signatures from registered voters required to run ranges from 270 in District 2, represented by Supervisor Dan Eckstrom, to 632 in District 4, Paul Marsh's district. Signatures must be turned in by September 6. Meanwhile, only 200 valid petition signatures are needed by June 27 to secure a spot on the ballot to represent Pima County on the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) Board. This is the group that manages and operates the Central Arizona Project. It's made up of 10 representatives from Maricopa County, four from Pima County and one from Pinal. George Barr, longtime Pima County member of the CAWCD Board, says he doesn't want to run again. Instead, he's looking for younger people who have a background in water issues. "In the last three or four years the board has changed completely," Barr notes, "with people looking out for their own interests." He said it wasn't always that way and, in his opinion, the next board must become more responsive to the public. The CAWCD Board functions much like a school board, except it oversees a multi-billion-dollar project. While the construction phase of the CAP is almost completed, the operation and maintenance of the 330-mile canal system requires a staff of 430 administrators and maintenance personnel. This year's budget for the group is $177 million. In the past year the board has been involved with several controversial topics. They joined in the lawsuit to try to prevent Tucsonans from voting on Proposition 200, the Water Consumer Protection Act. There were also questions about the board's methods in awarding a lucrative contract. Barr, an outspoken critic of Tucson Water's handling of CAP water, has been a lone dissenting vote on many issues before the board in the past few years. So if you'd like a chance to get involved with important decision-making, visit the Elections office today. The composition of these two groups will greatly influence what Pima County is like tomorrow.

		© 1995-97 Tucson Weekly . Info Booth