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 Who's Running In The Upcoming Tucson City Council Primary? By Jim Nintzel WHEN INCUMBENT Councilman Michael Crawford was appointed to office 1993, it was yet another abrupt change for Ward 3 residents, who'd had a new councilman every two years since George Miller resigned from the Ward 3 seat to win the mayor's office in 1991.
Crawford has generally voted in a four-person majority of Miller and councilwomen Janet Marcus and Shirley Scott. He's come under fire for some of those votes, including a narrow 4-3 decision to study the possibility of privatizing Tucson Water, an initiative Miller promoted. As he gears up his re-election campaign, Crawford has announced he'll take a leave of absence from his post at the Pima County Public Defender's Office. So far, the advantage of incumbency has allowed him to outstretch his opponents in the fund-raising department. Crawford has put together a $12,710 warchest, which could be doubled with the addition of matching funds. His contributions have come largely from legal and real estate interests. Challenger Jerry Anderson complains Crawford has failed to deliver services to his constituents. Anderson is well-versed in city government himself: He recently resigned from his post with Project Foresight, the city's aggressive annexation department. He got his start with the city in the mid-'80s, as an aide to former Mayor Tom Volgy.
Last year, Anderson was elected to the committee that wrote the charter that Pima County voters will approve or reject at the polls this week. Since he resigned from his job with the city, he's been teaching with a TUSD Alternative Education Program. Anderson promises to focus on connecting with his Ward 3 residents through regular neighborhood meetings. He also supports recharging CAP water in accordance with 1995's Proposition 200. As of May 31, Anderson had raised only $1,621, much of which he'd lent the campaign. Alex Kimmelman has also worked for the City of Tucson, pulling a stint in the planning department. A local historian, Kimmelman also teaches at PCC, the UA Extended University and the Hogan School of Real Estate.
As of May 31, Kimmelman had $240 for his campaign. Law student Demitri Downing is also making his first stab at public office. He reported no fund-raising activity before May 31. The winner of the primary may face Republican Dan Copeland in the November general election. Copeland, who works as a lobbyist, came under fire last week when his treasurer, Mary Preble, released her resignation letter to the media, alleging that Copeland had been accepting hundreds of dollars in contributions without keeping any records. Although Copeland denied Preble's allegations in a recent Tucson Citizen article, GOP insiders expect him to withdraw from the race sometime this week.
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Mike Haggerty, appointed to the post to finish Miller's term,
decided not to run in 1993. Plumber Tom Saggau won the office
that year, but fled town in 1995, leaving the door open for Crawford's
appointment.
Before he took the job with Volgy's office, Anderson was instrumental
in creating the Tucson Community Cable Corporation, the organization
responsible for managing Tucson's public access television facilities.
Kimmelman says he joined the race because both Crawford and Anderson
seem too focus on serving Ward 3 constituents, while they miss
the big picture. He stresses the need for consolidation of city
and county services and a shift to a less-aggressive annexation
policy. Kimmelman also opposes privatizing Tucson Water.
