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 Who's Running In The Upcoming Tucson City Council Primary? By Jim Nintzel WHEN COUNCILWOMAN Molly McKasson announced on April 30 that she would not seek a third term, the Democrats in Ward 6 swarmed into the race. Five candidates--all with solid records of political experience--made it onto the Democratic primary ballot, while one Republican will face the winner in the November general election. Of the five Democrats, Carol Zimmerman has the most experience at City Hall. She began working there as an aide to Tom Volgy when he was still serving as the Ward 6 councilman. After Volgy won the mayor's race in 1987, she followed him as an executive aide. She now works as development director at St. Gregory's prep school. Most recently, Zimmerman served on the committee that drafted the charter Pima County voters will accept or reject at the polls this Tuesday. Zimmerman is a staunch supporter of metro government, which would consolidate many of the services of city and county government. But as hopes of metro government dim with the growth of Marana and Oro Valley (and the possible birth of smaller suburban communities on the edge of Tucson's city limits), Zimmerman says she'd push an aggressive annexation policy and vehemently opposes the nascent incorporation efforts of Casas Adobes, Tortolita and the Catalina Foothills. She supports the direct delivery of CAP water, but says she'd insist that it be clear and non-corrosive before she'd vote to pump it into Tucson homes. Zimmerman co-owns a marketing firm with her husband Peter. The firm, Zimmerman and Associates, has had a hand in many political campaigns in recent years. In the 1995 city election, the firm designed the strategy to oppose Prop 200, which barred the direct delivery of CAP water for five years. The initiative passed at the ballot, but this year a new initiative, supported by the Safe and Sensible Water political action committee, seeks to overturn it. The Zimmerman firm has been paid almost $25,000 by the Safe and Sensible Committee, which, according to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the city clerk's office, has received virtually all of its contributions from Fairfield Green Valley and Broadway Realty. Zimmerman has raised more money than her opponents, having pulled in more than $16,000 in contributions for her council campaign. With matching funds from the city, Zimmerman will have more than $30,000 at her disposal. Fellow Democratic candidate Tres English served on the charter committee with Zimmerman. English, who manages his family's property interests, has been active in his neighborhood association and helped found the Neighborhood Coalition of Greater Tucson. He's also served as conservation chair for the local Sierra Club branch. A vocal advocate for alternative transportation, English has served on committees that have developed regional transportation plans. He also helped defeat a 1986 ballot proposition that would have levied a half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements because the plan didn't provide funding for bike paths, buses and other alternative modes of transportation.
English applied for matching funds this week, having raised $6,783. Like English, Leo Pilachowski has spent years fighting for neighborhood interests. He's served on the Citizens Advisory Planning Committee and helped design guidelines to protect Tucson's arroyos. While he advocates annexing more land into the city limits, Pilachowski says he wouldn't support any special deals or agreements to encourage residents to join the city. Like Zimmerman and English, Pilachowski is a campaign veteran. His computer skills in targeting voters have played a key role in electing Molly McKasson and Shirley Scott to the City Council. Last year, he helped engineer Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson's come-from-behind win in District 3.
Although she's never sought public office, Alison Hughes is a familiar face to Democrats as well. An administrator with the UA Rural Health Office, Hughes has had a varied career. She was the first executive director of the Tucson Women's Commission, and served a two-year stint as an aide to former Congressman Jim McNulty. She's also served on a long list of organizations dedicated to civil rights and health care. A member of the Democrats' Nucleus Club, Hughes was also the state party's Democrat of the Year in 1995. Her strong Democratic connections have allowed Hughes to build a formidable campaign fund. She's raised $9,673 and is eligible to receive matching funds.
Barcelo left a job with the Pima County Sheriff's Department in 1994 to take a job in Congressman Ed Pastor's office. After nearly two years, he left the job and went to work on the UAPD force. Barcelo says he'd concentrate on investing in the inner city rather than annexing new areas into the city. He also supports the efforts of surrounding communities to incorporate under a new state law. Barcelo is opposed to direct delivery of CAP water and supports recharge efforts throughout the Tucson valley. As of May 31, Barcelo had spent only $73 on his campaign and had received no contributions. With about 25,500 Democrats in Ward 6, the race is bound to be tight. If 25 percent turn out for the primary--a high number for council races--that means the five candidates will be splitting about 5,000 votes. That means every vote will count--and five savvy candidates are going to work overtime earning them.
An HMO financial analyst who moonlights as a paramedic, Ronstadt says his family's legacy of community service has inspired him to take on the imposing challenge of running on the GOP ticket in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly a three-to-two margin.
Libertarian Dan Dougherty will also appear on the general election
ballot.
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English says the debate over CAP water is misplaced; he predicts
Tucson will lose its CAP allotment within 50 years because Colorado
River water rights have been over-allocated.
As of July 14, Pilachowski had raised more than $5,000 and crossed
the hurdle to receive matching funds, which will double his warchest.
He tells The Weekly he plans to run an economical campaign
and has budgeted $22,000 for the primary.
The youngest candidate in the group, 32-year-old Octavio Barcelo,
has a decade of political experience. A 
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Fred
Ronstadt in the general election. The 34-year-old Ronstadt is
making his first run at public office, but he already has better
name-recognition than any of the Democrats. His family has been
active in Tucson politics for nearly a century; his father, Jim
Ronstadt, is director of the city's parks and recreation department,
and his uncle Peter served as police chief for more than a decade.
