Election results for local offices in the City of Tucson and the surrounding Pima County show that metro Tucson is now bluer than ever, even as blue as Berkeley, Ca., but without Berkeley’s money.
Revised lyrics to Bobby Vinton’s hit song are in order, as follows:
Blue on blue, heartache on heartache
Blue on blue, now that Tucson is through
Blue on blue, heartache on heartache
And I find I can’t get over losing you.
Don’t take the above as a partisan lament. After all, this independent has voted for Democrats at times. Moreover, there are some Democrat municipalities that have widespread prosperity, a high-wage economy, exceptional schools, low crime, visionary government, a good transportation network, and roads that are nicely paved and beautified.
Sadly, Tucson isn’t one of them and, with the election results, probably never will be. That explains the word “through” in the revised lyrics. “Doomed” would have been a better word, but it doesn’t rhyme with “you.”
The problem isn’t necessarily that Tucson is so Democrat. Rather, the problem is that it has been under the control of one party for decades. Whether in business or politics, monopolies eventually self-destruct through hubris, arrogance, denial, and in-breeding.
The antidote is competition. But political competition is thwarted in metro Tucson by the city’s founding charter, by the left-liberal influence of the Tucson-based University of Arizona, by demographics that I won’t describe for fear of being misconstrued, by so much of the local economy being dependent on government money, and by so much of the metropolis being an unincorporated county, a jurisdiction that is headed by politicians and administrators who are joined at the hip politically and ideologically with their counterparts in the city.
Together, the City of Tucson and the unincorporated county comprise nearly 90 percent of metro Tucson’s nearly 1.1 million population.
The political situation—and the economic results—are quite different two hours up the interstate in metro Phoenix, where competition abounds between its 28 municipalities and its population of 4.5 million people. The competition is constructively channeled, however, by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), which ensures cooperation and funding between jurisdictions on transportation improvements and other matters.
By contrast, metro Tucson’s Regional Transportation Authority can’t get its act together and is a half-century behind MAG.
Amazingly, the majority of Tucsonans don’t have either heartache or heartburn over any of this. They’re delighted that Tucson is not only blue but now also blue on blue.
Mr. Cantoni can be reached at craigcantoni@gmail.com.
I grew up here in the late 60’s and 70’s and things were good until Democrat Tom Volgy came around and chased away IBM who had plans to expand here. Since then the City has been a liberal cesspool. I try to avoid spending any money within the city limits so I send very little sales tax dollars for idiots like Cunningham, Dahl, Santa Cruz and Romero can waste. Problem is the county is not much better.
Tucson is my hometown and it was a GREAT little city to grow up in back in the 60s and 70s. Sadly, this article is so very true. I want to cry whenever I have to venture into the inner city.
it’s my home town – it’s my families home town – it’s where my family came to from Mexico many decades ago. Have a photo of my mom riding in the Rodeo parade in the early 1930’s – we’ve been here… I’m aged – most of my remaining family (not many left) have gone elsewhere. It’s where I have my endeavors to this day. Is this article truth ; No doubt – the local government has been a joke and corrupt ‘good ol boyz’ organization as long as I can remember… I don’t see it changing.. but catch a free 90 million dollar ride on the trolley and celebrate victory
Thank you for articulating this decades old problem. I’m a native Tucsonan and Tucson will never ever reach its potential until the Democrat control is wrested away from these ideologues.
The State of Arizona needs to simply STOP FUNDING TUCSON, anything that’s not mandatory spending (i.e. mainly transfer payments & pre-budgeted items like big road projects, etc) and LET ‘EM LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES. Stop feeding this toxic tumor.
Tucson will continue to be the armpit of Arizona. It will never recover from the years of democrat lust for power and screw the people. All thanks to people like Dan Eckstrom and Raul Grijalva and their political flying monkeys plus the Chamber of Commerce who loves them some ILLEGAL labor for their members.
Spot on article…what a disgrace Tucson has been and will continue to be! Just wait until Adelita or Romero take Raul’s current job.
Not that it matters to anyone but I give up and no longer care what happens to this hellhole!