Citizens for Picture Rocks (C4PR), a non-partisan civic organization in the rural community of 10,000 people west of the Tucson Mountains, have held candidate forums for years at the local community center. The third of this election season, October 18, was to feature candidates for state senator and representative in Legislative District 11 along with candidates for sheriff. But a kerfuffle last month set the stage for Democratic candidates to decide they had “other engagements,” as did the organizer of the local Democrats for Picture Rocks. Mark Napier and Chris Nanos were not present either, but for unrelated reasons.
It seems that the September 20 candidates’ forum was originally announced for candidates for both supervisor and state representatives, but a change in plans did not get communicated to all concerned. Supervisor candidates Sharon Bronson and Kim DeMarco came, and ultimately were the focus of the forum, and Senate Democratic candidate Ralph Atchue and candidate for House of Representatives Corin Hammond also showed up. Republican Representative Vince Leach was present, but he was attending the C4PR meeting, as he does often, just to stay in touch with the community.
When the two Democrats were told they were scheduled for October they insisted on speaking that night and were turned down. Forum moderator Jennifer Burns, a former state representative, told the candidates that the meeting was about Picture Rocks and not about them. Hammond, Atchue and their entourage then walked out, some rather angrily, and left the area.
The absence of the two candidates and their local organizer led many to believe that a decision had been made to boycott the C4PR meeting. Two of the Republican candidates did show up; State Senator Steve Smith and Representative Vince Leach. Fellow Representative Mark Finchem, they said, had another meeting to go to. Without the Democrats, and with no others in the race, that left the evening to the two Republicans. They chose not to attack their missing opponents, but emphasized how some issues needed to transcend party lines.
Both recounted their legislative achievements and frustrations in what turned out to be a more conversational gathering rather than a campaign function. Burns asked questions from the community, including their positions on Interstate 11, which County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry wants to run through the Avra Valley. While both believe I-11 is “going to happen,” they emphasized that, as Leach put it, “the I-10 trail is already blazed.” Smith said that stacking I-10 makes the most sense, would save money, and is a shorter route.
Asked about road repairs, Leach suggested selling some of the 90 percent of Pima County land that is government owned to developers and encouraging public-private partnerships. Smith said that Pima County is getting Highway User Revenue Funds but may not be spending them on road repairs. The State has no jurisdiction once the HURF money is allocated to the counties.
Both opposed the two propositions on the November ballot, 205 to legalize recreational marijuana, and 206, to raise the minimum wage to $12 by 2020. Leach pointed out the marijuana proposition is twenty pages of legalese while Smith said, “When in doubt, vote no.” Without Hammond or Atchue present, the arguments in favor of the propositions, which both support, were one-sided.
Leach has been working with Picture Rocks activists to limit and hold accountable Tucson Water and Saguaro National Park for their aerial spraying of glyphosate, a “probable carcinogen” according to the World Health Organization. Spraying has sickened nearby neighbors and their pets and killed cattle forage on adjacent ranch land. Smith joined Leach with a “pledge to do all I can” while telling residents to “keep doing what you’re doing, stay vocal.”
A question originally intended for the sheriff candidates was given to the two state legislators: What can be done to rebuild community trust in law enforcement? They responded that Arizona has moved $2 million in law enforcement funds for new training, “using real world scenarios to make better officers and bridge gaps with the community.” Arizona, they said, was the first state to invest in cutting edge training technology. Leach added at “Jobs, jobs, jobs would take care of a lot of problems,’ urging the “harvesting of natural resources to create jobs.”
Citizens for Picture Rocks meet on the third Tuesday of each month except December at 6:30 at the Picture Rocks Community Center, 5615 N. Sanders Road. Meetings are free and open to all, with frequent speakers of interest to the local community.