Watch AZPM interview of 3 Tucson Mayoral candidates

AZPM’s Lorraine Rivera of Arizona 360 interviewed the 3 candidates running for Mayor of Tucson – Democratic Ward 1 Councilmember Regina Romero (serving 3 terms), Independent political newcomer Ed Ackerley (uncle of former LD 2 Republican House Rep. Chris Ackerley), and Green Party candidate Mike Cease (who ran unsuccessfully for Ward 6 Council in 2017 and Pima County Assessor in 2016).

This is an open seat as Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, a Democrat, decided to step down after 2 terms.

Watch the 28 minute AZPM video of 10/18/19 here: https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2019/10/18/160383-tucson-mayoral-candidate-forum/?fbclid=IwAR3xOQYKEPcLSQC7sNvx_0YDrlKcOuOVCZmIH9w5LUvxjrBLGDuK-OLyNg8

Earlier this year I wrote an article about the previous women candidates for Mayor:

Women candidates for Mayor of Tucson (1991 to 2019)

If elected, Romero will be the first woman Mayor of Tucson, and the first Hispanic woman to hold this position.

I’ve also written an article in 2017 about Independent candidates
“Can an Independent candidate win in Tucson?”:https://blogforarizona.net/can-an-independent-candidate-win-in-tucson/. Independents have a harder time campaigning for an office, since they have no organized political party to assist them.

If Ackerley wins, he will make history as the first Independent Mayor of Tucson, and probably the first Independent candidate to win an election in Tucson. Ed Ackerley was a Democrat and changed his registration to Independent to run for this position.

If Cease wins, it would also make history due to the low # of Green Party registered voters in this city, compared to Democrats or Republicans. I don’t think there has ever been a Green Party elected official in Tucson.

Check out these recent voter registration numbers in the City of Tucson, from the Pima County Recorder’s Office:

Democrats   119,504

Republicans  58,976

Green  875

Libertarian  2,208

Others/Independents  82,778

There have only been 2 candidate forums for Mayor of Tucson for the General Election (as far as I know) — the LWVGT one on Sept. 26, and the Barrio Hollywood one on October 12.

Vote wisely on or before Nov. 5, 2019. Early ballots went out on October 10.