What’s going on?

by David Safier
I'm confused. The Republicans, led by Paton, are ramming a bill through that would change the way our city council is elected. And all but one Democrat voted for it in committee.

Forget about whether they're right or wrong, whether nonpartisan is better than partisan, whether elections by ward are better than citywide elections. I can see how folks can come down on both sides of those issues.

The point is, Maricopa is trying to tell us how to do things in Southern Arizona. The dysfunctional state legislature thinks it knows what we should do to get our acts together. We shouldn't cede authority in purely local matters to the state. It's an autonomy issue. Let Tucson be Tucson. Let Southern Arizona be Southern Arizona.

This could be a golden issue for local Democratic candidates during the 2010 elections. Target every Republican who votes to allow Maricopa to dictate to Southern Arizona about local matters. Let them defend turning us into a colony of our imperial Maricopa overlords, or a wholly owned subsidiary of Maricopa, Inc. Choose your metaphor, but stick it to them. The Democrats can campaign on the issue of preserving local control of Southern Arizona and fighting in the legislature to help it prosper while we maintain our right to make our own decisions.

So why are Democratic legislators giving the Republicans cover? The bill will pass if the Republicans want it to without Democratic votes. I'm sure Democrats who aren't from around here don't think this is an issue their constituents care about. Democrats should be voting against this bill. It's a bad idea, because it puts local matters under state control.

The issue of Rio Nuevo is more complicated. There are state funding issues involved. But the idea is the same. We know Rio Nuevo will be screwed up if Maricopa — they don't like us, remember? — gains control of the purse strings and the planning. We have a much better chance of getting it right if the people who have a stake in the future of this area make the decisions — us, and our locally elected officials. Are Democrats going to cover for Republicans when that comes up as well?