PCDP Executive Committee Urges Tucson City Council to Appeal “Paton’s Law;” Restore Local Control

The Pima County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee voted unanimously this week to support Tucson's freedom to chart its own course and hold city elections based on the will of our hometown voters.

The party’s executive committee urges the City Council to appeal Judge Michael Miller's ruling in favor of the non-partisan and ward-only elections imposed on Tucson voters by Phoenix Republican politicians.

The resolution reads:

"The citizens of the City of Tucson deserve the right to pick the method of electing their council persons -- just as every other city in Arizona has up until now."

Tucson voters have rejected similar ballot propositions four times but that didn't stop former State Sen. Jonathan Paton from scheming with his Phoenix political pals to grab power at the expense of the will of his neighbors and former constituents.

“It's sadly typical of Jonathan Paton's increasing desire to score partisan political points leading up to his run for Congress,” said Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Rogers.

"Jonathan Paton wants freedom so long as it advances his narrow partisan agenda,” Rogers said. "If Tucson held a two-to-one Republican Party advantage and those voters had repeatedly said no to ward-only, non-partisan elections, no way would he have proposed the change. There’s no way his Right-Wing Phoenix political pals would have let him."

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