In the spirit of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis…we bring you our desert version this election season. In this tongue-in-cheek interview hosted by Trace Gallagher, you’ll meet Steve Diamond, running for Board of Supervisor in Pima County’s District 4.
Every Arizona county has a Board of Supervisors (BOS). Pima County elects five supervisors every four years in partisan elections. There are no term limits. In November 2020, all five supervisor seats are contested. To locate your supervisor district check your voter ID card or the Pima County Recorder’s website.
For the past four years, the BOS’s composition has been split 3-2, with Democrats in the majority. All of the races are important, but two are of intense interest in 2020 because the demographics suggest Democrats could flip GOP districts.
In District 1, Democrat Rex Scott is our candidate for a seat that has been in Republican hands since 1976. The conservative, two-term incumbent declined to run for another term. Scott’s opponent, Steve Spain, lands somewhere to the right of Trump and is becoming well-known for his false and inflammatory rhetoric. Scott, a career educator and school administrator, is the right person for the job. You can check out Rex Scott’s endorsements here.
In District 4, Steve Diamond is the first Democrat to run since 1996. Steve is a progressive running to unseat one-term Supervisor Steve Christy, a conservative Republican who supports Donald Trump. Steve is a regular at the weekly BOS meetings and knows the issues. He is a tireless campaigner. You can learn more about Steve Diamond here.
Other Democratic supervisor nominees:
Adelita Grijalva is running in District 5 for the seat left open by her friend Richard Elias’s death in March. Ms. Grijalva currently serves on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, which is an unpaid, elected position. Learn more about her at her website.
Matt Heinz in District 2 prevailed over the Democratic incumbent in the primary. Heinz, a physician, is a former state legislator who has run for U.S. Congress. Learn more about him at his website.
Sharon Bronson is the Democratic incumbent in District 3. She is known for her work ethic and accessibility. Learn more about Supervisor Bronson at her website.
Even if you live in a city or town in Pima County, you also reside in a County Supervisor District. The BOS has a significant impact on your daily life. They set the county tax rate and levy primary property taxes. They adopt the county’s annual budget, which in turn funds parks, libraries, flood control measures, roads and infrastructure improvements. The BOS faces difficult budgetary decisions ahead, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are confident that the Democratic nominees running for BOS will have the best interests of ALL Pima County residents in mind as they grapple with the unique challenges in our diverse and geographically-large border county.
Our series of Virtual Debates is going very well. Great engagement and we are learning a lot about our Democratic candidates.
You can view them live, or after the fact on our Facebook Page or right here on our website.
Check back for new additions to the line up.
On Sunday, September 15, District 3 Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson addressed an audience of 41 people as part of the Civic 2.0 series of talks on local, state and federal government. She shared what the Board of Supervisors does and how it interacts with other county agencies. She also explained the typical tax bill residents receive, what it pays for, how much the county actually gets, and what the money is used for. She encouraged people to get involved with advisory boards.
The next Civics 2.0 event is on Sunday, October 20, Flowing Wells Library, 1730 W Wetmore Rd, 2-3 pm. “Can you hear me now?” What happens when you contact your Member of Congress? Billy Kovacs (Outreach Director for Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick) and Cassandra Becerra (Outreach Director for Congressman Raúl Grijalva) will talk about what happens when you contact the local office of your Member of Congress. How does your comment reach your elected Representative? Register for FREE at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/can-you-hear-me-now-what-happens-when-you-contact-your-member-of-congress-tickets-69812291443
Civics 2.0 is a series of free talks, open to and aimed at the general public, offering topics of interest and relevance to Pima County residents. The talks are scheduled for the third Sunday of the month at Pima County Branch Libraries. These are not fund-raising or campaign events. Brought to you by the Pima County Democratic Party. For more info, call PCDP at (520) 326-3716.
