Press Release | Regarding Chair Bronson’s comments directed at County Recorder Cázares-Kelly.
TUCSON – PCDP Chair, Bonnie Heidler released the following statement on April 12th, 2022.
Dear Pima County Supervisors,
I and other Party leaders have learned that our County Recorder and her staff experienced treatment by Supervisors’ Chair Bronson that was demeaning and hurtful. The fact that Ms. Bronson was a White woman demeaning an Indigenous woman raised the specter of racism, increasing the pain. We have reviewed videos of the meetings in which the behavior in question occurred. As Democrats, we are committed to our bedrock value that all people, no matter who we are, our color or race or where we come from, have the human right to be treated with respect. In violating that principle, Chairwoman Bronson’s behavior, whether racially, politically, or personally motivated, is unacceptable.
Chairwoman Bronson’s treatment of Recorder Cázares-Kelly was extensively discussed at two successive Executive Committee meetings of the Pima County Democratic Party. The Committee authorized me on April 4, 2022, to write to the Board of Supervisors to express our anger, dismay, and disappointment with this behavior, and to ask the Chairwoman to comply with the standards of appropriate conduct found in the Pima County Ethics Guide which prohibits demeaning employees.
We call upon the Board of Supervisors to support the Recorder and hold Ms. Bronson accountable for her behavior. We urge you to take appropriate and corrective actions to repair the injury caused to public confidence in Recorder Cázares-Kelly, her department, the Pima County government, and especially those in our diverse community who aspire to public service.
My own view in this painful instance is that mutual respect and accountability for all parties requires speaking directly and honestly with one another and listening. To pull together as the multiracial, and multicultural community that we are, we owe this to ourselves. To demean people who are working hard to meet their responsibilities is unacceptable, especially when the sting of White Supremacy will be felt whether intended or not.
Our Recorder and her staff are doing excellent work moving us toward better voting access for all Pima County voters. I strongly suggest that we recognize this accomplishment, and give the support needed to successfully complete it. I urge that we all undertake the difficult and direct conversations needed to come together in our efforts.
Respectfully,
Bonnie Heidler
Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party
with Vote Center Presentation
2:25:10 Chair Bronson requests our elected Recorder should consult with the former Recorder for advice.