By D. Shayne Christie and Jennifer M. Fitzenberger
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 5, 1997

Voters just say no

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Voters turned out in larger than expected numbers to kill three-quarters of the propositions on yesterday's city ballot.

Tucsonans rejected eight of 12 proposals in the general city election.

The election drew over 30 percent of registered voters, elections spokesman Michael Carson said, a higher number than general elections have seen in the recent past.

The ballot included propositions to raise the minimum wage and deliver Central Arizona Project water to city homes.

"A lot of the issues on the ballot are very emotional issues, that gets people out to vote," Carson said.

Final results were delayed because there were still people in line to vote last night when polls closed at 7 p.m., Carson said.

According to the law anyone in line when polls close can vote, he said.

The results, as of 11:20 p.m. with 82 percent of precincts reporting, are as follows:

Voters decided not to raise minimum wage within the Tucson city limits to $7 an hour, rejecting Proposition 202 by more than a 2-to-1 margin.

Jeff Imig, a UA employee who heads the Tucson Livable Wage Committee, was upbeat despite the vote.

"As far as we are concerned we have already won. We got the issue of poverty and low wages out on the table," he said.

Opposition to the minimum wage proposal, which failed 28 percent to 69 percent, claimed businesses would have to raise prices and lose employees to stay afloat.

The UA hires between 1,500 and 1,800 employees at the current minimum wage rate.

Jerry Ford, compensation specialist for the UA, said the increase would have cost some UA employees their jobs.

The increase would also have cost the Student Unions hundreds of thousands of dollars, said Dan Adams, Student Union director.

Among other propositions turned down by voters yesterday:

Proposition 201- which would have amended the Tucson code to allow the city to deliver Central Arizona Project water to homes after certain standards were met.

Proposition 200 - which would have given city employee unions more leeway in contract negotiations, allowed city workers to get involved in Tucson politics and make civilian review of police conduct negotiable.

Propositions 101, 102, 103 and 105 - which would have made organizational changes in the city charter to allow the mayor to vote on removal of city officers and established a Charter Review Advisory Committee, among other changes.

Proposition 107 - which would have given city council members a $500 a month raise.

Items approved by voters include:

Proposition 100 - which will allow the city to redistrict two years after a U.S. census.

Proposition 104- which will consolidate procedures for filling vacancies in city government and allow the mayor to vote to fill those positions.

Proposition 106 - which will eliminate outdated language in a vagrancy law in the city charter.

Proposition 400- which will give a franchise to GST Tucson Lightwave Inc. to improve the city's telecommunication infrastructure with fiber optics.

The only contested city council seat for Ward 6, which includes the UA, was a race between Democrat Alison Hughes, Republican Fred Ronstadt and Libertarian Dan Starr Dougherty, (see related story).

Ronstadt voted against Proposition 202 because he said minimum wage needs to be discussed nationally rather than locally.

"If it is passed in a small city, we are going to lose businesses and jobs," he said. "The proposition, in effect, is going to hurt them. It is a detriment to the community."

Ronstadt voted for Proposition 201 because it would give the community the right to chose the water they drink.

"The city needs a flexible resource," he said. "It's like saying going to the grocery store and saying you can only buy one brand of macaroni and cheese. We need the flexibility to decide."

Voters in Pima County also voted on two incorporation efforts, a $10 million Catalina Foothills School District bond issue, as well a $350,000 county road bonds package.

Voters approved both of the bonds, as well as the incorporation of the Village of Casas Adobes.

Preliminary results indicate the incorporation effort for the City of Catalina Foothills failed.

1997 Tucson General Election Results

88 percent of precints reporting

			yes		no
Prop. 100		54%		32%
Prop. 101		40%		50%
Prop. 102		37%		48%
Prop. 103		32%		58%
Prop. 104		50%		44%
Prop. 105		44%		47%
Prop. 106		61%		31%
Prop. 107		43%		53%
Prop. 200		36%		58%
Prop. 201		40%		58%
Prop. 202		27%		71%
Prop. 400		66%		26%