Jaime Gutierrez assistant vice president for Community Relations

Candidate's priorities include better rural representation, education

A UA worker who is also a seasoned politician officially announced yesterday that he will run for U.S. Congress.

Jaime Gutierrez, UA assistant vice president for Community Relations, asaid he will run for the Democratic nomination in District 7 - one of two new congressional seats given to Arizona after the 2000 census.

Gutierrez, a Tucson native and University of Arizona graduate, said the area making up District 7, which covers largely rural parts of five counties in Southern Arizona including the southwestern portion of Pima County, has a history of being neglected from federal funding.

Gutierrez said that during his 14 years in the state senate, Phoenix received federal dollars while the southern portion of the state was all but forgotten.

"When I was in Legislature, there was a sense that the state line ended at the Gila River border," he said.

The Gila River runs south of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

"If you think we (in eastern Pima County) haven't gotten anything, think about the rural areas," he said.

He said his main focus is to improve education in the district, which he said is lagging due to a lack of federal attention.

Gutierrez said if he were elected, he would have to resign his position at the UA because the majority of his work would be done in Washington, D.C., but he would do as much work as possible within his district so he could hear from his constituents.

He said Congressman Jim Kolbe's constant presence in the Tucson area is a good example of how he would like to conduct business.

"Jim has really set the benchmark," he said. "He's in Tucson almost every weekend."

Gutierrez said it is important for a Congressman to remember that constituents want to see who they voted for. Former state senator and political science lecturer Peter Goudinoff said getting elected is tough, but the trick is to get recognized by the constituents.

"You want to be known in the district," Goudinoff said. "You've got to figure out ways to get your name out there."

The first questions that voters have are, "why are you running?" and "why should I vote for you?" he said.

Goudinoff said because District 7 is predominantly a democratic region, the person who wins the democratic primary in September will most likely take the seat in the November general election.