Illustration by Arnie Bermudez

As the semester rolls on and builds momentum as it does every year, I always look forward to what the month of November brings. It signals the home stretch of the fall semester, which is both exciting and a little scary. The belt-busting few days of Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The cooler, but wonderful Arizona weather I talked so much about last week is finally here to stay. In addition to all these wonderful things November brings, it is also when we get to exercise our greatest right as United States citizens. We get to vote.

Of course, the vast majority of people on campus would look around utterly confused and say, "Isn't the election next year?" or "I thought Arnold already won."

Well, cheer up UA! Although we are not living in California (or Calie-forn-ya as it's now called by the governor-elect) and the campaign for the White House is a year away, there is an important reason for those living here in Tucson to get out to the polls. While many students at the UA overlook city elections, the outcome of these propositions and city positions will undoubtedly affect the campus in the future.

These races may not have the glitz and the glamour of those other elections ÷ for that Tucson would need Clint Eastwood, Wayne Newton or Roy Rogers to come riding in on horseback and take the election guns blazing, then ride off into the sunset.

Even so, both candidates for mayor are putting up a great fight, making this election heated, intriguing and too close to call even this late in the game. Both feel they are the right men for the job, each having been Tucson's mayor in the past. Bob Walkup, the incumbent, is looking to extend his current tenure as mayor and Tom Volgy is looking to get back the office he held over a decade ago.

Jason Poreda Columnist

There are also three seats on the Tucson city council on the ballot that can't be ignored, especially by people at the UA. The city council, along with the mayor, approves construction around our campus, adds traffic lights, appropriates money for the Tucson Police Department and influences a number of other hot issues that come up from time to time here on campus.

In addition to the four offices on this year's ballot, three very important propositions will have a huge impact on the future of Tucson and the UA. Propsitions 200 and 201, which have got a lot of publicity lately, will raise taxes to add a 13-mile-long light rail system on Broadway Boulevard along with a number of other fixes designed to alleviate the traffic woes here in Tucson. The third is a proposition that will raise the salaries of the mayor and city council members by $13,000 and $8,000, respectively.

The decisions on this year's ballot should be on the minds of all Tucsonans, yet our campus seems to be cut off from all the excitement of this thrilling citywide election. We're in our own little world surviving separated from the goings-on in Tucson because the students here don't have to worry about it, right?

That's what I thought when I first came here. "I'm not even from here, I'm from Massachusetts. Why should I care what goes on in Tucson?" I said to myself, not wanting to admit that Tucson was slowly absorbing me.

The bottom line is that we all live and reside here. Think there should be a left turn arrow at Park Avenue and East Speedway Boulevard? What about all that butt-ugly "artwork" which got put up all over the city? Everyone on campus has an opinion about this "little stuff" that we students encounter in our daily lives. Everything that goes on here affects us all, including these city elections.

This is the students' chance to make a difference and put our mark on how Tucson runs and operates. I will be out at the polls tomorrow, if for no other reason than to make sure Tucson doesn't jump on the first new, but doomed to fail, transportation idea to come around, like Springfield did by building a fancy new monorail.

Tucson lives and dies with this university. The people and students that call it home have a say in what this city does and how it does it, but in order to be heard you have to make a trip to the polls.

Jason Poreda is a political science and communication senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.