Vote gets public's primary opinion

Arizona Daily Wildcat Octavio Barcelo

The polls open tomorrow morning for Tucson City Council primary elections, and the university-area Ward 6 ballot looks as though it may be the most interesting of the lot.

Incumbent Molly McKasson, 49, who has held the Ward 6 seat for eight years, announced in May that she would not be running again.

Five Democratic candidates are vying for the right to face Republican Fred Ronstadt and Libertarian Dan Dougherty in the Nov. 4 general election.

Carol Zimmerman, 47, director of development for St. Gregory's College Preparatory School, has served as staff chief for former Tucson Mayor Tom Volgy during his time as Ward 6 councilman. Zimmerman has spoken in support of closer cooperation between the university and its business neighbors along East Sixth Street.

Neighborhood activist and property manager, Tres English, 45, is most outspoken on issues involving urban sprawl and water management.

Octavio Barcelo, a 32-year-old University of Arizona Police Department officer, is also campaigning for the spot, and centers much of his campaign on law enforcement. Barcelo supports beefing up the force of bicycle cops, citing the fact that it takes about $40,000 to get a new cruiser on the road. The cost of preparing a bike for patrol, he said, is only about $600.

Leo Pilachowski, a 48-year-old physicist and Tucson Planning Commission member, has said he plans to take a break from his formal career if elected. He has focused much of his campaign efforts on addressing Tucson's transportation woes, and supports altering bus routes and condensing bus schedules during rush hours to make public transportation a more attractive option for commuting workers.

Alison Hughes, 57, UA associate director of rural health, also speaks critically of neighborhood issues, calling the idea to widen Pima Street a "bad idea" because broadening such a street would simply cause more motorists to use it.

In Ward 5, Steve Leal, the democratic incumbent, is running unopposed.

Jerry Anderson, Michael Crawford, Demitri Downing and Alex Kimmelman are the four democratic candidates running for the Ward 3 spot.

For information regarding polling places in your precinct, or to find out which precinct you are in, call the city clerk's office at 791-4213.