By D. Shayne Christie and G. Patrick Revere
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 17, 1997

Anderson captures Ward 3 council seat

Democrat Jerry Anderson beat out three fellow party members last night to win the Ward 3 seat on Tucson's City Council.

Since the Democrats were unopposed in Ward 3, Anderson, a Tucson Unified School District teacher, will be the next councilman pending verification of the final tally.

Anderson was ahead of the closest competitor, Michael Crawford, by 261 votes. He received 1,421 votes, 43 percent of the total.

The incumbent Crawford received 35 percent of the total or 1,160 votes.

University of Arizona law student Dimitri Downing came in third with just over 16 percent of the vote, or 530 votes.

Alex Kimmelman got 149 votes, a little more than 4 percent of the vote. Kimmelman, 41, received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from University of Arizona and is employed by the Arizona History Association.

Anderson, 39, also received his bachelor's degree in history from the UA and later his master's degree from Arizona State University in instructional media.

He was an aide to former Mayor Tom Volgy and worked on the city's program for aggressive annexation.

Crawford, 32, who was appointed to the Ward 3 seat in October 1995 after Tom Saggau resigned for personal reasons, will continue his job with the Pima County Public Defender's Office.

Downing, 25, is a third-year law student at UA. His political experience includes his participation in Mayor George Miller's ISSUES Program and helping campaign for the re-election of President Clinton and Vice President Gore.

"We did as well as we thought we could considering the amount we spent," Downing said. "We are glad that so many people came out to vote for us."

Downing said he plans to run again in four years, spend some more money and win the Ward 3 seat. He said his campaign spent $5,000 total or about $10 per vote - compared to anywhere from $25 to $50 per vote spent by the other candidates.