UA alum makes run for Tucson mayor's seat

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Summer Wildcat "I think you draw the line between using the university's pure expertise... and using the university to take sides on an issue." Jay Gonzales TEP manager of public affairs

More than 40 years after she began her career at the UA, mayoral candidate Betsy Bolding still sees the university as Tucson's most valuable asset.

The current consumer affairs director for Tucson Electric Power and former high school teacher said, if elected, she hopes to strengthen the bond between the University of Arizona and the city government.

"The mayor needs to be out talking to the university on a regular basis," Bolding said.

The UA is entrenched in the Tucson community, regardless of the large number of non-Tucson residents attending the school, she said.

"The value and the resource that is here doesn't come and go," Bolding said. "The infrastructure is there all the time, and we don't use it."

She said the UA can be a scientific resource to the Tucson government without compromising the learning institution's non-political nature.

"I think you draw the line between using the university's pure expertise...and using the university to take sides on an issue," she said.

UA President Peter Likins is the type of person who will increase that involvement and bridge the gap between the city and the college, she said.

Likins recently asked the department of hydrology to conduct a study of the Tucson's water supply as a favor to the city, which he insisted at a Monday press conference was not a political move. The report was the first administrative request of its kind.

"Those kinds of things can't be politicized," Bolding said, referring to the water debate. "We have to take that expertise and use it for what it is."

Bolding, who was special assistant to former Gov. Bruce Babbitt for seven years, gained clout in the race when Mayor George Miller announced he would endorse the Democratic candidate.

She came to the UA in 1958 from her Phoenix homeland to earn a bachelor's degree in journalism during what she called the "good old days" of the department.

"My training in journalism...I think was the most valuable thing I ever did," she said.

Her undergraduate education taught her to examine all angles of an issue - a skill transferable to politics.

Bolding's devotion to Tucson began at the UA, where she said she was "enthusiastic to the point of disgust."

After being disappointed by journalism job opportunities and pay, Bolding earned her masters degree in English and began teaching at Tucson high schools - opening both Palo Verde and Santa Rita High Schools.

After 15 years of teaching, Bolding moved into the worlds of Tucson business and politics, resisting the urge to tackle the nation's capitol.

Upon reflection, she said she regrets not pursuing national politics. But today, Bolding has no desire to leave Tucson.

"I'm not interested - I really care about the community," she said.

After her stint with gubernatorial service, Bolding went to work for a struggling TEP in 1989.

Jay Gonzales, TEP manager of public affairs, said that while he is technically her supervisor, he is certainly not her boss.

"I don't put myself anywhere near her," he said. "She's the type of person that people will listen to and respect."

Gonzales added that Bolding puts the community and her job above any political agenda or belief.

"This city is badly in need of that kind of leadership," he said. "Unfortunately that could be a tough way to do business in politics."

Although she has been criticized for being too business-oriented, Miller insisted that Bolding has balanced viewpoints and "a real strong commitment to supporting social services."

Miller isn't the only ally Bolding has in Tucson.

She said after years of working in Tucson, the best part of campaigning is the support she receives from old friends all over the Old Pueblo. She also said people who have left Tucson are still residents at heart.

"They want a mayor they can be proud of," Bolding said. "They are Tucson - Tucson is where they are."