Arizona Daily Star; Tucson, Ariz.; Oct 24, 2001; Joe Salkowski;

Republicans enjoying trend of success in city elections

It wasn't so long ago that Democrats had a lock on the Tucson City Council.

This year, though, it seems Republicans have stolen all the keys.

The GOP candidates in both contested council races enjoy greater name recognition and much more financial support than their Democratic opponents. They've also benefited from an early voting effort that will likely give them substantial leads before the polls even open for the Nov. 6 general election.

Suddenly, the party that still enjoys a three-to-two edge in voter registration is struggling to maintain a meaningful voice on a council it called its own just four years ago.

"Obviously, the Republicans now as compared to the past are truly interested in winning city elections," said former Mayor George Miller, who presided over councils almost exclusively composed of his fellow Democrats. "They figure they've got a chance to really get the place locked up."

Nothing illustrates the Democrats' dilemma better than early voting reports. Exactly 14,000 Republican voters had requested early ballots through Monday, compared with just 5,824 Democratic voters. If Democrats can't close that gap before Friday - the deadline for requesting mail-in ballots - their candidates will likely begin Election Day in a deep hole.

The Republicans also have richer friends. Two independent campaign committees are planning to spend tens of thousands of dollars in support of Ward 6 Councilman Fred Ronstadt and Ward 3 Republican candidate Kathleen Dunbar, both of whom have raised enough money on their own to reach the city's $80,000 spending cap.

Ward 6 Democrat Gayle Hartmann has managed to keep pace with Ronstadt's resources, but Ward 3 Democrat Paula Aboud's campaign is trailing Dunbar's by about $25,000, according to a recent report. Meanwhile, the Democrats won't get much help from a union-backed group that helped Ward 5 Councilman Steve Leal secure re-election by defeating Jesse Lugo in the Sept. 11 Democratic primary.

"I don't have the same fund-raising capabilities as those developers and the Republican Party," said Mike Vespoli, treasurer of Tucsonans for Excellence in Government. The group might spend some money encouraging Democrats to vote, but Vespoli said he can't match the resources of groups backed by Tucson business leaders and the state Republican Party.

"Pouring money into the campaign hasn't been our forte," said David Bradley, chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party. "We're trying to offset it with people power, by getting our people out pounding the pavement and those kinds of things."

Democrats didn't always have to work so hard. During much of the past two decades, Republicans didn't put much effort into overcoming the voter registration edge that seemed to prevent them from winning citywide races in Tucson.

"There was a feeling that we couldn't win these races years ago," said John Munger, chairman of the Pima County Republican Party. "But we've made up our minds that the City Council is not going to be the sole habitat of the Democrats."

That new attitude is largely the result of two recent elections. In 1997, Ronstadt emerged from relative obscurity to defeat Democrat Alison Hughes in the race to replace outgoing Democratic Councilwoman Molly McKasson. Hughes seemed a clear favorite, but she was haunted by hard feelings from a bitter five-way Democratic primary.

Two years later, Republican Bob Walkup won a high-profile mayoral race over McKasson, a liberal candidate whose message of urban renewal fell flat with the growing ranks of Republican and independent voters outside the city's heavily Democratic core.

"I think Walkup probably showed Republicans that the Ronstadt victory two years earlier wasn't a fluke," said Steve Emerine, a former county assessor and conservative Democrat who co-chaired an independent campaign group that backed Walkup.

"A Republican who talks in terms of solving all of Tucson's problems instead of the problems of a very limited area can have some appeal," Emerine said.

Emerine and Munger said Democrats have hurt their cause by running candidates who hew too closely to the interests of neighborhood groups while ignoring the needs of businesses and most middle-class voters. Miller said that isn't the case with Aboud or Hartmann, but he agreed that perception has motivated Republican activists.

"They feel it's more important to get their people in than it was years ago," Miller said. "It's almost like, by God, they've got to do something about it."

The Democratic candidates have responded by combining certain portions of their campaigns, allowing Leal to spend some leftover campaign cash in support of Aboud and Hartmann. Bradley also said the candidates can expect their party will be working the phones and walking precincts on Election Day.

Democratic Councilman Jose Ibarra also has petitioned the national Democratic Party to kick in $10,000 to support the local party's get- out-the-vote efforts.

"The fact of the matter is that it's all about the money," Ibarra said. "When you're up against so much money, the three-to-two advantage you have in voter registration doesn't mean as much."

Mail ballots available

Friday is the deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot for the Nov. 6 city election.

All city residents who were registered to vote by Oct. 8 are eligible to cast ballots in all three council races, though only two races are contested. Republican Councilman Fred Ronstadt faces Democrat Gayle Hartmann in Ward 6, while Ward 3 candidates are Republican Kathleen Dunbar, Democrat Paula Aboud and Libertarian Jonathan Hoffman.

Democratic Councilman Steve Leal faces no general election opponent in Ward 5.

Voters who want to request mail-in ballots can call the City Clerk's Office before 5 p.m. Friday at 791-5784. Those ballots must be received by the City Clerk's Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

Early voting will continue to be available weekdays through Nov. 2 at three locations: City Hall, 255 W. Alameda St.; the city clerk's support services office, 800 E. 12th St.; and the Wilmot Branch Library, 530 N. Wilmot Road. Early ballots also may be cast Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wilmot Branch Library and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the clerk's support services office.

Contact Joe Salkowski at 573-4243 or at joes@azstarnet.com.

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