Schubert hosts launch party for Tucson City Council run

Democrat Miranda Schubert told a crowd of supporters on Saturday that she was running a “people-powered” campaign for the Midtown Ward 6 seat on the Tucson City Council.

“I think we have a tremendous opportunity to make change, to make our streets safe and functional for all users, to make sure everybody has a roof over their heads,” Schubert said at her January 25 launch party at the Historic Y in the West University neighborhood. “You know, we have so many diverse folks in the city, and our housing stock should reflect that, but we can do that in a way that is sensitive to the environment, sensitive to our historic preservation priorities, and sensitive to the input of the public.”

Schubert, who works in an administrative role at community radio station KXCI, 91.3 FM, has served on the city’s Board of Adjustment and the Complete Streets Coordinating Council, where she has been an advocate for more bike lanes and more sidewalks.

She also founded Tucson for Everyone, an organization that advocates for affordable housing and better public transit.

There is no incumbent in the Ward 6 race because Councilmember Karin Uhlich is not seeking the office. Uhlich was appointed to the seat in May 2024 after Democrat Steve Kozachik resigned from the Council. Uhlich had previously served in Ward 3.

Schubert is making her second run for the Ward 6 seat. She captured 28 percent of the vote against Kozachik in the 2021 Ward 6 primary.

Schubert has landed longtime environmental leader Carolyn Campbell and local architect Corky Poster as the co-chairs of her campaign.

Campbell told the about 100 people gathered for the party that Schubert has “such a deep sense of justice and working for the good of the community. And who else would you want to be in office but somebody that has worked so hard for the community?”

Campbell added that Schubert would work on “some of the things that we need people to work on in this community — sustainability, sustainable growth, sustainable water supply, sustainable energy.”

“And we’re tired of listening to these experts, you know, who know what we need to do about water and that we just want water to support growth,” Campbell said. “No, we want water to support us. …  I will say the city has done pretty well but it’s time for a new generation to step up and come to with new ideas, listen to the people in our community, and really move this community forward.”

Poster, who has been involved in many of city’s low-income housing projects, including the recently completed Milagro on Oracle complex and the ongoing effort to give Tucson House a makeover, said he believed Schubert would be an advocate for affordable housing.

“She was so knowledgeable and very clear that’s the highest priority for her,” Poster said. “She had all the right things to say about affordable housing.”

Poster said that Schubert was was “right on target with understanding exactly the complexities of historic preservation, how we find new economically sustainable uses for old buildings, which is, in my opinion, the heart of preservation.”

“And more importantly,” Poster added, “she was very clear that she was interested in inclusive participation – not the kind of participation where the loudest voice gets their way, but rather to go into the community where folks are and listen to those voices that are often quiet and whose needs and views are not always represented.”

Schubert told the Tucson Sentinel she had not yet decided whether she would vote in favor of Prop. 414, the Safe & Vibrant City Initiative that would impose a half-cent sales tax within Tucson city limits to increased funding for the police and fire departments as well as affordable housing, homeless services and other programs such as scholarships for preschoolers.

Mayor Regina Romero and all the current Council members are supporting the ballot measure, which voters will decide in a March 11 election. Early ballots will be sent to all Tucson voters on Feb. 12 and the deadline to register to vote in the election is Feb. 10.

Schubert is among four candidates who are eyeing campaigns in Ward 6.

Pima Community College Governing Board member Theresa Riel filed a statement of organization on Jan. 7.

Riel told the Sentinel that her work with her Midtown neighborhood association and on the PCC board has prepared her for serving on the Tucson City Council.

Riel said she knocked on thousands of doors during her PCC campaign and expected to do the same for her City Council run.

“I’m sure I’m going to have the same kind of activities and connections to people in the ward about what it is they expect from their city,” Riel said. “I think it takes someone who really cares about community, who is willing to put the time and energy in.”

Charlie Verdin, who is a co-owner of Fangamer, a company that sells T-shirts, toys and other merchandise related to video games, filed his statement of organization on Dec. 18, 2024. 

He said he was running because he was concerned about rising housing costs.

He added that he wanted to be a City Council member that members of the public could approach with their problems.
“I think that that accessibility is another huge part of what I am aiming for as a City Council person,” Verdin said. “I want to be able to engage with people directly and help them solve their problems.”

Verdin flirted with a run for Congress in 2018 and ran for the Arizona Legislature in 2020.

Leighton Rockafellow Jr., a personal injury attorney who is making his first run for public office, filed his statement of organization on Dec. 9.

“With the upcoming Community Corridors Tool and RTA Next proposal, we are at a crossroads regarding the future of development, the future of our streets, and the future of our housing.” Rockafellow said via email. “I am the Ward 6 candidate with the personal skills, personal knowledge and background to guide our local government toward the path that leads to a better Tucson for all.”

Ward 5: Fourth candidate files statement of interest

In Ward 5, Democrat Chris Elsner filed a statement of interest in the race, joining three other Democrats who are considering campaigns: Jesse Lugo, Selina Barajas and Richard Hernandez.

Councilman Richard Fimbres, first elected in 2009, told the Sentinel earlier this month that he wouldn’t be seeing a fifth term in the South-Central ward.

Elsner hasn’t previously sought public office in Tucson. He said that “Tucson faces many challenges going forward including housing affordability and accessibility, upgrading public infrastructure, ensuring adequate funding for city services and public safety, and making sure our community is resilient and adaptable to climate change. However, I’m sure there are a lot of other issues the residents of Ward 5 are worried about, and I’m excited to meet with them and listen to their concerns as I seek the Democratic nomination for the ward.”

Elsner grew up in Pinetop-Lakeside and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Northern Illinois University. He served two years in the Peace Corps in Ukraine before moving to Tucson in 2011 to attend grad school, where he earned a master’s degree in public administration and a graduate certificate in entrepreneurship.

“Over the past few years, building community and trying to bring people together has been a focus for me and something I would want to prioritize as a council member,” Elsner said via email. “I’m interested in exploring ways to get Tucsonans more involved in local government through participatory budgeting and forms of digital democracy. I want to ensure that the city is responsive to the needs of its residents, that people feel like they are being heard, and that local government is working in the best interests of our community.”

Lugo, who previously ran for City Council in 2001, filed a formal statement of organization for a run in Ward 5 on Jan. 16 and has tapped retired firefighter Fred Fitzpatrick to chair his campaign.

Barajas, a UA grad who earned a master’s degree in planning at UCLA, has been involved in transportation planning and climate change adaptation efforts in Tucson. She is a co-owner of the Luna y Sol Cafe in South Tucson.

Hernandez won 14 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary for the District 2 seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors in 2020. Hernandez made an aborted run for the Pima Community College Governing Board in 2024 but withdrew after filing his nominating petitions.

Candidates must file a statement of interest before they begin collecting signatures on their nominating petitions. Before they raise more than $500, they must file a statement of organization. (Candidates who plan to participate in the city’s publicly financed campaign program, which provides a dollar-for-dollar match of individual campaign contributions to qualified candidates, must file a statement of organization before collecting nomination signatures, raising funds or spending money.)

Nominating petitions for the Aug. 5 primary are due Monday, April 7.

Ward 3: Dahl remains the sole candidate

In North-Central Ward 3, Councilman Kevin Dahl is seeking a second term. No candidates have filed to run against him.

No Republican candidates have stepped forward yet, but Pima County Republican Party Chairwoman Kathleen Winn told the Sentinel that she expects the GOP will field candidates in all three races.

Candidates in Tucson City Council elections run within their wards in the primary race, but citywide in the general.

Democrats have a significant voter-registration advantage over Republicans, with nearly two Democrats for every Republican. Overall, Democrats make up 42 percent of voters, Republicans make up 22 percent and independent voters make up 36 percent of voters.

The last Republican to win a council seat was Kozachik, who captured the Ward 6 seat in 2009. He switched his registration to Democrat before his next election.

Republican Bob Walkup served as mayor from 1999 to 2011.

Tucson holds city elections in odd-numbered years. Mayor Regina Romero and Councilmembers Lane Santa Cruz (Ward 1), Paul Cunningham (Ward 2), and Nikki Lee (Ward 4) were elected to four-year terms in 2023.