Watch the Gentrification & Affordable Housing Forum with Mayor & Council Candidates (video)

Nearly 400 people packed into the El Rio Neighborhood Center to hear the Mayor and Council Candidate Forum on Gentrification and Affordable Housing on Saturday, June 22.

This was an all-Democrat forum because of the hotly-contested Democratic primary elections coming up in August 2019. Attendees included mayoral candidates Councilwoman Regina Romero, former State Senator Steve Farley, and political newcomer, developer Randi Dorman and Ward 1 City Council candidates former Romero aide Lane Santa Cruz, former aide for Congressman Raul Grijalva and former Legislative candidate Sami Hamed, former Chief of Staff for City Councilwoman Karin Uhlich and former TUSD school board candidate Miguel Ortega, and political newcomer Rob Elias– no relation to Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias.

Many thanks to election integrity guru and videographer John Brakey for videotaping the entire event. The four City Council candidates answered audience questions first, followed by the three mayoral candidates.

Many strategies are being considered to tackle the multiple aspects of Arizona’s housing problems including homelessness, evictions, gentrification, and availability of affordable housing and low-income housing.

Watch the videos and find out…

Who supports tax breaks for developers…
Who supports Rio Nuevo and wants more Rio Nuevos (ie, more tax increment financing districts)…
Who mentioned low wages as an aspect of the affordable housing issue…
Who supports the Sanctuary City initiative, which will be on the ballot in November…
Who has golfed at El Rio Golf Course but is not familiar with the history of the city golf course…
And more.

Also, check out Larry Bodine’s article about this forum: 400 Jam Forum on Tucson Westside Gentrification Crisis.

There is another Mayoral debate on Thursday, July 18 at Rincon High School, beginning at 6 p.m.

Information

This entry was posted on July 17, 2019 by Pamela Powers in 2019 elections, Arizona, Capitalism, City Council, Clean Elections, Democratic Party, downtown, economy, Homeless, Immigration, jobs, Pamela Powers Hannley, Politics, Regina Romero, Rio Nuevo, Steve Farley, sustainability, Sustainable Economic Development, taxes, Trickle Down Economics, Video, War on Poverty and tagged Elections, Regina Romero, Steve Farley, Tucson City Council.

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Ironically, I posted this blog post on the anniversary of this election on June 19. 1970ish.

Ironically, I posted this blog post on the anniversary of this election on June 19. 1970ish.

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Giving the LD9 update at the June meeting. What a great crowd!

Giving the LD9 update at the June meeting. What a great crowd!

Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley with Red For Ed

Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales and I were interviewed by NBC at the Phoenix rally.

Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales and I were interviewed by NBC at the Phoenix rally.

In the 1980s, the Tucson Weekly called Tucson the "Baked Apple".

In the 1980s, the Tucson Weekly called Tucson the “Baked Apple”.

It was truly a honor to meet Nevada State Senator Patricia Spearman (center) in October and to confer with her regarding our efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Arizona. Spearman led the successful Nevada efforts to ratify the ERA in 2017. Here we are with activist and NOW leader Dainne Post after the ERA workshop at the We the People Conference in Phoenix. There are a lot of Arizona women who are ready to make history in 2018. Watch my blog here and my Facebook page here for ERA updates.

It was truly a honor to meet Nevada State Senator Patricia Spearman (center) in October and to confer with her regarding our efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Arizona. Spearman led the successful Nevada efforts to ratify the ERA in 2017. Here we are with activist and NOW leader Dainne Post after the ERA workshop at the We the People Conference in Phoenix. There are a lot of Arizona women who are ready to make history in 2018. Watch my blog here and my Facebook page here for ERA updates.

Pamela Powers Hannley

Pamela Powers Hannley, Progressive Democrat for Arizona House, LD9

Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley

Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley with members of the Tucson Chapter of NOW on opening day at the Arizona Legislature, 2018.

Oberlin Rescuers

The Oberlin Rescuers outside of the Cuyahoga County Jail.

Thanks for the poverty

Safe Park, downtown Tucson

Protesters hand deliver symbolic big check from corporate American to McCain.

Protesters hand deliver symbolic big check from corporate American to McCain.

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Protesting cuts to education

Protesting cuts to education

ACA public option

Jobs with Justice marching with Occupy Tucson in support of postal workers.

Jobs with Justice marching with Occupy Tucson in support of postal workers.

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Martin Luther King, Jr. march.

Martin Luther King, Jr. march.

Phoenix anti-hate rally

Congressman Ron Barber and Pamela Powers Hannley at Cyclovia

Congressman Ron Barber and Pamela Powers Hannley at Cyclovia

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We often hear that corporations need migrant workers because Americans “don’t want to do these jobs.” When I hear this statement, I picture farm workers picking vegetables. Recently, I toured two dairies and an animal feed packing plant in Pinal County. The photo above from the Zinke Dairy shows a giant cow milking carousel. Nine migrant workers milk 4000 cows three times a day at this dairy. Legislators watched the two men pictured here– working at a brisk pace– bend over and pick up, lift, and attach large electronic suction cups to the cows as they ride the carousel around the giant facility. This level of automation is the wave of the future for industrial jobs.

We often hear that corporations need migrant workers because Americans “don’t want to do these jobs.” When I hear this statement, I picture farm workers picking vegetables. Recently, I toured two dairies and an animal feed packing plant in Pinal County. The photo above from the Zinke Dairy shows a giant cow milking carousel. Nine migrant workers milk 4000 cows three times a day at this dairy. Legislators watched the two men pictured here– working at a brisk pace– bend over and pick up, lift, and attach large electronic suction cups to the cows as they ride the carousel around the giant facility. This level of automation is the wave of the future for industrial jobs.

Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley

Arizonans for New Economy co-directors Jim Hannley and Pamela Powers Hannley with UA Tech Park VP Bruce Wright.

Protesting migrant deaths in the Arizona desert.

Protesting migrant deaths in the Arizona desert.

We are the 99%.

We are the 99%.

Pamela Powers Hannley

I have a background in research. Help me build Tucson’s tech industry and grow our own local businesses.

PDA Tucson Coordinator Jim Hannley speaks against both the crowd management ordinance and the urban camping ban at the City Council meeting.

A homeless man sleeps in the shadow of corporate America.

A homeless man sleeps in the shadow of corporate America.

Tucson education rally

Governor Ducey had proposed increasing prison beds and funding, while cutting education. Protesters took issue with that short-sighted idea.

Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley

Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley

Arizona House

There have been many lively debates in the Arizona House in 2018. This team of House Democrats fought for consumer protections and fought against risky financial deals in a “regulatory sandbox.” (Pictured are Reps. Mitzi Epstein, Kelli Butler, Athena Salman, Pamela Powers Hannley, Ken Clark and Isela Blanc.)

Occupy encampment in Armory Park-- before it was cleared out in the middle of the night by Tucson Police.

Occupy encampment in Armory Park– before it was cleared out in the middle of the night by Tucson Police.

Rev. Ron Phares and Pamela Powers Hannley

Jim and I were part of a contingent of Unitarian Universalists who came up from Tucson. Here I am with Rev. Ron Phares from the Mountain Vista UU Church in my district. (Jim is photobombing us.)

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Visiting with PALF chairman Fred Yamashita at the 2016 Labor Day Picnic.

Visiting with PALF chairman Fred Yamashita at the 2016 Labor Day Picnic.

Protesting anti-woman laws at the Arizona state capitol.

Protesting anti-woman laws at the Arizona state capitol.

This is a broken sink in the Ladies’ Room at the Arizona State Building in downtown Tucson. One of the elevators also was broken. It’s time to fix Arizona government.

A giant poet’s head made up of stainless steel letters marks the stop near the UA Poetry Center.

ERA house women

Pamela Powers Hannley on Labor Day

Despite the sweltering heat, Jim and I had a great time at the Labor Day Picnic. We collected a lot of Clean Elections $5 donations and signatures. Here I am with LD9 chair Michael Dues.

PDA members, including Advisory Board Chair Mimi Kennedy, protested food stamp cuts in front of Congressman Henry Waxman's office.

PDA members, including Advisory Board Chair Mimi Kennedy, protested food stamp cuts in front of Congressman Henry Waxman’s office.

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John Nichols of ‘The Nation’ addressed progressives and unionists at a Tucson event.

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Desconocido (unknown)

Desconocido (unknown)

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#RedForEd

#RedForEd teachers and supporters in the Arizona House Gallery, 2018.

Local First Arizona

The Living Economy event was very informative; we had a great time hob-nobbing. My husband Jim is a small business owner and a member of Local First Arizona. I have owned two small businesses in the past– Powers/Queen Associates and Wind Dancer Design. We support Local First Arizona and buying/investing locally. We believe that supporting local small businesses with low-interest loans through a public/private partnership between a public bank and community banks and credit unions is the sustainable route to improving our local economy. Trickle down economics doesn’t work; it’s time for new ideas.

The Tucson Progressive: Pamela J. Powers

I stand on the side of Love. I believe in kindness to all creatures on Earth and the inherent self-worth of all individuals–not just people who agree with me or look like me.

Widespread economic and social injustice prompted me to become a candidate for the Arizona House, representing Legislative District 9 in the 2016 election.

My platform focused on economic reforms to grow Arizona’s economy, establish a state-based public bank, fix our infrastructure, fully fund public education, grow local small businesses and community banks, and put people back to work at good-paying jobs.

In the Arizona House, I was a strong voice for fiscal responsibility a moratorium on corporate tax breaks until the schools were fully funded, increased cash assistance to the poor, expansion of maternal healthcare benefits, equal rights, choice, unions, education at all levels and protecting our water supply.

After three terms, I retired from the Arizona Legislature in January 2023 but will continue to blog and produce my podcast “A View from the Left Side.”

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