TUCSON, Ariz. — The seat for Pima County District 2 Supervisor has not been vacated for the last 17 years.
Incumbent Supervisor Ramon Valadez lost in the primary.
The two candidates hoping to take that spot are republican candidate Anthony Sizer and democratic candidate Matt Heinz.
Sizer is an engineer and lives in Tucson.
“We need to be figuring out how to retain our businesses, including the biggest hit,” Sizer told KGUN9.
Democratic candidate Matt Heinz is a doctor at Tucson Medical Center and served two terms at the Arizona State House.
“There are going to be jobs that aren’t going to come back. I think that that’s probably going to be true. So we need to look to innovation,” said Heinz.
Two candidates. One goal: to focus on rebuilding the economy. Here’s what they have to say.
“Economically we certainly need to provide an avenue of tax incentives, because the last thing we want is continuing to see businesses filing for bankruptcy or shutting down,” said Sizer.
“We need to make sure that people are able to put food on the table and we’re able to revitalize the economy here in southern Arizona,” Heinz told KGUN9.
Heinz says Pima County has handled the pandemic well, taking into consideration what he considers challenges coming from the state.
“When you have a governor for example, that takes away your ability to require masks...Just saying that out loud sounds insane,” added. Heinz.
Sizer, on the other hand, says the Pima County mask requirement didn’t have enough scientific backing.
“With the way Pima County addressed and provided legitimate information on how they determined decision making, it seemed like it was more fear...fear based,” he said.
When it comes to tackling crime...
“Well obviously we need to fund the law enforcement to the level that they’re able to manage the population growth,” said Sizer.
Whereas Heinz says the key is in having open communication between law enforcement and the community.
“If we don’t, people aren’t going to make the necessary phone calls when something’s really wrong. Right? They’re not going to report some suspicious behavior for fear or retribution,” the democratic candidate told KGUN9.
As far as infrastructure goes, fixing roads would take priority for both of them .
Here’s what they say about County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry’s position--
“I think the County Administrator has done, by in large, a great job being a steward of the taxpayer dollars and running things at the county,” said Heinz.
“The tax dollars are not being spent as an administrator who is responsible for providing the proper services for the community. It is more of a socialist and nonaccountable way for spending our tax dollars,” Sizer told KGUN9.
Election day is around the corner. Both candidates encourage folks to go out and vote.
Election day is Nov. 3
Registration deadlines:
Online: Oct. 5
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 5
In person: Oct. 5
Absentee ballot deadlines:
Request: Oct. 23
Return by mail: Received by Nov. 3
Return in person: Nov. 3 by 7:00 p.m.
Early voting:
Oct. 7 - Oct. 30, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live
