November 8, 2013 / Modified nov 11, 2013 10:40 a.m.

AZ Illustrated Politics: Friday, November 8, 2013

Democratic landslide in Tucson City Council elections, what happened and why; Rio Nuevo's upcoming work with city of Tucson.

Play the video above to see these stories on AZ Illustrated Politics for Friday, Nov. 8 with guests Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, Miguel Ortega, small business advocate and radio show host, and Jeff Rogers, former chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party:

TUCSON CITY COUNCIL ELECTION: Kozachik said he and his fellow Democrats defeated the Republican candidates in this week’s Tucson City Council election because they had focused on the steady improvement in downtown, the South Side and elsewhere, while Republicans had focused on a negative vision of Tucson. Ortega said the Republicans had run weak campaigns, but expressed concern the Democrats might become complacent if they did not face stronger opposition in the future. Rogers said that the big wins indicated that the city was on the right track and the Pima County Democratic Party had developed a strong organization.

RIO NUEVO AND DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT: Kozachik said the city was working with Rio Nuevo Board to improve the Tucson Convention Center and explained that the Rio Nuevo had taken over ownership of a parcel of land at I-10 and Congress Street. That could lead to changes for the Greyhound Bus station that is now in a temporary home on that street. Ortega said city officials should consider moving the Greyhound Bus station back to the center of downtown and expressed concern about redevelopment of the Ronstadt Transit Center. Kozachik said there was room for some redevelopment of the Ronstadt Transit Center while maintaining space for the buses and expected movement on that front in early 2014.

NEXT YEAR’S CONGRESSIONAL MIDTERMS: This week, Roll Call put Southern Arizona Congresssman Ron Barber (D-Dist. 2) on the list of the 10 most endangered members of Congress, while political analyst Stu Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report noted that his likely Republican opponent, Martha McSally, was sidestepping questions about how she would have voted on the recent government shutdown. Rogers said that Barber should be able to prevail in next year’s election, while Ortega expressed concern that Barber had sided too often with Republicans.

AZ Illustrated Politics is produced by Jim Nintzel. Contact him at jnintzel@azpm.org.

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