2020 Pima County Supervisors District 2 Candidate Guide

Matt Heinz As a practicing hospital physician during the COVID-19 pandemic, I am running to bring a unique perspective to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Especially in light of the absent/inadequate federal/state responses to date, it will fall to the county and other municipal governments to provide guidance and best practices as we continue to navigate through the crisis. As a county supervisor, I will work tirelessly to improve the health of our families, the health of the economy, and the health of our environment.

Anthony Sizer Current Supervisor is failing to represent the district residents in an accountable manner!

Matt Heinz • Preparing for and responding to the ongoing pandemic
• Successful distribution of a coronavirus vaccine once one is made a vailable
• Rebuilding the post-pandemic local economy
• Job creation and economic development for Southern Arizona
• Environmental stewardship and sensible water use

Anthony Sizer Funding for Law Enforcement, Funding for First Responders, Finding for county Roads need to be primary budget use not secondary use!

Matt Heinz Overall, the county response has been good given the lack of any coordinated federal or statewide efforts which has been severely limiting. Going forward, it is important for the county to be even more proactive and implement the latest public health recommendations under the guidance of our county health department. We must ensure that there is adequate viral surveillance and contact tracing capacity to pinpoint future outbreaks and direct the necessary resources to mitigate such hotspots appropriately.

Anthony Sizer The COVID related facts need to be more transparent with the public!

Matt Heinz This pandemic has caused unprecedented economic distress for many families in Pima County. As supervisor, I will work to help rebuild our local economy by supporting Job Path, which assists individuals with training/retraining resources. I will also advocate for increased unemployment benefits by engaging with our state and federal legislative delegations. Looking ahead to 2021 and beyond, I will work to grow businesses locally and to attract out-of-state businesses interested in relocating to expand the number of available living-wage jobs here in Pima County with an emphasis on a clean, green industry.

Anthony Sizer Tax incentives to help support small businesses! Retention of businesses in Pima County!

Matt Heinz Accepting these funds in the past had the unfortunate effect of inflating pensions which over time will cost the county taxpayers more than the original grant amount. In a different federal administration and with multiple safeguards and financial protections in place, along with money allocated for humanitarian aid for asylum seekers, I would consider voting to accept the funds.

Matt Heinz While it is true that the property tax rate in Pima County ranks among the highest in Arizona, it is important to view this issue within the context of the overall tax burden. Due to a lack of county sales tax to support the general fund, the tax burden is actually average to low average for Pima County residents.

Matt Heinz I support increased funding for mental health and social services collaborative programs that presently exist within the department. I would also be open to pilot programs to explore additional efforts to help law enforcement more appropriately respond to the needs of the community. It would be irresponsible to remove deputies from the important work that they do which includes serving as primary law enforcement for the 400,000+ residents of unincorporated Pima County.

Anthony Sizer No! I support our law enforcement at all levels fully!

Matt Heinz The best approach to fund infrastructure construction and improvements/repairs is to allow the existing RTA(Regional Transportation Authority) renewal process to proceed through the ongoing public planning phase, and then once reviewed and by the RTA, work in support of passage. The authority exists for the board to develop and implement the renewal plan with appropriate and dedicated funding, therefore there should not be a need to bond for road repairs at this time.

Anthony Sizer No! County needs to manage funds in a more responsible manner. Balance budget as-is with no new bonds or tax increases!

Matt Heinz Every economic development project requires independent scrutiny to determine potential job creation, number of positions, salary level, capital investment required among other issues. Generally, I support public-private partnerships that demonstrate clear benefits for county residents but not corporate handouts. Pima County has benefited significantly from many such investments including partnerships with Raytheon Missile Systems, Accelerate Diagnostics, Caterpillar and others. I especially support investing county funds in local small businesses to help in the post-pandemic recovery.

Anthony Sizer This needs to to more expanded as worldview is a unique situation and was already kickstarted by county taxpayer dollars.

Matt Heinz Pima County should take the lead on early childhood education by convening a broad coalition of community stakeholders to join with the county and other jurisdictions in funding a scalable pilot program as soon as possible. Not only is the research unequivocal with regard to the lifelong benefits of investing in our children from ages 0 to 5 years, it’s a workforce availability and development matter as well. This issue enjoys broad support including from the local business community.

Anthony Sizer This needs to be reviewed with what state education superintendent plans and guidelines.

Matt Heinz The residents of Pima County have been well-served by our current county Administrator for nearly three decades, benefiting from his vast experience and knowledge of county issues. We have also benefited from his financial stewardship throughout the years.

Anthony Sizer Poor! Clear appearance of politically motivated spending and allocations of Taxpayer dollars.