Tucson Region

Democrats Trasoff, Uhlich unseat rivals

Democrats are back in charge at City Hall. Nina Trasoff and Karin Uhlich won decisive victories Tuesday, handily beating Republicans Fred Ronstadt and Kathleen Dunbar. The double-barrel wins return city government to Democratic control for the first time since 2001 and leave Mayor Bob Walkup as the council's only Republican. "Tomorrow we have a different council, but our goals for the city are still the same," Walkup told Democrats at their celebration headquarters at the Hotel Congress. With ballots from all the city's 136 precincts counted, it was clear that Democrats prevailed among voters who cast ballots at the polls on Tuesday and the nearly equal number who voted early. "Our message resonated," said a gleeful Paul Eckerstrom, chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party. "The city is now in the hands of people who care about regular citizens and not special interests." Both Trasoff and Uhlich hammered away at that message for months. They each cited the controversial $14-a-month garbage fee as proof their opponents did not care about regular citizens, and they each cited the slow implementation of commercial impact fees as evidence Republicans were beholden to special interests. Their argument worked. Trasoff, a former television news anchorwoman, earned more than 65 percent of the vote in her campaign to unseat Ronstadt of Ward 6. He got 35 percent. Ronstadt called the numbers "harsh" but tried to put the best face on his loss. "It will be nice to have a life," the two-term councilman said. Not long after early results were announced, Ronstadt opened a box of cigars and handed them out among the Republicans who gathered at the Manning House. Uhlich, the executive director of a nonprofit agency, won more than 62 percent of the vote in her campaign against Dunbar of Ward 3. She earned 38 percent. Dunbar said the Democrats' overwhelming edge in voter registration allowed them to carry the day. Unlike in past contests, she said, Tucsonans voted along party lines on Tuesday. She also said Demo-crats were motivated by strong feelings against President Bush and the war in Iraq. But Dunbar said she "absolutely" did not regret her decision to file a lawsuit against Uhlich, the Democratic Party and others over what she says were defamatory statements made in a mailer sent by the Uhlich campaign. "It was below the belt," she said. "There was no truth to it and it will be proved in court." Uhlich said the overwhelming win was not surprising. She said both Democratic candidates had an understanding of what citizens wanted and what they were hoping to come of this election. "This campaign has been about engaging the people of Tucson with what they wanted, what their priorities were," the first-time candidate said. "They believe we will deliver." As Trasoff celebrated, she said the win was more than just a personal victory. "I'm absolutely thrilled; it's a victory for community," she said. "The community really came together, not just the Democratic Party." The size of the win made it even sweeter to her. "The fact that the victory was so overwhelming was vindicating," said Trasoff, who ran last year for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission. Trasoff got a congratulatory call from Ronstadt just after the results were official. She said he was very gracious, and the two are hoping to get together soon. The atmosphere at the Democratic Party celebration was vastly different from the somber mood at the Republican gathering. The attendees at Hotel Congress spilled out into the street, music was playing and it was clearly a victory celebration. At the GOP event, attendees began leaving as soon as the defeat was official. "I'm stunned, just stunned," said Judi White, chairwoman of the county Republican Party. "This was not our year. We'll regroup and just get ready for the future." Walkup, who left the GOP gathering at the Manning House, said he went to the Democrats' party because affiliation is not the main issue. "It's kind of simple. Two of my council members are at this place. It's not about Democrats or Republicans. It's about focusing on key issues, and the key issues are the same," said Walkup, who has frequently led a thin 4-3 majority. Jim Ronstadt, father of the defeated councilman and a former city parks director, said he was proud of his son. "I'm very surprised, but he's got nothing to hang his head about," the elder Ronstadt said. Eckerstrom attributed the win to two factors: the "national mood," which he said is turning against Republicans, and the caliber of the challengers. "The corruption, the cronyism, that jacked up our turnout," he said. "And it's not just locally, it's national. Look at what happened in Virginia and New Jersey. It portends things to come." "The first step in winning elections is making sure you have quality people running. We did," he said. Independent Bruce Gerowitz, a hot-dog vendor, said the results are a testament to the power of independent voters. "The day of the independent is here," he said. "We're going to start seeing independents running for office and winning." Also winning on Tuesday was Democrat Steve Leal of Ward 5. He ran unopposed.