Monday, October 6, 2003
Political Notebook: Hispanic Demos in poll favor Clark
By C.J. Karamargin
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
There's nothing like a man in uniform.
That might be the best way to sum up the results of a poll about whom Hispanic Demo-crats in Arizona favor among the 10 candidates seeking their party's presidential nomination.
We'll all be able to get a closer look at the candidates on Thursday when they descend on Phoenix for a nationally televised debate.
If the poll is right, former Army Gen. Wesley Clark is going to get the warmest welcome. A quarter of the Hispanic Democrats queried by the Behavior Research Center say he will get their support.
Former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut came in second and third respectively, despite their many visits to Arizona.
The debate will be broadcast live on CNN at 5 p.m.
Mayor hopefuls face off
When the presidential debate is over, race down to the Stone Avenue Temple to see the two men who want to be mayor of Tucson square off.
Republican incumbent Bob Walkup and Democratic challenger Tom Volgy will face off in a 90-minute forum on Thursday evening.
Sponsored by the temple and the Tucson Downtown Alliance, the focus of the matchup will be Downtown issues. It begins at 7 p.m. The temple is at 564 S. Stone Ave.
They just endorse both
Having a tough time choosing between Walkup and Volgy? Don't feel bad. So is the Arizona Human Rights Fund.
The nonpartisan advocacy group for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people last week opted to endorse both mayoral candidates.
The group also gave its blessing to incumbents Jose Ibarra of Ward 1 and Shirley Scott of Ward 4. Both are Democrats.
The group is hosting a two-hour "Meet the Candidates" event on Oct. 14. It begins at 6:30 p.m. at the American Friends Service Committee meeting room, 931 N. Fifth Avenue.
He was the fave, frankly
Quite frankly, the reality is simply put.
That single sentence captures the essence of the newest Pima County supervisor - or at least many of his favorite stock phrases.
Quite frankly, there was never any doubt that former state lawmaker Ramon Valadez would replace Dan Eckstrom as the District 2 representative on the five-member board.
The reality is that Valadez had a lock on the seat long before he and ecologist Daniel Patterson, the only other applicant for the seat, met last Monday evening for a friendly Q&A session.
Simply put, it would be naive to think that the session influenced the decision made the following morning, when Valadez got the official nod from the four remaining "supes."
Still, the forum offered a taste of trite locutions to come. Call it Ramon Speak.
Over the course of the 70-minute session, Valadez seasoned his answers with the phrase "the reality is" at least 15 times. "Simply," "very simply," or "simply put" crossed his lips 10 times. The winner, at 17 utterances, was "frankly" or "quite frankly."
He also said "absolutely" a lot. And that just might be the best way to answer the question: Does Valadez have this seat as long as he wants?
A tune for Eckstrom
Eckstrom was given a grand send-off last Tuesday, the final day of a 15-year career as a county elected official.
In addition to an abundance of treats and well-wishers, the party in the lobby of the county administrative building included the five-piece band Mariachi Mixteca. The group serenaded Eckstrom with a tune befitting his status as a mover and shaker: the Jose Alfredo Jimenez classic, "El Rey" - The King.
The king has left the building, but he is likely to remain a political force, according to a former colleague. "I'm sure Dan will continue to influence politics in Southern Arizona for a long time to come," said U.S. Rep. Raśl Grijalva, who for 13 years served with Eckstrom on the board.
* Contact reporter C.J. Karamargin at 573-4243 or cjkarama@azstarnet.com.
