The Tucson Weekly Position-O-Meter

  Kathleen Dunbar
Kathleen Dunbar
Karin Uhlich
Karin Uhlich
Fred Ronstadt
Fred Ronstadt
Nina Trasoff
Nina Trasoff
What fees or taxes would you support increasing? None Impact Fees None Impact Fees
What fees or taxes would you support decreasing? Review of Parks and Rec fees.

Encourage a flat fee use for the facilities instead of charging for individual use i.e. pool, weight room, walking, etc.
Fees that burden families and senior citizens, like the garbage tax and higher fees for youth and parks/recreation None Trash-collection fee, Parks and Rec fees
Do you support an advertising tax? No Maybe No Maybe
Do you support a tax on residential rental payments? No Maybe No No
Do you support keeping Environmental Services as an enterprise department? Yes. Thus far it seems to be the only fiscally responsible way to be transparent in providing critical environmental services. Maybe. I am very concerned that the way it’s structured now doesn’t serve the public well. Yes Not the way it’s currently set up
If you support a garbage fee, what should it cost each month? It is time to audit the division of Environmental Services to explore costs of service and program demands, along with environmental mediation. Virtually every community in America now charges residents a fee to pick up and process garbage and recyclables, and I favor rewarding those who recycle. I also believe in a meaningful mechanism to relieve those facing a financial emergency or who are too poor to pay. What we have now is a good-faith start based on information available at the time. Maybe. When I was on the Budget Advisory Committee we discussed a possible fee. (I think it was $4 a month.) $14 a month No fee
Would you eliminate the fee charged to participants in KIDCO? A sliding scale is the only way to ensure that the program can be funded to the level of service that our citizens demand. What is broken about the system is that there is no need assessment. It’s first come…first serve. You can earn $100,000 a year and have your child in KIDCO. The program should be available only for those who need it. Yes No. I would continue to find resources for the sliding scale. Yes
Do you support Tucson Water’s plan to serve treated effluent? The residents of Tucson will ultimately decide this based on a number of factors. No. I’d have to be persuaded that it’s our only option. It needs to be worked on with more public input Absolutely not
Is the Houghton Area Master Plan a good model for development on the southeast side? Yes, in that it involved citizen’s input across the spectrum and provides the opportunity for people to live work and play in a planned community. Yes Yes Yes
Do you support a faster phase-in of commercial impact fees? No. The complexities of commercial development can not be compared to residential. Not every commercial development is a Wal-Mart or a national chain. We need to encourage commercial and retail development within the city because of our heavy reliance on sales taxes which pays for our core services like police and fire. Maybe No Yes
Do you support changing downtown’s Congress Street and Broadway Boulevard to two-way streets? Yes Yes Yes Yes
Endorsements Tucson Police Officers Association, Tucson Firefighters Association, Arizona Human Rights Fund, Tucson Chamber of Commerce, Tucson Association of Realtors, Arizona Multi-Housing Association, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Sen. John McCain, Arizona Daily Star Gov. Janet Napolitano, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, Attorney General Terry Goddard, State Sen. Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democratic Progressive Caucus, Democracy for America—Tucson, Stonewall Democrats, Sierra Club, Tucson Citizen Tucson Police Officers Association, Tucson Firefighters Association, Arizona Human Rights Fund, Tucson Chamber of Commerce, Tucson Association of Realtors, Arizona Multi-Housing Association, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Tucson Citizen, Sen. John McCain Gov. Janet Napolitano, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik Democracy for America—Tucson, Stonewall Democrats, Arizona List, Pima Area Labor Federation, Sierra Club, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Arizona Daily Star