Democratic City Councilwoman Karin Uhlich apologized to Tucson Tea Party attendees Wednesday, after complaints that her campaign used a derogatory term that could be considered a sexual slur.
In a release to supporters Tuesday, in which she cautioned that her race against Republican Ben Buehler-Garcia was tightening, Uhlich attributed part of the reason to "right wing operatives like Republican National Committeeman Bruce Ash, mini-dorm developers, shock jocks like Jon Justice, and the tea-baggers."
According to Urban Dictionary, that term could refer to a sexual act, although there are other definitions as well.
"Leftist politicians, news anchors, and lobbyists have used the term repeatedly over the past eight months," said Robert Mayer, an organizer for the Tucson Tea Party.
"Councilwoman Karin Uhlich is basically saying this: I don't care about Tea Partiers. I don't care what they think about anything. They are not my constituents and I don't represent them. In fact, I hate them so much that I'm going to publicly slander them."
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He asked his supporters to contact her office and "politely ask why she feels the need to slander Tucsonans."
Uhlich sent out a release apologizing for the mistake, saying it was a case of moving too fast and not spending enough time editing.
"I do not believe that all who participate in the Tea Party movement are right-wing extremists and I do not advocate using derogatory terms to describe them. In fact, I believe that most participants in the Tea Party are mainstream folks concerned about government accountability," she wrote, noting that some elements have tried to manipulate the movement to turn it into a partisan attack on Democrats.
Uhlich took the opportunity to talk about her own desire to improve efficiency and cut waste in government, and invited Tucsonans, part of the Tea Party or not, to meet with her to share their concerns about city governance.
Buehler-Garcia declined to comment about the spat.
Measures debated on TV
We're getting down to the wire, but if you're still confused about some of the ballot measures, you have another shot at learning more about three questions: Prop. 200, which would require higher staffing ratios for public safety; Props. 401 and 402, which would provide additional revenues for the Tucson Unified School District; and Prop. 400, the little-known measure to lift the state spending cap for the City of Tucson.
The measures were discussed at a televised debate Oct. 19 at the main library Downtown, sponsored by The League of Woman Voters of Greater Tucson.
The debate will air Thursday at 8 p.m. on Access Tucson Channel 74 (Comcast) / 99 (Cox).
It also will air Monday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. on Access Tucson Channel 73 (Comcast) / 98 (Cox).
Mail early ballots Friday
The Pima County Recorder's Office encourages those with early ballots to put them in the mail Friday to make sure they arrive by election day, Nov. 3.
Voters also may still vote early at either of the walk-in early voting sites in Pima County, at 115 N. Church Ave. or 6920 E. Broadway.
If you're going to the polls, make sure you check your polling location, since as many as four precincts were merged into one location for this election.
Check out www.recorder. pima.gov for more information.
