Opinion writer Edward Celaya's Fave Five of 2020

When the news came down the Festival of Books, the crown jewel of Tucson's spring festival and concert season, would be canceling due to COVID-19, you could feel the entire newsroom (and city) collectively reel. The virus, responsible for so much damage and death abroad, was finally here in our own cacti and river rock filled backyards. While the economic impact of the cancelation hurt, my thesis that it prevented a potential super-spreader event among the areas most vulnerable population still holds.

— Edward Celaya

The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer.

Tucson is a great city for springtime festivals. With beautiful weather and ample outdoor and indoor venues, the city usually puts on its best face between February’s gem shows and the University of Arizona’s graduation ceremonies in mid-May.

Hotels and restaurants fill up, and the local tourism and hospitality sectors generally experience a boon.

That’s one reason it’s so tough to hear of cancellation of the Tucson Festival of Books, called off after nearly 100 authors decided not to come due to fears of the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

“It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Tucson Festival of Books has chosen to cancel the 2020 Tucson Festival of Books,” the festival’s board said in a press release. “We know the Festival of Books brings much joy to many in our community as well as visitors from around the country.” (Arizona Daily Star Publisher and President John D’Orlando heads up the festival’s board of directors.)

Read the full column here.

— Edward Celaya

Eight people were arrested Saturday night during the second night of protests in Tucson, including one person accused of aggravated assault after police say he threw rocks at an officer, officials said Sunday.

About 400 protesters gathered Saturday night, and at times some of them confronted about 200 officers, throwing rocks and bottles. A firefighter on Saturday also was struck in the face by a rock.

Protests around downtown started Friday night, and Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said the department was braced for another one Sunday night, despite a statewide curfew Gov. Doug Ducey issued in the afternoon.

Protests sprang up in Tucson and in dozens of cities across the country after the death of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who died during an arrest last week in Minneapolis.

On Saturday night, several hundred protesters marched from downtown Tucson, up North Fourth Avenue and to the University of Arizona. The first few hours of the protest were relatively calm, compared with the vandalism and confrontations with police a night earlier.

They held a silent sit-in in the street at the intersection of East 14th Street and South Sixth Avenue and then marched to the UA campus to listen to several speakers discuss the death of Floyd and their personal experiences with racism.

However, not long after 11 p.m. Saturday, the situation became more tense and chaotic.

Read the full story here.

Did I mention receiving emails expressing distaste for my column, my writing or my very being? This piece earned me the rebuke on many a Bisbee local and the Twitter scorn of none other than Bisbee's own favorite son Doug Stanhope. In retrospect, the piece does come off as elitist and condescending, plus the idea of comparing the two cities is laughable. I promise to do better by you next time, Cochise County!

— Edward Celaya

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

I love my work here at the Arizona Daily Star. It’s truly a great job. Unbelievable stories and access that help educate and inform the public are produced here every day. Unfortunately, our newsroom is subject to furloughs, just like many other workplaces.

Luckily, I’ve saved a little money and decided to use my furlough week as a chance to travel. My experience was illuminating, and not just for my tan.

Travel, eating and drinking kind of make up my holy trinity, as any of my family members or followers on Instagram and Facebook can tell you. Going into my mandatory furlough week, I knew there would be some restrictions, and as a single guy who travels, not just to explore local sights, but to meet local people, I knew things would be different.

That in mind, I tentatively booked nights in rustic, historic Old Bisbee and in hip and happening Little Italy, San Diego.

Read the full column here.

I usually judge the success of my columns by the number of letters to the editor and emails I receive telling me I was wrong. In this case, I received a ton of emails and Twitter mentions of support. The thesis of this column is still proving true as coronavirus cases spike this holiday season: mayors like Regina Romero and Kate Gallego have continued to put their political necks on the line to enact public health and curfew guidelines without the support of the governor.

— Edward Celaya

The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

The sheer scale of the seemingly ever-growing COVID-19 is hard to quantify — and even harder to deal with. It requires a political response worthy of both the moment and the adversary. On both those counts our federal and state figureheads, both businessmen of means before being elected, have so far failed.

However, at least here in Arizona, three big-city mayors have led the way in combating the worst scourge our nation and state has seen since the Spanish flu of 1918. Their actions and responses loom large, casting a shadow over the meek retorts offered by their mostly male counterparts.

All three mayors, women who’ve fought their way up through the politics of their own communities, have been out in front of policy decisions and continue to press for more common sense responses from a reluctant Gov. Doug Ducey.

I’m talking, of course, about Mayors Regina Romero, Kate Gallego and Coral Evans of Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff, respectively. Between the three of them, their actions and declarations on public health and social distancing have outpaced the actions of state-level leaders like Ducey and Arizona Director of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ.

Read the full column here.

In this endorsement, I had the task of not only being an interviewer for our accompanying Editorial Chat series with the candidates, but also looking into the history of how both candidates ran their respective departments. It's rare that a former sheriff, especially one who was not especially popular at the time of his ouster, is able to come back and win just four years later. Just look at Maricopa County and Joe Arpaio as an example.

— Edward Celaya

The Arizona Daily Star’s Editorial Board is comprised of President and Publisher John D’Orlando, our top newsroom leader Editor Jill Jorden Spitz, Opinion editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen and Opinion writer and producer Edward Celaya. Cartoonist and columnist David Fitzsimmons is part of the Opinion team, but is not part of the Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board and the Star’s news reporters and editors operate independently of each other.

In an often contentious and combative contest, the Arizona Daily Star endorses Sheriff Mark Napier to continue in the role of Pima County Sheriff.

While his opponent, former Sheriff Chris Nanos, is just as experienced, Napier sets himself apart with his demeanor and understanding of the issues facing both the department and the profession.

Although the administration of the law knows no party, the office of sheriff is partisan in Arizona. However, even running as the Republican candidate, Napier is the more progressive — and better — candidate.

Read the full endorsement here.