A Tucson landlord with a long history of fighting Tucson officials has opened a new front in his fight against city hall.
Frank Konarski is now running for mayor.
He filed his statement of candidacy, called “Frank Konarski for Mayor of Tucson 2019 or Sooner” committee earlier this year, suggesting at the very least he is willing to serve even before the November 2018 general election.
The position of mayor lasts for four years and Mayor Jonathan Rothschild was re-elected in 2015.
His candidacy for mayor doesn’t mean Konarski has exhausted his legal strategies entirely. He filed a new claim against the city of Tucson last month, accusing city officials with intentional interference in a private contract.
Konarski and his family offered to settle the case for $15 million in damages.
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He has previously filed several unsuccessful lawsuits against the city, court records show.
Konarski has filed at least 12 unsuccessful lawsuits against the city since the 1990s, most with claims of unfair practices or harassment by city officials.
Last year, a federal appeals court ruled against Konarski after he filed a lawsuit against the city.
In the lawsuit, he accused the city of discrimination for refusing to certify Konarski’s properties for the city’s Section 8 low income housing-assistance program.
City officials argued his properties did not meet Section 8 standards.
Rothschild and City Attorney Mike Rankin declined to comment on Konarski’s legal filing.
