Opinion: Tucson’s park renaming process worked. Why halt it now?

During my six years serving on the governing board for Tucson Unified, I had the privilege of approving countless naming and renaming efforts under GB Policy FF-R. I also participated in the renaming process for parks as a community member, in accordance with the City of Tucson’s Administrative Directive 1.02-19, when we sought to rename Mansfield Park after Doris J. Thompson. I have been on both sides of the dais on this issue, and believe the current processes have worked effectively, even when questions of a person's moral character are raised.

I had the honor of working with Harvey Thompson, the neighborhood association, and the Sugar Hill Community Land Trust to honor the woman who organized her community and pushed the Mayor and Council to invest their resources into Mansfield Park and the Northwest Center, now known as the Donna R. Liggins Center.

I found the process to be fair, relying on public comment and a careful review and approval by both the Parks and Recreation Commission and Mayor and Council. Frankly, the process for us was quick and easy, even in light of some community opposition.

We submitted our proposal to the Parks and Recreation Director at the end of July 2024, and the city initiated the 45-day public comment period a month later. Some of the comments were not positive and questioned the individual’s character. Almost immediately, the Ward 3 Office reached out to us and those who submitted letters of opposition to facilitate mediation and seek understanding.

After several attempts by the Ward 3 office to resolve the concerns, the process continued as prescribed. The renaming of Mansfield Park was reviewed and approved at the Dec. 3, 2024, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, with two votes in favor and one abstention. The renaming of Mansfield Park to Doris J. Thompson Park was officially approved by the Mayor and Council on Jan. 22, 2025, by a unanimous vote.

That is why I was shocked when, during the item to change the name of Joaquin Murrieta Park, the Mayor and Council instead voted 4-3 to place a moratorium on renaming city facilities in spite of having approved the naming of a different park earlier in the meeting.

The Westside community organized for six months, collected more than 600 signatures in support of the renaming, and even raised the $10,000 required under the city’s current process. In contrast, our process took less than six months, and the Ward 3 Office generously paid the $10,000 fee on our behalf.

Those who voted in favor of the 4-3 moratorium expressed a need to revise the process in light of challenges to a person’s character, citing allegations involving Cesar Chavez. To many, however, this was an unfair comparison to community concerns regarding 53-year old allegations of domestic violence cited in a Tucson Citizen article published on April 14, 1973, particularly because four days later, the Arizona Daily Star published that his wife had dropped the charges. These allegations are serious and should not be dismissed. However, the public process is designed to examine information submitted by both supporters and those in opposition, and it is up to the Mayor and Council to come to a determination.

It would have been more respectful of the community's efforts to vote on the renaming, or table it for a future meeting to allow for mediation, and then consider a moratorium rather than change the process after the community had invested so much time and effort.

Kudos to Councilmember Dahl and staff for their hands-on approach in conflict resolution and for following through on city procedures when we renamed Mansfield Park. I wish the same courtesy had been extended to the organizers of Baldenegro Park. They deserved that much.

I urge the Mayor and Council to bring this item back so the community is not left in limbo. Whatever the outcome, the organizing power of the Westside will not be diminished or denied.