Tucson Speaks Out: July 27 letters of the day

Free buses are better than free

Re: the June 22 article “Free bus rides are not free.”

Candidate Ed Ackerley says free bus fares are not free. He cites unrelated arguments such as crime, drugs, and even mental illness as the problem. But he fails to note that free buses invigorate the business community. As the best example, the Sun Link streetcar brings students downtown to shop and eat. Cities are ranked by their transportation, and the free rides are part of attracting a trained, educated workforce to Tucson. Small-minded candidates, who run on angry conservative conspiracy theories, need to see the bigger picture. Let’s invest in our future! Free bus trips are better than free — they make our community more competitive and prosperous.

Mark Ginsberg

South side

Ciscomani has lost his way

Re: the July 25 article “Ciscomani embraces bipartisan approach.”

Juan Ciscomani claims to take a bipartisan approach to his job in Congress, but his voting record reveals a right-wing extremist on issues such as abortion rights. He was one of a majority of Republicans piling culture wars amendments onto a must-pass defense spending bill. The amendments would deny women in the military reimbursement for access to reproductive health care.

Ciscomani also recently co-sponsored HR7, which would ban government funding for any health insurance plan that covers abortion, including the health plans of all federal employees. This measure is a not-so-subtle attempt to force women off of their private insurance plans.

Candidate Ciscomani pretended to be more moderate than he really is — not a surprise coming from his background as Doug Ducey’s sidekick. As a female veteran, I am ashamed to be represented by him and will work to replace him in 2024.

Sylvia Gonzalez Andersh

East side

Kool off

Ice water, Ice cream, Iced teas,

Anything Iced, if you please

Ice, cubed, or crushed

Ice, frozen or slushed

Please hurry, it’s one hundred and ten degrees!

Robert Diedrich

Northeast side

Elections department incompetence

A suit, filed by the Environmental Defense Fund successfully sought to invalidate a petition aimed at overturning the establishment of the Douglas AMA water district. The lawsuit exposed basic incompetence on the part of two Cochise County administrators.

County Recorder/Interim Elections Director David Stevens met with the petition organizers but neglected to inform them they couldn’t ‘de-establish’ the AMA by a local initiative; the main point of the petition.

The group Save Our Water turned in two different batches of signed petitions with differing explanations on each batch. Unfortunately, Elections Director Bob Bartelsmeyer did not know petitions are required to be submitted all at once-not in batches, and that all petitions are required to have the exact same wording.

Why does it take a lawsuit to compel Recorder David Stevens (salary $63,800) and Elections Director Bob Bartelsmeyer (salary $95,000) to do their jobs? This is not rocket science!

Fred Miller and Ali Morse

Bisbee

Elected officials listen up

Re: the July 22 article “An open letter to all elected officials.”

Well said, Tom Chester. I hope it reaches your intended audience.

Wendell Lutz

Midtown

Intelligent voting

For my friends following a “Pied Piper” of politics, consider the Philippines and the charm of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. What turmoil happened for their country? Consider Argentina and the rule of the Perons. Now consider Israel trying a “one strongman rule” by subjugating its Supreme Court so removing the only barrier preventing this. Sound familiar?

When it comes to supporting your country, put away your emotions, selfish desires, and party affiliations. Remember, you choose how your children will go forward. You had them, take responsibility. If you don’t want your neighbor telling you how to raise your family, don’t impose your values on them. If you don’t like something, don’t take your child to it. Remember when you snuck behind your parents back; think they didn’t know, think your kids won’t do the same? Teach them your values; don’t expect the state to raise them. Vote smart, their lives, freedoms, and all of us depend on it!

Spencer Elliott

Oro Valley

5th/6th St. wideningFifth/Sixth St. is predominantly residential between Country Club and Wilmot. There are two elementary schools and one high school with major crossings along the route. Following an accident between a city bus and a child at the Peter Howell crossing in the late 1970s, where my children were attending school, with the help of City Councilman Tom Volgy, I lobbied for the installation of crossing signals at both Peter Howell and Sewell Elementary schools and for a reduction in speed limit from 40 to 35 mph. Both were approved by City Council.

Later City Councilwoman Molly McKasson worked to reduce the speed limit further to 30 mph.

Rather than widening the road, increasing traffic, and encouraging drivers to drive even faster over the speed limit than they do now, I would recommend instead a reduction to one lane in each direction, a center turn lane and bike lanes to reduce the danger to pedestrians and cyclists.

Jennifer Aviles

Southeast side

Vote for Ortega

I am an avid golfer, and my favorite course has always been Trini Alvarez El Rio Golf Course. I was very happy (as were many others) when west-side residents protested the city’s plan to sell off El Rio to private developers. The local activists joined in solidarity with the golfers, and we scuttled the plan (hoping the city learned their lesson).

However, in a political act of retribution against those who preserved the treasured green space, council member Lane Santa Cruz attempted to redistrict the El Rio precinct out of Ward 1, clearly trying to carve up and divide the unity of west-side barrios as punishment for their successful efforts on behalf of all those who favor green space and recreational opportunities over the destruction of such.

Ward 1 deserves a council member who doesn’t divide, but listens. For this reason, I encourage every west and south side voter to vote for (D)Miguel Ortega.

James Duffy

West side

Cereus cactus bloom is no mystery

Re: the July 25 article “Queen of the Night.”

“No one knows exactly how the plants decide when to bloom,” was stated in the article about cereus cactus flowers at Tohono Chul. Probably not true. Even an amateur scientist sees the correlation between the first monsoon rain and this cactus’s blooming approximately a week later. It happens every year. Remember the storm that went through on Monday, July 17, that knocked out power? That was the first rain of this monsoon season. The date of the first monsoon precipitation is unpredictable, but once it occurs, the cereus buds leave their “stall” phase and bloom a week later, right on schedule. The cactus isn’t “deciding” when to bloom. It’s simply responding to getting wet, which is likely the natural triggering mechanism to bloom. And all plants in a given area bloom at the same time because they all experience the same rain event. No big mystery.

Tony Kuyper

Foothills

What about the woman?

Having followed Arizona football since before Jedd Fisch was born, I could not believe that he made Jayden de Laura a face of Arizona sports by having him represent the U of A at the Pac-12 football media event.

There are certain standards that Arizona represents. Arizona Athletics’ mission statement reads that the athletic department “...believes the student athlete to be a representative of the general student body.” Does Coach Fisch’s decision advance the mission statement?

A parlor game could be made of asking what would coaches Larry Smith or Dick Tomey have done in this situation. I don’t think they would have quoted that their brother, dad and grandfather were lawyers and use criminal-type terms for a civil proceeding.

Arizona sports will suffer. What woman athlete would be comfortable about this situation? What if de Laura wants to date an offensive lineman’s sister? What about the woman, the plaintiff?

Fisch’s decision makes it easier to recruit against Arizona Athletics.

Matt Somers

Midtown