Tucson Speaks Out: October 6

I am deeply offended that President Trump and his immediate family have made more than $4 billion off his presidency since he took office. His memecoins and crypto alone made him hundreds of millions while ordinary Americans suffered steep losses buying them.

Equally offensive, Trump's tariffs, Iran war, bad policies and reckless decisions have created economic uncertainty and burdened American families with an additional $4,200 a year in soaring gas, diesel and grocery prices, along with increased rent, mortgage, electricity and healthcare costs. He enriches himself while we are left paying the price.

These are the deplorable consequences of Donny One Note. Vote his House and Senate out of office! It’s time to change the tune.

Judith Sartore

West side

Ciscomani’s ‘dirty tricks’

The desperation of Juan Ciscoimani’s reelection campaign is increasingly evident. Currently, bright yellow signs with absurd lies about JoAnna Mendoza are appearing beside signs for Joanna Mendoza for Congress. Intended to mislead voters, such dirty tricks are the same practice used by the infamous Joe McCarthy, Roy Cohn and Richard Nixon nearly a century ago. At long last, Mr. Ciscomani: have you no sense of decency?

Steve Kelsey

East side

Voter info booklet or TEP ads?

In the Voter Info Booklet, the TEP Franchise Agreement is Prop 421. And 59 of the 69 arguments for Prop 421 were paid for by "TEP for Tucson," (a PAC funded entirely by TEP ... no individuals or other organizations). And more than two dozen of those were by TEP employees.

Don’t believe claims or implications that TEP crews can’t respond as fast or that repairs will be delayed without a franchise agreement. Under Arizona law, a franchise agreement is not legally required, and there are several states where cities do not have utility franchise agreements.

Vote no on Prop 421! Instead, demand our mayor and council move ahead on "public power.”

Lee Stanfield

East side

Op-ed on park renaming

As a member of the committee to rename Murrieta Park, I was present on March 16, 2026, when core members met with Mayor Regina Romero and Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz to discuss concerns that they might have, given their political history with Salomon Baldenegro.

Romero and Santa Cruz did acknowledge past grievances, but both related that they would support the proposal. I left that meeting confident in their word moving forward.

Later the picture changed as Santa Cruz wanted to have a community meeting to discuss the Cesar Chavez scandal. I attended that meeting on Aug. 19 and sat with others, including Sadie Shaw, and shared my views on how we should honor our Chicano heroes.

At the Sept. 9 council meeting, Santa Cruz and Romero didn’t keep their word and called for a moratorium. Shame on them!

Victor Rivera

West side

Washington, D.C. government for AZ?

On PBS, in October 2023, Gov. Katie Hobbs said: “I’m not afraid to do what my predecessors refused to do: hold people accountable, maximize value for the state land trust, and protect Arizona’s water future.” You bet she's unafraid! Remember Gov. Doug Ducey’s land trust deal with Saudi Arabia? Hobbs reversed this. What else has she accomplished? Under Hobbs, over 100,000 new jobs have been added in Arizona; $165 million in affordable housing initiatives; Colorado River critical water deals; anti-fentanyl secure border operations; over $100 million for local law enforcement operations. And she vetoed insane bills from the Arizona legislature. Look them up. Business? Arizona continued attracting tens of billions of dollars in private technology/manufacturing investment. Remember this! Candidate Andy Biggs is sponsored by Turning Point PAC that posted signs reading “Democrats for Biggs.” There is no Democratic movement for Biggs, for good reason! It’s affiliated with Turning Point USA, close to the Trump Administration. What does Turning Point want from Biggs? Think about this when you vote. Do you want Arizona to be like Washington?

Nancy Jacques

Northeast side

Lucky seven

I believe the number seven is a lucky number for me. My father was one of seven children. I too was one of seven siblings. My wife Carolyn was one of seven. I had seven beautiful children. I love the seven continents, seven colors of the rainbow, seven-game championships in baseball (World Series). I sing seven basic musical notes. During my lifetime I owned seven beautiful homes in Laurel, Mary.; Madison, Conn.; Rockville, Mary; Lake of the Pines, Calif; Tucson Country Club; Cinnamon Avenue and Tucson National. My Christian religion speaks of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven deadly sins, the seven Heavenly virtues, the seven last words of Christ and the seven sorrows of the Blessed Mother. We have seven sacraments, seven corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Then there are the seven wonders of the world. I have a different list for the seven Wonders: Seeing, tasting, feeling, smelling, touching, breathing and loving. Yes, seven.

Tom McGorray

Northwest side

Hold contemptible criminal in contempt of sanity

After continually ignoring and disobeying most court orders, from district courts, federal courts, appeals courts, all the way up to his self-owned Supreme Court (and even including Congress and the Constitution), when does Donald J. Trump get arrested and held on contempt of court, contempt of Congress?

We should have realized this would happen when he didn’t place his hand on the Bible during his oath of office ceremony.

Sheldon Metz

Northeast side

The heartbreak of a broken country

In honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris has an exhibit on the Statue of Liberty. The French were ecstatic to celebrate the 100th birthday of American freedom in 1876 — thus the symbolic broken chain at the left foot of the statue. The French raised the money to construct the statue and ship it to the United States. Americans, especially Pulitzer, raised funds for the pedestal.

It was bittersweet to view the exhibit and read about the enthusiasm when it arrived in New York, along with the words of Emma Lazarus, knowing that we have lost the true spirit of America with the current administration.

Emma Lazarus' words no longer apply. We do not welcome the "tired .... poor .... huddled masses yearning to breathe free .... wretched refuse .... homeless .... to the ‘golden door.’"

The heartbreak of a broken country.

Sandra Katz, M.D., J.D.

Foothills

No holiday print edition

In all my 98 years, we always had a morning paper that we could divide and read as we ate our breakfast. We could show each other articles of interest. There are a host of reasons why a print edition is much easier to read.

Donald Plummer

Northwest side

Thirteen fewer print issues

I am outraged that "in observance" of national holidays, the Arizona Daily Star will not provide the printed editions of the paper that subscribers have paid for. This adds up to 13 papers over the year that we will not be receiving, and I will not be accessing them online. I choose print editions for a reason, not digital editions.

Monica Wadsworth-Seibel

Northeast side

Pima invested in my future

I came to Tucson as a refugee from Afghanistan with my mother and sister. Starting over in a new country was not easy, but Pima Community College gave me a place to learn, grow and build a future.

I began with English language courses and went on to earn my associate degree in cybersecurity. At Pima Community College, I earned an IT Support Specialist certification, served as a student senator and gained hands-on experience that helped prepare me for a career in technology.

I recently graduated and am now working while continuing my education at the University of Arizona in cyber operations.

My experience showed me firsthand how important Pima Community College is to Southern Arizona’s workforce. That is why I support Proposition 430, which would help expand training capacity in cybersecurity, public safety, STEM and education.

Pima invested in my future. I believe Proposition 430 can help make that same opportunity possible for many more students.

Zamir Azizi

Downtown