Residents observe a Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting. May 2019.
Six Democrats submitted applications to fill the Pima County Board of Supervisors seat recently vacated by Adelita Grijalva, who is running for Congress.
Five of the six applicants held an online forum Wednesday evening, including former state lawmaker Andrés Cano, engineer Cynthia Sosa, retired teacher Lewis Araiza, county employee Kimberly Baeza, and Pima Community College Governing Board member Karla Morales.
The sixth candidate Richard Hernandez was not present for the forum.
Most candidates said they would advocate for more governmental partnerships to address the housing crisis in District 5.
“This is a holistic approach that's going to need a regional all-hands-on-deck intervention. We need to not have our county jails be a place that is trying to be a place of compassion and care for people who are unsheltered, who are poor and who have mental health abuse and substance abuse issues,” said Cano.
Morales said she would prioritize addressing stagnant wages to keep up with housing costs.
“They're not matching or aligning with the rising cost of the market right now,” she said.
The moderator then asked the candidates about the environment, specifically the importance of the county’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.
Baeza said she would support the plan’s goals of responsible economic development that promotes environmental awareness.
“It bears repeating that the natural landscapes of this region is what makes it special,” she said.
Questions then turned to forecasting future county challenges through next year
Cano turned to his experience handling large budgets at the state legislature.
“I'm bringing my skills to the Board of Supervisors, having navigated multi-billion dollar budgets, being able to work across the aisle at the state Capitol with Governor Hobbs and a Republican legislature to come together,” he said.
Whoever is appointed will serve until the end of 2026. Next year, a special election will be held in the district, where the appointee will have to defend their seat to sit on the board for the remainder of Grijalva’s term until 2028.
The supervisors plan to announce the new board member at their April 15 meeting.
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