TUCSON MAYOR ROTHSCHILD? VERY LIKELY

posted to Political Buzz by Michael Chihak

Jonathan Rothschild has wanted to be mayor of Tucson for so long he can taste it. Now, his victory is virtually assured.

Yet, one political wag asks, why would anyone want to be mayor of Tucson?

"Wanting to be mayor of Tucson is like wanting for your whole life to be vice president of the United States," the wag said.

Rothschild likely will get the nod in November over whoever the Green Party candidate is. Two Greens, David Croteau and Mary DeCamp, will be on the primary ballot. But with just 800 Greens registered in Tucson, whoever wins the Green primary doesn't stand much of a chance.

Republican Shaun McCluskey released a statement today saying he has withdrawn from the nominating process. But by law, says the city clerk, a candidate cannot withdraw once there's a court challenge to the nomination. And that there is in McCluskey's case, with Democrats challenging his petitions as not having enough valid signatures.

McCluskey may want to be on the record as having withdrawn so he can file new petitions with adequate signatures by the end-of-July deadline to be a write-in candidate. That's unlikely to occur under the court challenge, to be decided on today.

Earlier court challenges knocked Republican Ron Asta and Democrat Marshall Home off the ballot. Asta didn't have enough signatures, and Home didn't meet the residency requirement.

Which leaves Rothschild. He has worked in Tucson for many years as a lawyer. He moved into the city from the Catalina Foothills a few years ago with the express intention of establishing residency to run for mayor. He has resigned as the business manager of his downtown law firm.

Tucson's next mayor? Jonathan Rothschild.

STEADY MOVE TO PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES FUNDING

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

Friday's Arizona Week will explore fund-raising at the state's three public universities, where public funding has declined but the pressure remains to expand enrollment and programs.

Among issues to be explored:

-- What will Robert Shelton's departure as president of the University of Arizona mean for fund-raising at the Tucson school? Will donors draw back, waiting to see who the new leader will be?

-- Can Arizona State University, with total foundation assets of $700 million -- lower than the UA's but with enrollment half again as large -- catch up and bring in more money from its ever-expanding alumni base?

-- Will NAU, the smallest of the three schools in both enrollment and foundation assets, break the $100 million mark anytime soon? It's at $89 million in total assets now.

BREWER: MOVE ALONG; NOTHING TO SEE HERE

posted to Political Buzz by Michael Chihak

Just when some political pundits thought they were detecting shakiness in the up-to-now unshakable conservative Republican control of Arizona state government, top leaders are saying there's little to it.

The supposed rift came in the ill-fated special session Gov. Jan Brewer called two weeks ago to extend unemployment benefits. On its first day, the Legislature recessed in quick time without introducing any bills. On its second day, it met, talked awhile and adjourned when leaders determined they couldn't get the votes for passage.

That led the governor to an angry outburst suggesting that she had a deal with Senate President Russell Pearce. But others said that wasn't so, and the comments pushed theories that the Republicans were at odds with one another.

Not so, Brewer and others say, confirming what Tucson area Sens. Al Melvin and Frank Antenori told AZPM'S Andrea Kelly last week, as she reported in this blog.

Ginger Rough gives a solid accounting of it in Sunday's Arizona Republic (read it here) quoting Brewer's spokesman and House Speaker Andy Tobin in make-nice terms intended to smooth everything over.

Brewer herself gave an explanation in last Friday's Arizona Capitol Times (read it here), saying, "I firmly reject the ridiculous notion that I called the Legislature into special session as part of some grand political strategy, or to embarrass legislators. This mischief is promoted by confirmed political provocateurs."

SUMMER MUSIC

posted to Cue Sheet by James Reel

Tuesday, June 21 is the first day of summer, and we've lined up a full day of classical music for the season. It all starts after the 6 a.m. news with Gershwin's "Summertime," and concludes in the 6 p.m. hour with Mendelssohn's music for A Midsummer Night's Dream. In between will be summer favorites by Vivaldi, Berlioz, Barber, Honegger and Delius (it seems like half his pieces have the word "summer" in their titles). There will also be lots of lesser-known items by the likes of Copland, Rodrigo, Higdon and Prokofiev. And just so you don't feel oppressed by the summer musical heat, we'll survey all four seasons via compositions by Verdi, Tchaikovsky and Piazzolla. Turn up the air conditioning and join us.

FOR PEARCE'S OPPONENTS, POLITICS IS ALL ABOUT TIMING

posted to Political Buzz by Michael Chihak

Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce likely will face a recall election to hand onto his seat in the Legislature, either in November or next March.

The timing couldn't be better for Pearce's political opponents, who took out recall petitions against the Mesa Republican in January. Their stated cause was to remove him for his successful push for anti-immigration legislation in Arizona, most notably the notorious SB1070.

Then, in the midst of the petition drive, along came a political plum for the anti-Pearce crowd: word that his name was mentioned prominently in the investigative report on the misdeeds of Fiesta Bowl executives.

Pearce was reported to be among 16 legislators who got free tickets and took all-expenses-paid junkets to college football games for the Fiesta Bowl. At first, he denied doing anything wrong, then reimbursed the Fiesta Bowl for tickets and amended 10 years' worth of financial and gift reports he is required to file as a legislator.

Jeremy Duda of the Arizona Capitol Times said for Friday's Arizona Week broadcast that he thinks Pearce's involvement and lack of consistent, clear explanation of what happened could hurt him in the recall drive.

The signatures are still being counted, as the opposition has yet not identified a candidate to oppose Pearce, who has served in one house or another of the Legislature for 10 years. The election could be held as early as this November.

HIGH FIVE FOR THE BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

Can a straight-laced, seemingly mild-mannered physics professor find love and happiness in the high-fiving, good-old-boy world of big-time sports?

We’ll soon find out.

Robert Shelton will leave his perch as president of the University of Arizona this summer to become executive director of the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, his hometown.

That someone of Shelton’s stature is taking the lead of this scandal-tainted organization will put an even brighter spotlight on what had until this spring been a sports organization with a record of phenomenal success.

Shelton will be responsible for seeing that the success resumes after this year’s pause to get rid of a CEO who played fast and loose with the organization’s money. He handed it out in the form of questionable if not illegal political contributions, spent big chunks on high-roller entertaining and even threw himself a $30,000 birthday party.

Shelton at his introductory press conference this week didn’t want to dwell on all that, understandably, but rather insisted more than once that the Fiesta Bowl needs to move forward.

And move forward is what he is doing, from his situation of the last five years, caught between the Legislature and the regents on one side and the university community on the other during unprecedented budget cuts, academic program consolidations and record tuition increases.

Considering that scenario, this Fiesta Bowl gig should be as much fun as a Saturday night fraternity kegger.

And for it, he’ll get paid about the same as being a university president – nearly a half-million dollars a year.

But when one looks at the repairs needed to bring the Fiesta Bowl to back respectability among prudent people, maybe Shelton is getting short-changed.