By Margaret Burkholder
Ten years ago, I ran for the Vail School Board because I wanted better schools for my kids. Today my then preschooler is now in high school. I look at Tucson and I worry about the city she will inherit. What jobs will be available to her after high school and after college? Where can she settle to start a family in an affordable house in a safe neighborhood in this city that is now the 5th poorest and 5th most dangerous. What about her sisters? Her friends? Your children? Your grandchildren? What do their futures hold?
Every parent wants better for their children and I’m no different. Thomas Paine in the founding of ourcountry said, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” I feel the same so I am running to represent South East Tucson in Ward 4. Let’s take on these issues now.
Have you noticed the roads lately? Of course you have- they’re terrible! Just last week I had to replace another tire at a cost of $80. With a near $1.3 billion dollar budget, why can’t the city council take care of the necessities, like roads, parks, police and fire? Recently a neighbor’s bike was stolen and several cars were broken into. The police were not able to respond. Tucson’s East Side is severely underserved – both in staffing and in equipment. The police budget has been slashed about $50 million in the last five years. While the public safety budget was being cut, other city departments, like transit, were seeing an increase in their budgets and even that could not stop the recent bus strike. Need I mention the millions of dollars lost in the Rio Neuvo development scandal?
City Council desperately needs new voices – effective, balanced leadership that works hard to improveTucson’s finances, so we can avoid bankruptcy and instead focus on serving strong families, providing safe neighborhoods and maintaining quality public services like public safety, parks and roads. In Vail schools, we’ve proven we can do more with less – this is a lesson City Council needs to learn. Who better to teach them than me, a math teacher?
I ask you to vote for me, MARGARET BURKHOLDER, so we can move Tucson in a positive direction. For more information about me or to find ways to get involved, visit TucsonWins.com or look for me on Facebook at MargaretforTucson.
