Marana Town Council candidates to debate on Thursday

A roundup of upcoming Tucson-area political events: League of Women Voters hosting candidate forums in town council races; early voting in July 21 primary is underway; Sentinel journalists on the air & more

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Five of the candidates running for the Marana Town Council will
appear at a Thursday, July 9, forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of
Greater Tucson.

The forum is 6 to 7 p.m. at Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library, 7800 N. Schisler Dr.

The candidates who have confirmed plans to attend include incumbent Councilmember Teri Murphy and challengers Jackie McGuire, Sue Ritz and Julie Prince as well as write-in candidate Jackie Craig. Incumbents Herb Kai and John Officer did not confirm attendance ahead of a July 3 deadline.

The
League of Women Voters did not invite mayoral candidates Jon Post and
Greg Johnsen to the forum because the group chose to focus on council races, according to LWVGT
spokesperson Haley Keller. Post is now serving as mayor after being
appointed to the position following the death of longtime Marana mayor
Ed Honea,

The primary election for four seats on the Marana Council is
nonpartisan and any candidate who wins more than 50 percent of the vote
in the July 21 primary wins the office.

Ongoing: Early voting is underway in the July 21 primary election. Ballots were sent to voters who requested one on Wednesday, June 24, and three early polling sites are now open for those who wish to cast a ballot in person or drop off a completed ballot.

The Recorder’s Office opened an early voting site at the Oro Valley Library, 1305 W. Naranja Dr., on July 6. Voters can drop off completed ballots or receive a ballot between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Oro Valley site joins three other sites that are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Pima County Recorder’s Office
branches at 240 N. Stone Ave., and 6550 S. Country Club Rd., as well as
the Ward 2 Tucson City Council office, 7820 E. Broadway.

Completed early ballots can be dropped off at those locations and at the recorder’s East Side office, 6920 E. Broadway.

Completed early ballots can also be dropped off at one of the Recorder
Office’s 24-hour drop boxes. Two of the drop boxes, including a
drive-thru option, are located at the recorder’s Downtown office and a third is at the East Side office. The fourth ballot drop box is located at the Sells Post Office, 1 Main St., on the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Additional early voting sites will open July 13. Find a full list here on the Pima County Recorder’s Office website.

Friday, July 10: Last day to request an early ballot from the Pima County Recorder’s Office. Visit the voter dashboard to request a ballot.

Saturday, July 11: Candidates for the Sahuarita Town Council are invited to attend a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

The forum is set for 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Sahuarita Library, 670 W. Sahuarita Rd.

Three Town Council seats are up for grabs in Sahuarita. Mayor Tom
Murphy (who is running for the council because the Sahuarita mayor is chosen by members of the council) has said he will attend, while Robin Earl has declined the invitation.

The other candidates, incumbent Deborah
Morales and political newcomers Juan D. Cubillo and Chelsea Hundal, have not responded to the league’s invitation. The deadline to respond is Monday.

Tuesday, July 14: Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly recommends voters send back their early ballots by this deadline. Ballots that are not in the possession of the Pima County Recorder’s Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day will be discarded. After July 14, voters are urged to drop off ballots at early voting locations, ballot drop boxes or at a voting center on Election Day. Early voting locations can be found here.

Tuesday, July 21: Primary Election Day

Friday, July 31: Tucson Sentinel reporter Paul Ingram joins host Bill Buckmaster to
interview Pima County Public Health Director Theresa Cullen and author Greg McNamee. Noon on KVOI, 1030 AM. Episodes
stream at buckmastershow.com.

Friday, Aug. 14: Tucson Sentinel reporter Jim Nintzel joins host Bill Buckmaster to
interview TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo. Noon on KVOI, 1030 AM. Episodes
stream at buckmastershow.com.

Tuesday, Nov. 3: General Election Day