The City of Tucson is in an election cycle. There will be a special election May 16,  2023 where the voters will decide if they want to raise their Tucson Electric Power rates to remove some poles and somehow reduce climate change by throwing money at Tucson’s Climate Action Plan. The Tucson Mayor and Council unanimously voted to have this special election. It must be an emergency because they couldn’t wait until the November 7, 2023 General Election. You be the judge.

Several candidates have turned in petition signatures to run for Tucson Mayor and Ward 1, 2 and 4 council seats. The primary election will be August 1^st. Now the question is, what characteristics are you looking for when selecting candidates?

God tells Moses in Exodus 18:21:

“But select capable men from all the people- men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain- and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens”.

If we could describe these characteristics in one word, it would be “integrity”. It means being honest and having strong moral principles. Ask yourself these questions; do they have a proven track record of honesty? Are they a person of honor who exercises sound judgment? Have they been dependable in all matters in their life? Most important, do their moral values reflect biblical principles? For me, no candidate endorsed by Planned Parenthood should ever be elected.

As we speak, petition signatures are being gathered for an initiative to determine how Tucson determines how City Council Ward candidates are selected. Tucson currently has a system where wards select candidates in the primary election but are then voted on city wide. Since 2001, there have been 7 incidences where the candidate lost their ward but were elected to the council by a city wide vote.

Tucson voters have a duty to study the issues, scrutinize the candidates and most of all, pray to God for discernment in selecting candidates with integrity this election cycle.