Ward 2 Council Member Paul Cunningham
Paul's Note - May 21st, 2021
Posted May 21, 2021
In 2006, the voters of Pima County passed a law enabling the creation of a Regional Transportation Authority, as well as a half-cent excise (sales) tax to pay for transportation projects. The current RTA expires in 2026, which means it will soon be time for the voters to re-authorize the RTA and the tax. Unless there are significant changes, I am opposed to reauthorization.
Paul's Note - May 14th, 2021
Posted May 14, 2021
I think most of us are familiar with Habitat for Humanity, which is celebrating their 40th anniversary in Tucson this year. In fact, many of you aren’t only familiar but you may have actually volunteered with them given how many local employers have been supportive of the organization.
Paul's Note - May 7th, 2021
Posted May 7, 2021
As many of you know, my colleagues and I adopted an alternative plan for zoo expansion on Tuesday. Back on March 9, we were tasked with approving an expansion plan that many in the community thought was ill considered, and my colleagues and I believed that the Reid Park Zoological Society hadn’t done an adequate job of engaging the public before bringing their plan forward.
Paul's Note - April 30th, 2021
Posted April 30, 2021
The Tucson Police Department sent us some "frequently asked questions.” It included two that deal with mental health crises. This is particularly acute given the death-in-custody of Carlos Ingram-Lopez last year. Below is what they sent us, with some edits for style.
How are Tucson Police officers trained to deal with individuals in mental health crises?
Paul's Note - April 23rd, 2021
Posted April 23, 2021
At Tuesday’s meeting my colleagues on the council and I worked on three items having to do with our environment. We got an update on PFAS contamination in some of our wells, worked on the planning process for future green stormwater infrastructure projects, and discussed future code changes to accommodate electrical vehicles in new construction.
Paul's Note - April 16th, 2021
Posted April 16, 2021
It seemed like it was winter just a couple of weeks ago, but temperatures are starting to climb already (it’s 81 as I write this). Like many of our recreational facilities, city pools have been mostly off limits due to COVID-19.
Paul's Note - April 9, 2021
Posted April 9, 2021
Some concerns about the recycling monitoring project have come back to my office. I wanted to talk a little bit about it.
Since the city has had curbside recycling, Environmental Services has had a number of educational campaigns about what should be recycled and what shouldn’t. This has included public information campaigns in local media and inserts in water bills to remind people. Unfortunately, this has not been working.
Paul's Note - April 2nd, 2021
Posted April 2, 2021
There are two pieces of good news for Ward 2’s older adult population.
Paul's Note - March 26, 2021
Posted March 26, 2021
On Monday, I attended the opening of twelve new pickleball courts at Udall Park. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what pickleball was until I was approached by several local pickleball players a few years ago. They wanted more places in Tucson to play their sport.
Paul's Note - March 19, 2021
Posted March 19, 2021
My family has been deeply involved in the zoo for decades and I’ve been an advocate for the zoo and the role it plays in our community.
Udall Pickleball Courts Opening
Posted March 12, 2021
Ward 2 Council Member Paul Cunningham and Tucson Parks and Recreation invite you to celebrate the opening of the pickleball courts at Morris K. Udall Park. The court renovations were completed using Tucson Delivers Parks + Connections voter-approved bond funds from the November 2018 election. The renovations included the conversion of four existing tennis courts into 12 standard-size pickleball courts.
Paul's Note - March 12, 2021
Posted March 12, 2021
Homebuilder Lennar, despite a year when just about every company large and small struggled, posted profits of nearly $3.5 billion. That’s a 24% increase over the previous year.
Paul's Note - March 5, 2021
Posted March 5, 2021
Last year, I received an email from one of our Ward 2 neighborhood associations. Due to lack of traffic on east side streets during the COVID curfew, street racers had seen an opportunity and grabbed it. They used those wide, empty streets for organized racing, sometimes with speeds over 100 miles an hour.
@ReadySetRec Van Schedule
Posted March 5, 2021
The @ReadySetRec van will be making an appearance at Vista del Rio Park (7575 E Desert Arbors Street) on March 11 from 2-4 pm and Claire Weeks - Terra del Sol Park (2001 S. Avenida del Sol) from 11 am - 1 pm. In additon to the regular play equipment, the Terra del Sol visit will include origami
For the rest of March:
Paul's Note - February 26th, 2021
Posted February 26, 2021
Back in 2010, I was appointed to a vacancy after the previous council member resigned. The final decision to appoint me was made by the mayor and the five remaining members of the council. There was a community process: we submitted applications and we all had a chance to make our case to be appointed.