Ray Carroll's Selection As A New Pima County Supervisor Bodes Well For The Environment-But Can It Last? By Emil Franzi WHEN THE PIMA County Board of Supervisors appointed Republican Ray Carroll to the vacant District 4 seat last week, it was the biggest decision the five-month-old current Board has made--and it will have a long-term impact on many issues. The biggest winner in the appointment process, besides Carroll himself, is clearly Board Chairman Raul Grijalva, a Democrat whose alliance with Republican Supervisor Mike Boyd hung together better than Sharon Bronson's alliance with Dan Eckstrom, even though they're both Democrats. Grijalva got Boyd to support his choice--Carroll--while Bronson couldn't even get Eckstrom to second her choice, Ken Marcus. Boyd went along with Carroll after failing to garner any support for his first choice, Barbara Huffstetler, the former aide to Supervisor John Even, whose untimely death made this selection process necessary. Boyd also made a courtesy nomination of Even's widow, Brenda, who, oddly, had been declared the front-runner by several local news media outlets dumb enough to be taken in by the massive PR campaign on her behalf. Then the media reported their own bafflement when she didn't get any votes, still not recognizing that her candidacy was a figment of their own imaginations. So much for real reporting. Boyd declined to support Eckstrom's move to delay the choice another four days, forcing Eckstrom to make a choice. At that point Grijalva made it obvious that Board Clerk Lori Godoshian was on his side in the selection process--by implementing a bizarre ruling by the County Attorney's Office which held that since the Clerk is legally charged with breaking any tie vote in filling a vacancy, she was thereby entitled to participate in any item leading up that choice. That's roughly akin to saying that since we vote for the governor, we're entitled to participate in creating his budget. Eckstrom, supported by Bronson, began to complain about the process, but Grijalva overrode him with the support of Boyd and Godoshian, clearly delineating the Board's two factions. Carroll began his new political career with several moves that obviously justified Grijalva's faith in him: Carroll voted for the resolution against the ASARCO mining company's proposed rape of the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson; he announced his opposition to further rezonings for the controversial development of the historic Canoa Ranch property in Green Valley; and he chose as his chief aide Scott Egan, who has worked as an aide to two former Democrats on the Tucson City Council, Bruce Wheeler and Mike Haggerty. Egan is a registered Green. With all deference to the departed John Even, he was a basic cementhead, as were District 4's last two supervisors, Paul Marsh and Reg Morrison. Carroll, on the other hand, has done more to aid local environmental causes in his first two hours than any supervisor representing District 4 since Conrad Joyner left the Board in 1983. If Carroll continues to vote this way, Boyd may have difficulty explaining to his keepers in the Growth Lobby why he went with this dude. And Bronson should be happy to find an ally on many environmental issues, however weird it may seem to be working with a simpatico Republican from relatively prosperous District 4. The 35-year-old Carroll has the buttoned-down look of a Republican, and he has the right pedigree--until he resigned following his appointment to the board, he'd worked with Grubb & Ellis, one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the county. He married into one of Tucson's establishment families and lives in the tony Tucson Country Club Estates. His major challenge will be winning the GOP primary next year. Carroll is an unknown chosen by a left-wing Hispanic Democrat from the other end of town (Grijalva); the third pick of the Board's only Republican (Boyd) and an appointed clerk--not a very deep power base. His opposition to Canoa and ASARCO won't hurt him with many GOP types in places like Green Valley, but at some point he has to act like a Republican on issues like budgets, taxes, charter government and law enforcement. For example, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry just requested a massive budget increase that, if supported by a Board vote, would require a big tax hike--either in the property tax rate or by adding a sales tax. Neither will be well received by Republican primary voters in District 4, particularly after they just voted for $362 million in bonds. Grijalva is comfortable with tax increases because his basic philosophy supports major government involvement. He also represents a safe Democratic district. Carroll has a much different constituency. They'll support a moderate Republican--to a point. Carroll will be determining his fate with those voters in the next few months. Photo by Dominic Oldershaw

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