Mary DeCamp, the Green Party candidate in Ward 3, asked us to post some of her thoughts on the problems facing Tucson. This one is about grafitti.

Walking my dog this morning, I saw graffiti behind the AZ Opera Company building ("Merk" is said). A little further, and I saw the Casa de Los Ninos collection site. Emblazoned on the side, in hand-written style lettering, was their name, notification about donation details, and a cute child-like drawing in blue ink.

Guadalajara Grill has a beautiful scripted lettering, and other offices & businesses go with more conventional fonts. The streets are all clearly labeled and automotive information is certainly visible.

A little further along, in a utility walk-way backing an apartment complex, I saw a graphic depiction of male ejaculation and some initials next to it. My neighbor refers to this stretch of the neighborhood as "penis alley."

Artists and designer Rachelle Díaz and architect Bill Mackey talked up the Pop Up Spaces' show “±92: Downtown Master Plans, 1932-2009,” on Arizona Illustrated last night. See interview after jump. If you haven't had a chance to see the exhibit at the McLellen Building, 63 E. Congress St. (northwest corner of Scott Avenue and Congress Street), there's a closing reception on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m.

From Pop Up Spaces:

Local artists Bill Mackey, Julie Ray, Rachelle Díaz and Kimi Eisele will offer a “Closing Discussion and Executive Summary” about the exhibit, “±92: Downtown Master Plans, 1932-2009,” a compilation of over 100 Downtown Tucson master plans. Since opening on Oct. 3, the exhibit has drawn over 450 viewers to its storefront location on Congress Street.

On Oct. 24, 2009, artists will answer questions from the audience, discuss their intentions, and present results from public input surveys collected during the exhibit.

The exhibit showcases realized and unrealized plans authored from the early 20th century to 2009. An interactive timeline helps viewers track world events, economic and social trends, and Tucson's history in relationship to the plans’ origins, realization, or death. The show presents a rare opportunity to see ALL of the planning for downtown Tucson in one space at one time.

Viewers are also asked to comment on existing downtown spaces through an interactive photography exhibit. Throughout the exhibit, a crew of official performing "apparatchiks" have diligently collected (and heavily processed) public input surveys for current and future planning efforts.

The discussion will last an hour. Cake will be served.

Cake? Anything to support Pop Up Spaces. Get down there folks.

Early voting in the city election is picking up, with about three of every 10 ballots that were mailed to voters having been cast.

Here's the latest, with numbers as of last night:

A total of 66,908 ballots had been mailed to city voters. Of those, 20,315 ballots had been returned, which comes out to roughly 30 percent.

Party breakdown:

• 32,035 of those ballots went to Democrats; 10,133 of those ballots had been cast, for a return rate of roughly 32 percent.

• 20,903 of those ballots went to Republicans; 6,638 of those ballots had been cast, for a return rate of roughly 32 percent.

• 361 of those ballots went to Libertarians; 97 of those ballots had been cast, for a return rate of roughly 27 percent.

• 162 of those ballots went to Greens; 54 of those ballots had been cast, for a return rate of roughly 33 percent.

• 13,447 ballots had been sent to people who aren't registered with any of the above parties; 3,393 had been cast, for a return rate of roughly 25 percent.

More thoughts on early voting here.

If you don't have an early ballot yet, here's how to get one.

• A sample of produce from Sleeping Frog Farm.

The Yum! section comes out next week and in it there'll be all sorts of food stories, including one on Sleeping Frog Farms, a small organic operation not far from the Foothills Mall.

You'll find the whole story in Yum!, but what I'm here to rant about is the produce I recently bought from the farm. The picture above, which shows Sleeping Frog produce harvested earlier this year, is not of the bag of goodness I took home. The picture does, however, give you some idea of what caliber of color, taste and absolute freshness ended up in my frying pan on a recent night. A stirfry of purple peppers and basil mixed with multicolored eggplant was created and devoured. Taste buds danced in delight.

No vegetables I've tried in recent memory can hold a candle to what Sleeping Frog produces. Maybe that's why Janos Wilder and a number of local cooks are gaga over the veggies. Maybe that's why someone was heard telling the owners "Your parsley makes me want to sing!" on a recent morning.

Or maybe it's because Adam Valdivia and C.J. Marks are two knowledgeable, dedicated farmers with a wealth of gardening experience between them, and they absolutely love what they do. Marks and Valdivia are also two of the most hardworking, courteous and friendly folks I've run into in years, and I've got a feeling we'll be hearing more about them as their operation continues to grow.

The produce is available on Thursdays at the Santa Cruz River Farmers Market (corner of Speedway and Riverview boulevards) or Sundays at the market at St. Philip's Plaza (corner of East River Road and North Campbell Avenue). You can also check in with them at their Web site.

And don't forget to check out the story next week in the Weekly's Yum! section.

The conservative/libertarians at Goldwater Institute aren't fond of the Public Safety First Initiative, which will require the city to spend an additional $63 million annually on cops and firefighters once it's fully implemented in five years. Nick Dranias warns:

Proposition 200 would mandate hiring scores of new government employees without requiring spending be reduced elsewhere or imposing any incentive for good performance or consequence for bad performance. This won’t put public safety first, it will just bloat city government.

Everyone complains that Tucson lacks the vision thing.

This much is true: There are not a lot of people contributing to the Tucson Vision Committee, an independent political committee that is targeting Democratic candidates in the City Council election.

The committee had raised $39,000 from fewer than 10 contributors as of Oct. 14.

Roughly three-fourths of the money has come from developer Michael Goodman and Republican National Committeeman Bruce Ash.

Goodman has given $10,000. He’s the mini-dorm developer who has raised the ire of homeowners in neighbors north of the university by pushing residential zoning regulations to the limit to build student housing. He has sued the current city council for passing regs that have slowed down his projects.

Ash has given $5,000 and loaned the committee $15,000. Ash also plays a starring role in the “Big Dick No. 1” controversy we reported on this week.

Here’s the latest report if you feel like looking it over: thatvisionthing.pdf

Most of the committee’s money has gone to the advertising firm Moret and Associates. The committee has run television ads attacking the incumbents as incompetent and radio spots featuring irate citizens who are unhappy with the Democratic City Council.

The supporters of Prop 200 have raised six times as much money as opponents.

Don’t Handcuff Tucson, the political committee that is urging voters to reject the Public Safety First Initiative on the Nov. 3 ballot, had raised $58,137 as of Oct. 14, according to a campaign finance report filed today.

As we noted earlier today, the Public Safety First committee had raised $360K.

Don’t Handcuff Tucson had raised most of its funding—$44,842—between Sept. 22 and Oct. 14. The committee had about $20,000 in the bank at the end of the reporting period.

Among the major contributors to Don’t Handcuff Tucson: The Arizona Multihousing Association ($10,000), the United Food and Commercial Workers Union ($5,000) and legendary land speculator Don Diamond ($1,000).

You can check out the report yourself: Handcuff.pdf

The Public Safety First committee has spent more than $354,000 on the push to persuade voters to force the city to hire more cops and firefighters, at an estimated cost of $63 million a year once the program is fully implemented in five years.

The campaign had raised more than $360,000 as of Oct. 14, according to the latest campaign finance report, which was due today.

Auto dealer Jim Click has doubled down on his contributions to the campaign, giving $50,000 on Oct. 14. Click had already contributed $50,000 earlier this year.

The Tucson Association of Realtors, which has been the driving force behind the initiative, also contributed another $10,487. The International Association of Firefighters and the Tucson Police Officers Association each kicked in an additional $10,000.

Here's the report, if you feel wonky enough to review it: PublicSafetyFirstCampFin.pdf

More to come as reports are filed later today.

Due to an illness, Beowulf Alley Late Night Theatre group has cancelled performances of Athene. They were to take place on Friday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 25. Call 882-0555 or visit www.beowulfalley.org for more information.

Antigone Books hosts a benefit for Owl and Panther on Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. Five authors of young adult works will read at one of our favorite independent book shops at 411 N. 4th Avenue:

Robin Brande will read from Fat Cat (Knopf, $16.99), a funny, thoughtful novel that explores how girls feel about their bodies, and the ways they can take care of their most precious resource: themselves.

Juanita Havill will read from Grow: A Novel in Verse (Peachtree, $14.95). This novel, written from the perspective of 12-year old Kate, shows how an inner-city community garden brings neighbors together.

Marge Pellegrino will read from Journey of Dreams (F. Lincoln, $15.95). A modern-day Underground Railroad during conflict in Guatemala forms the center of this wonderful and stirring novel told from the viewpoint of a 13-year-old Mayan girl.

Janni Lee Simner will read from her novel, Bones of Faerie (Random House, $16.99). The war between humanity and Faerie has devastated both sides. When 15-year-old Liza discovers she has the Faerie ability to see into the past and future, she finds what may be the key to healing both worlds.

Jennifer J. Stewart will read from her novel, Close Encounters of a Third-World Kind (Holiday House, $6.95). When 12-year old Annie's father announces that the family will be spending the next two months in Nepal on a medical mission, Annie’s not so sure about this adventure. But when she meets Nirmala, a girl close to her own age, the real adventure begins.

Besides listening to great authors with or without your kids, 20 percent of sales from the evening go to a local organization Owl and Panther, a group that helps those affected by trauma through creative writing and counseling. Owl & Panther also works to treat trauma associated with torture, dislocation, refugee status, or family problems. The group sounds amazing. Check them out at http://www.owlandpanther.org/aboutus.php