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The party elected a new chair, Robert Branscomb, in January, only to oust him in July over complaints of mismanaging party affairs amid conflict with top Democratic elected officials.

On Saturday, Sept. 13, members of the party’s state committee are scheduled to assemble again in Phoenix, this time to pick from one of six candidates to be the party’s new chair. Among them are four candidates from Southern ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥.

The questions asked of the candidates for their online bios are almost as interesting as the candidates themselves. The questions, which offer a window into what the party thinks it needs, are:

— What is your relationship with working families/unions in ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥?

— Please provide specifics regarding your experience with setting, revising, operating with budgets in excess of $500,000 per year.

— Please articulate your management style as it will relate to ADP staff members and the volunteer Executive Board — provide an example of how you have practiced conflict resolution.

— What is your experience with grassroots organizing? Please describe grassroots leadership roles you have held and/or grassroots projects you have completed.

The candidates are:

Charlene Fernandez, a former state legislator from Yuma County.

Julie Lienhart-Fernatt, a party volunteer from Yavapai County.

Kim Khoury, acting chair of the state party from Pima County.

Joshua Polacheck, a current vice chair of from Pima County.

Channel Powe, a former county party official from Maricopa County.

Shawnté Rothschild, a current vice chair of the party from Pinal County.

More information about the candidates, including their answers to those four questions, is at

GOP outpaces Dem registration

Whoever the Dems elect will have to contend with a growing gap between Democratic Party and Republican Party voter registration.

As of July, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Democrats had 1,270,307 registered voters as compared to 1,597,705 registered Republicans, an advantage of 327,398 for the GOP. Voters who did not register with a party totaled 1,525,855.

In July, the No Labels party had 39,804 voters, the Libertarian Party had 31,905 and the Green Party had 5,045.

In July 2024, Democrats had 1,195,696 voters statewide, as compared to 1,454,966 Republicans, giving the GOP an advantage last year of 259,270 voters. Voters without party affiliation totaled 1,395,298 last year.

Council reviews city manager

“THE CITY MANAGER IS UP FOR REVIEW!� was the subject line in an email Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz sent out to residents this week.

It raised a few eyebrows, because it came after Santa Cruz leveled tough criticism against City Manager Tim Thomure and his staff last month.

“It seems our staff is taking cues from the Chamber of Commerce instead of from the people of Tucson or from the elected officials tasked with representing them,� Santa Cruz said as the City Council voted down Project Blue, the proposed mega-data center project on the southeast side.

Santa Cruz, who represents Ward 1, put together allowing residents to weigh in on Thomure’s performance. The council is scheduled to review Thomure’s performance during an executive session at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

In a text, Santa Cruz said she is simply seeking to establish a clear process to review the performances of charter officials, such as the city manager, city clerk and city attorney.

“I’m not trying to target any one individual,� she said in a text. “For me, it’s about ensuring accountability, transparency and performance standards across the board. Having a regular and formalized review process benefits the folks in these positions, Council and ultimately the community we serve.�

City Council candidate forum scheduled

The NAACP has scheduled a forum for the five candidates for Tucson City Council in November’s election.

The forum will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, at the Dunbar Pavilion, 325 W. 2nd St.

All five candidates are expected to attend. They are Democratic incumbent Kevin Dahl and Republican Janet “JL� Wittenbraker in Ward 3; Democrat Selina Barajas in Ward 5; and Republican Jay Tolkoff and Democrat Miranda Schubert in Ward 6.