For Star subscribers: Conservatives have succeeded at commandeering the public-comment sessions at Pima County supervisors meetings. There's no reason to think it will help them win elections.
As Jen Wagner spoke to the Pima County Board of Supervisors April 18, derisive laughter and groans rose from the audience.
People are also reading… You may have heard that the call-to-the-audience sessions at Pima County supervisors meetings, and some local school-board meetings, have been raucous lately. It's in part due to an effort by the county GOP and others to make their presence known in this Democrat-dominated area.
Concerted criticismIt's nothing new to have members of the general public show up and say strong things at local government meetings. Keith Van Heyningen, who spoke at the April 18 meeting, has been appearing at county board meetings for many years, often assailing Democrats in harsh terms. Heinz became a target of these attendees, Smith said, because of how he has treated conservatives. During the pandemic, Heinz, who is a medical doctor, referred to people who don't get COVID-19 vaccines as"murderers," and he interrupted speakers giving what he considered pandemic disinformation.
And there were those who veered into conspiracies and accusations insisting, for example, that the Board of Supervisors, with the exception of Christy, had committed treason and should suffer the consequences. "I’m just a Pima County chairman," he said."I’m not a scold. I don’t give swats. We’re Republicans — it’s like herding cats."
'We’re not a supine party'Grijalva, when I interviewed her, said she wants more civility at the meetings, but it's not easy. One problem is that two hours of call-to-the-audience comments often mean less discussion of the items on the meeting agenda. It's also a waste of time for members of the public who show up and have to wait through repetitive or off-topic three-minute speeches before the board deals with their concern.
And that's the strange thing about this Republican effort to fill the meetings and rail on supervisors during call-to-the-audience. It generates enthusiasm within their group, allowing them to dominate local politics for this moment in this place. But it seems unlikely to help them with a key political challenges, like winning back the District 1 seat that Democrat Rex Scott won from the GOP in 2020.
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