With five candidates focusing on issues including transportation, housing, sustainability and public safety, the race for Tucson City Council’s Ward 6 seat is stacked.

The Ward 6 spot was previously occupied by Steve Kozachik, who first ran for the seat in 2009 and resigned from his position in May 2024 to take a job with Pima County.

The council appointed longtime former member Karen Uhlich to fill out the remainder of Kozachik’s term, which ends in December. She previously served as Ward 3 councilwoman but is not seeking another term in the Ward 6 seat.

But there’s plenty of competition for the seat, with four Democrats and one Republican squaring off in the race. The primary election is Aug. 5, and the general election is Nov. 4. Here’s the rundown of who’s on the ballot:

Theresa Riel

Democrat Theresa Riel is a retired math teacher of 35 years. She worked for Pima Community College for about 23 years and ran for the Pima Community College Governing Board last fall, winning the race for the District 2 seat. She is also a representative for her neighborhood association and served as the group’s president for four years.

“I will advocate and work tirelessly for an effective and efficient City Government benefiting all residents,” she said on her campaign website.

Riel has lived in Tucson since 1988. She has volunteered with nonprofits and schools, is a member of the LPGA Amateur Women’s Golf Association, and has advocated for people experiencing homelessness.

Her top priorities for Ward 6 are a transparent budget, enhanced public safety, welfare programs, environmental issues and zoning.

Leighton Rockafellow Jr.

A Tucson native and part owner of Rockafellow Law Firm, Democrat Leighton Rockafellow Jr. says he’s ready to serve Ward 6.

Rockafellow Jr. is a personal injury lawyer, working with people from various cultural, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds, according to his campaign website. He was a member of the Young Lawyers Division of the Pima County Bar Association and currently serves as secretary of his neighborhood association.

“Our council needs a pragmatic small-business owner who advocates for his city and who understands the value in viewing a problem from both sides of the equation,” he said on his campaign website.

Rockafellow Jr. said the key issues he wants to address as a city council member include safer streets, economic development and supporting the unhoused.

Miranda Schubert

Democrat Miranda Schubert is no stranger to local politics, having challenged Kozachik in the 2021 Democratic primary for the Ward 6 seat and earning 28% of the vote.

Schubert works as operations manager, on-air DJ, producer and youth counselor at KXCI Community Radio. She also serves on the Complete Streets Coordinating Council and Board of Adjustment for the City of Tucson and is the founder of Tucson for Everyone, a local housing and transit advocacy group.

“I believe that everybody — from the grassroots of mutual aid groups to established nonprofits to local boards and commissions — should be working together to find solutions to the urgent issues we face,” she said on her campaign website.

A few of her priorities for the ward are safer streets, housing justice, community engagement, community resilience and community safety.

James Sinex

Democrat James Sinex grew up in Tucson and later moved to Fort Huachuca, where he worked with computers for the Army. He said on his campaign website that he hopes for a more democratic Democratic Party and for more representation within elected officials in Tucson.

While Sinex agrees with the need to support reproductive rights, affordable housing and transportation, he thinks there is more to be done, saying one of his top priorities is building a better election system.

“Finding a means toward achieving a better system must include the electorate. I have plenty of good ideas, but we would need wider input to move forward with a good plan,” he said on his campaign website.

Jay Tolkoff

The lone Republican on the primary ballot, Jay Tolkoff will automatically face off in November against the winner of the Democratic primary.

The last time a Republican held a council seat in Ward 6 was 16 years ago — by Kozachik, who later changed his party affiliation to Democrat.

Tolkoff is the former owner of PJ Subs, which closed in 2022 due to financial losses during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Tolkoff does not have a campaign website, but told the Tucson Sentinel he’s concerned about crime, homelessness and substance use.

The city is also holding elections for seats in Ward 3 and Ward 5, which we’ll be breaking down in the next few weeks.

And we'll be interviewing candidates in all the races leading up to the primary. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest local election coverage.

Arilynn Hyatt is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at arilynndhyatt@arizona.edu.

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