As your Ward 6 representative, Leighton will:

1. Centralize Coordination

Tucson must unify the efforts of the City, County, local shelters, behavioral health providers, the courts, Police, Fire, hospitals, mutual aid groups, and any other group who plays a role in improving the lives of the homeless under a centralized, data-driven system. Currently, we operate in silos — which leads to duplicated efforts, gaps in care, and wasted taxpayer dollars. We all want to achieve the same basic goals. Why are we not unifying our strategy?

2. Make Housing First the Priority

Tucson must dramatically expand its inventory of permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing units, and scattered-site vouchers. We must partner with local non-profits and builders to convert vacant motels and underused properties into livable, managed housing, a faster and cheaper option than new construction. We, as a city, must coordinate with those local organizations such as La Frontera, and Intermountain Center, to build and manage our affordable housing.

3. Provide Low-Barrier Shelters and Sanctioned Encampments

While we build up housing capacity, Tucson must also provide humane and immediate alternatives to unsheltered street living. That means creating low-barrier shelters.  These are facilities that don’t turn people away due to sobriety, pets, partners, or past evictions. It also means designating and managing sanctioned campgrounds with access to hygiene, security, and outreach staff.

4. Streamline Access to Real-Time Data

We must fund and modernize a digital platform that allows organizations to share data, track progress, and reduce red tape. The goal should be speed and equity.

5. Share the Responsibility — and the Cost

Tucson and Pima County must leverage existing federal sources like HUD’s Continuum of Care grants, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Philanthropic organizations, mutual aid groups, and nonprofits already doing frontline work should be included at the planning table and supported through public-private partnerships.

7. Policing

We have all witnessed a rise in property theft, damage, trespassing, drug sales, and other crimes perpetrated by a few of those individuals living on our streets. We must strengthen our systems in place to arrest and prosecute these crimes. Every arrest should be an opportunity for an individual to obtain mental health care, drug addiction treatment, and other services.

8. Implement a City Drug Court

The city court systems is lacking a dedicated drug court. By installing a court to specifically manage drug arrests, we can better direct individuals to the rehabilitation and assistance programs than can help break their addictions. Being arrested doesn’t have to mean a jail sentence.

9. Track Measurable Results

We must set achievable goals and track our progress and outcomes. Deciding what these goals are should be the first major discussion of the coordinated effort.

As your Ward 6 Representative, Leighton will:

1. Advocate for regulations of corporate/institutional investor ownership of housing.

Housing has become yet another profit center for massive corporations and investment funds here in Tucson. This has the effect of raising prices, rents, and taking inventory off the market. We must work with our state legislature and the county to regulate corporate ownership of housing stock within the city.

2. Implement a Balanced Approach to Zoning Regulations

While zoning overlays and zoning changes can assist with boosting housing inventory, we must not forget about the historic neighborhoods and single-family housing that provide thousands of families with the housing and open space they need and want. We can and should explore re-zoning, especially in those industrial areas of Tucson that are largely vacant.

3. Ensure that we follow the statutory requirements for our General Plan to effectively prepare for future growth.

Tucson will vote on a new general plan soon. That plan gives us guidance on how to manage sustainable growth in Tucson.

4. Strengthen incentives to develop existing structures into more housing

We should continue to strengthen our ADU incentives and work alongside the County to provide property tax breaks for individual homeowners who use their additional dwelling units for long-term rental. We must bolster our impact fee waiver program to encourage developers to build more affordable housing. Finally, we must streamline the permitting process to remove barriers to re-developing existing hotels and other structures into affordable housing.

As your Ward 6 representative, Leighton will seek to:    

1. Support TPD and TFD by increasing wages to prevent attrition of officers and lieutenants.

2.     Foster opportunities for crime reduction partnerships, such as the Alvernon-Grant initiative and Coffee with a Cop programs.

3.     Promote responsible driving by increasing traffic officers presence on our streets.

4.     Establish a drug court within the city to guide those suffering from drug addiction to treatment programs rather than jail.

5. Reinstate bus and transit fairs to ensure rider accountability and the safety of other riders. Fares will be free or reduced for those who qualify.

As your Ward 6 representative, Leighton will seek to:

1.     Boost local businesses

Leighton will meet with small business owners regularly to find real initiatives to assist with their growth. This might include interest-free micro loans, interest reimbursements, grants, and other tools to help small businesses in Tucson thrive. He will also seek to provide funding sources that assist small businesses with the implementation of energy-saving measures.

2.     Attract new businesses

Leighton will promote Tucson’s many attributes, including proximity to the border, synergy of existing major industries, such as optics and defense, beautiful climate and scenery, and a top-tier research university, to attract new companies with high-quality jobs for Tucsonans. 

3.     Promote Sustainable Growth

A growing economy does not have to mean massive increases in population. Tucson must recognize the need to holistically boost revenues to the budget, so that we can afford to build a functioning, sustainable city for all. We can do this by attracting new employers, growing local businesses, and slowly increasing wages in our city with higher-quality jobs and industries.

As your Ward 6 representative, Leighton will:

1.     Work to secure funding to repair existing roads and expand our network of sidewalks, street lights, and pedestrian-specific pathways.

2.     Work to continue expansion of our bicycle boulevard network to connect as many Ward 6 neighborhoods as feasible.

3.     Advocate for a holistic approach to reducing traffic accidents and injuries.

4.     Seek ways to expand bus and transit routes to encourage greater and more frequent use of our transit system.

5.     Seek a balanced, fair, and equitable approach to funding Tucson’s transit systems. This means free or reduced fares for those who need them.

As your Ward 6 representative, Leighton will:

1.     Hold regular Town halls to inform and engage residents.

2.     Encourage and facilitate participation by residents in all policy decisions.

3.     Work to strengthen existing and create new neighborhood associations across Ward 6.

4.     Support meaningful public engagement and communication in Tucson’s decision-making processes

5.     Provide experienced and dedicated office staff to ensure the highest level of service for residents at accessible hours.