The city council elections have come and gone, and Tucson has a new councilman downtown. I sat down after the election with Steve Kozachik, Ward Six's new representative on the council, to see why he decided to seek this office. We met in Kozachik's U of A office at McKale Center.
DS: Why did you run for the Ward 6 council seat?
Kozachik: Basically, I want to change the conversation that's happening downtown. I think there has been a lot of time and money wasted on unrealistic planning, and I think we can make better decisions.
DS: What's your background in Tucson?
Kozachik: My parents moved here in 1967, from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I've been here ever since. I have a B.A. in public administration and an M.A. in higher education, both from U of A. My wife works for TUSD - we've been married 31 years, with one daughter.
DS: And what is it you do at U of A that will help you as the new Ward 6 councilman?
Kozachik: I'm the Associate Director of Athletics Facilities and Capital Projects for U of A, which basically means I oversee the design and development of new campus buildings, and I think I bring a very unique skill-set to the council. There will be a lot of development issues in downtown's near future, and I've had success in the private sector with similar projects. And I have close relationships with many downtown business owners and developers, so the line is already open for discussion purposes.
DS: Will you be keeping your job at U of A during your term?
Kozachik: I will. This election is not a career move for me - I have a career. I just really think there needs to be an accounting for some of the decisions that are being made downtown, and some changes going forward. Like a timely auditing of Rio Nuevo, a serious look at the downtown hotel plans, and a review of the downtown streetcar construction. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not against any of these projects. I just think we can plan them in a more fiscally responsible manner. That's my job at U of A, and I consider it my job for downtown for the next four years.
DS: There's been some tension downtown in the last few weeks regarding development, especially in the Congress/5th Avenue area. How do you feel about this?
Kozachik: Well, that's a complicated issue. On the one hand, the building owners do have a right to do what they want to do with their building. And with the tenants being on short-term leases, the situation becomes even more tenuous for them. On the other hand, I think it was pretty impolite to make the businesses find out by seeing a press conference in front of their doors. To me, that seemed to be a pretty manipulative move by Nina (Trasoff) and the developers, and the election showed what downtown thought of that. After all, there are a lot of voters who live downtown. There needs to be a middle ground reached between property owners and tenants downtown, in such a way that benefits everyone.
DS: On the topic of downtown residents, what would you like to see in the future?
Kozachik: That's an important issue - I'd like to see more residential construction downtown, and that view is shared by the business owners. After all, downtown residents patronize downtown businesses, and successful businesses bring more people downtown. It's a synergistic process. There are ideas by the U of A to build graduate-level housing in the downtown area, and the planned modern streetcar would greatly facilitate that. And there are other buildings downtown which could be used to serve residential needs. Downtown needs people - that's what makes it great. You live downtown, right?
DS: I do. Regarding bringing more people downtown, what will you be working to implement, in terms of downtown appeal?
Kozachik: Well, there's a lot of ways we can make downtown more appealing to people, and it basically boils down to making the area positive, clean and safe. Let's keep the sidewalks clean, let's look at the building facades, let's look at bringing business owners and the City together to make improvements. There are many options, and we need to decide which are right for the district.
DS: When do you start as councilman?
Kozachik: December 7 will be my first council meeting. In the meantime, I'll be building my staff and getting prepared. I'm looking into keeping the ward office open during the evenings so that people who work during the day will have an opportunity to see me.
Steve Kozachik will be Ward Six's councilman for a four-year term. His council office is located at 3202 East 1st Street. City Council meetings are held weekly (except in the summer) and are open to the public.
