Monday, March 5th, 2007...12:07 pm
No, No, Not That One
Los Angeles Dodgers fans, or for that matter, patrons of our local Asian eateries, may have noted that papers have been pulled by one Luis Gonzales to run in the Ward 1 Democratic primary. Some of you may want to note the spelling on the name “Gonzales” before you get too excited though.
I’m thinking that it’s the same Luis Armando Gonzales who served in the legislature in the 70’s and 80’s before making a kamikaze run against Morris Udall in 1986, at least the address matches the one he filed in his last run for office. After losing to Udall in the primary in 1986 (and after making tasteless allegations about his Parkinson’s disease), he made an unsuccessful run for county supervisor in 1988, and was tossed off the ballot in another run at that office in 1992. He also ran in the Democratic primary for Ward 1 city council back in 1995, coming far behind winner José Ibarra and silver medalist Irma Yepes-Perez in a pack of three trailing political has-beens derisively refered to that year as “The Three Amigos.”
He made a run at congress in 2002. He touted an early poll that showed him doing suprisingly well, but it was dismissed by observers who wondered if people thought they had him confused with a certain left hander that had just been acquired by the Diamondbacks. The guy hadn’t served in elective office for well over a decade. He had been a serious political force back when he was first elected, but politics had changed in Tucson (especially in the Hispanic community) and the players that came up with him had moved on. He didn’t seem to realize that.
Gonzales has developed somewhat of a vendetta against Raúl Grijalva and Dan Eckstrom. His runs for office have been against them or their surrogates, and it has never gone well for him. He may see this race as his chance to get at Grijalva by taking on one of his chosen candidates, Regina Romero. Instead, it may just once again look like one of his ill-planned and foolish attempts to get back in to office.
NB - In the hours since I posted this, I found out that the Luis Gonzales that filed was actually Luis Gonzales, Jr.
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