The Arizona Supreme Court on Friday upheld a vital principle of local control for Arizona charter cities when it rejected a state law that sought to overrule the way Tucson holds its municipal elections.
Except for Tucson, Arizona cities and towns elect council members in non-partisan elections; Tucson uses a partisan system. In 2009, state lawmakers passed a law that mandated all municipal elections be non-partisan, effectively overruling the city charter of Tucson. That bill was sponsored by then State Rep. Jonathon Paton, R-Tucson.