Former member appointed to fill vacant seat on Tucson City Council

TUCSON, AZ – Former Councilor Karin Uhlich was appointed to Division 3 of Tucson City Council following the resignation of Paul Durham.

Uhlich will fill the vacant seat after the council voted unanimously for them on Monday. She was previously a member of the council from 2005 to 2017 when she resigned. She will not be able to seek re-election after serving the remainder of Durham’s term.

In a post-vote tweet, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero congratulated Uhlich on her appointment and thanked Durham for his service.

(1/2) Congratulations to Councilor Karin Uhlich on her appointment to the # Ward3 seat and thank you to everyone who applied for the position. My thanks go to my colleagues in the Council for their swift, unanimous action and their unity.
– Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) March 2, 2021

“Karin is a proven leader who understands the issues facing Ward 3 neighborhoods and was previously elected by Ward 3 residents,” she wrote. “Thanks again to Councilor Durham for your service to the City of Tucson, and welcome back to the Council, Councilor Uhlich!”

Others had applied for the job, the Arizona Daily Star reported, including Michael Crawford, a local trial attorney, and Bonnie Poulos, a retired immunobiologist and prominent community activist.

Durham announced his resignation in early February to “take care of personal matters”. Durham previously stepped down from his duties in September 2020 while recovering from an injury and his husband battling terminal cancer.

Durham was a vocal presence on the council and was instrumental in the adoption of Tucson’s emergency climate plan. The plan, which was carried out together with Romero, envisages that all urban departments will be climate neutral by 2030.

On Monday, Uhlich said it would be important to help the community recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

“Tucson prides itself on having this local small business driver that is our economy, and I don’t know how best to make sure we help these businesses emerge and survive for the next few years, but it’s critical,” she said.

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