🌵 Progressive School Board Leaders Run for Tucson City Council: How Shaw and Riel's Candidacies Offer Hope

Sadie Shaw and Theresa Riel are bringing their progressive educational leadership from TUSD and PCC boards to Tucson City Council races. Learn why their candidacies matter in the Trump era.

Apr 08, 2025

😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

In Tucson, 🌵 two women who currently help run local schools 🏫 are now trying to join the city council too. Sadie Shaw ✨ works with the TUSD school board 📚 and arts organizations 🎨, while Theresa Riel 👩‍🏫 is a retired college math teacher ➕ who serves on the community college board. They want to bring their experience with education 📖 to help solve bigger city problems 🌆 like affordable housing 🏠 and transportation 🚍. Their elections 🗳️ could help make Tucson a place where local government protects people 🙌 when the national government doesn't. Voters 🗳️ will decide in elections happening this August and November 🍂.

🗝️ Takeaways

🔍 Two progressive school board members, Sadie Shaw (TUSD) and Theresa Riel (PCC), are running for Tucson City Council in Wards 3 and 6, respectively.
🏛️ Both candidates can legally retain their school board positions while serving on the city council, creating valuable bridges between educational institutions and city governance.
🌊 In the Trump era, local progressive governance becomes even more critical as a defense against harmful federal policies.
🏘️ Shaw and Riel's educational backgrounds uniquely position them to address interconnected issues like housing affordability, climate resilience, and transportation equity.
🗓️ Important dates include the voter registration deadline (July 8), primary election (August 5), and general election (November 4).

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From School Boards to City Council: Progressive Power on the Ballot in Tucson

¡Que viva la resistencia! The struggle continues even as we face another four years under Trump...

In the shadow of national political darkness, local politics shines as our brightest beacon of hope. While the federal government seems determined to take us backward, here in Tucson, we have an opportunity to move forward with bold, progressive leadership in our upcoming city council elections.

Two remarkable women, both currently serving our community as school board members, are stepping up to bring their experience, vision, and progressive values to the Tucson City Council. Sadie Shaw from the Tucson Unified School District board and Theresa Riel from the Pima Community College governing board represent exactly the kind of forward-thinking leadership our city needs in these challenging times.

Sadie Shaw: Bringing Arts and Community Advocacy to Ward 3

Sadie Shaw, who currently serves on the TUSD school board, has filed to run against incumbent Kevin Dahl in the Democratic primary for Ward 3. Shaw, who works for the Arts Foundation of Tucson and Southern Arizona, brings a unique perspective that combines education policy experience with a deep understanding of arts and culture as essential components of community wellbeing.

Shaw's candidacy speaks to the need for fresh voices in city leadership. In her own words, she wants the Council to "make thoughtful, effective decisions that solve problems without creating new ones." This simple yet profound statement encapsulates what progressive governance should be—thoughtful, effective, and solution-oriented rather than creating cascading problems that disproportionately affect our most vulnerable communities.

Her work with the Arts Foundation positions her to understand how cultural investment can revitalize neighborhoods, create economic opportunities, and build community bonds—all crucial elements of a thriving city. In a time when arts funding is constantly under attack from conservative forces, having an advocate for cultural enrichment on the Council would be invaluable.

The Ward 3 race will be competitive, with Shaw facing not only incumbent Dahl in the August 5 Democratic primary but potentially Republican Janet "JL" Wittenbraker in the November 4 general election. Wittenbraker, who received 32% of the vote in her 2023 mayoral run and 43% in her 2024 Board of Supervisors race, represents the continuing rightward push that we must resist.

No podemos retroceder. We cannot go back.

Theresa Riel: Bringing Educational Excellence to Ward 6

In Midtown's Ward 6, Theresa Riel is among four Democrats and one Republican vying for an open seat after incumbent Democrat Karin Uhlich decided not to seek a full term.

Riel brings impressive credentials to this race—she's a retired college math teacher who currently serves on the Pima Community College Board. Her background combines educational expertise with community engagement through neighborhood association activism.

For those who understand the critical importance of community colleges in creating economic opportunity, especially for working-class and immigrant communities, Riel's experience is particularly valuable. PCC serves as a gateway to higher education and career advancement for thousands of Tucsonans, many of whom are the first in their families to pursue education beyond high school.

The intersection of housing policy, education, and economic opportunity is at the heart of progressive urban policy. With Riel's background in education governance and neighborhood advocacy, she brings exactly the perspective needed to address these interconnected challenges.

Why School Board Experience Matters in City Governance

Some might question why school board members would want to serve simultaneously on the city council, or whether they should. The answer is simple yet profound: education doesn't happen in isolation from the rest of community life.

Housing stability affects student performance. Transportation access determines educational opportunity. Public safety shapes learning environments. Environmental quality impacts child development. These are all areas where city policy and education policy overlap in critical ways.

Having leaders who understand both educational systems and city governance creates powerful opportunities for alignment. When our city council includes members who intimately understand the challenges faced by educational institutions, we can develop more holistic approaches to community wellbeing.

La educación es la base de todo. Education is the foundation of everything.

Both Shaw and Riel could legally retain their school board positions while serving on city council. This dual service would create valuable bridges between these institutions, potentially breaking down the silos that often prevent coordinated approaches to community challenges.

Progressive Leadership in the Era of Trump 2.0

As we face another four years under a Trump administration, local governance becomes even more critical. When federal policy threatens our communities—especially immigrant communities, communities of color, and working-class neighborhoods—city governments become the front line of defense.

Shaw and Riel represent the kind of progressive leadership we need to:

Protect immigrant communities from federal overreach
Ensure housing affordability as corporate interests drive up costs
Preserve environmental protections as federal regulations are dismantled
Defend educational opportunity as national education policy falls into the hands of privatizers
Advance economic justice as wealth inequality continues to expand
Uphold Indigenous sovereignty and rights in the face of extractive and exploitative federal policies

We've seen this playbook before. The first Trump administration waged war on our communities, and we know the second will be even more aggressive in its attacks. Building progressive power at the local level isn't just desirable—it's essential for survival and resistance.

The Power of the Ballot in a Broken System

In Tucson, Democrats hold a significant registration advantage, with nearly two Democrats for every Republican. Overall, Democrats make up 42% of voters, Republicans 22%, and independent voters 36%. This gives progressive candidates a real path to victory—if we mobilize our communities to participate.

The structure of Tucson's elections—where candidates run within their wards for the primary but citywide for the general—presents both challenges and opportunities. It means that progressive candidates must build ward-specific coalitions for the primary while developing citywide appeal for the general election.

For marginalized communities, especially in the Trump era, the difference between a moderate city council and a progressive one can be the difference between bare survival and the possibility of thriving. It can mean the difference between police budgets that continue to grow without accountability and investments in community-based safety approaches. It can determine whether housing remains affordable or whether gentrification displaces families who have lived in neighborhoods for generations.

La lucha sigue, pero tenemos que usar todas las herramientas disponibles. The struggle continues, but we must use all tools available to us.

From Education to Integrated Community Development

Both Shaw and Riel have cut their teeth on educational governance—perhaps the most challenging arena of public service. Education boards must navigate complex funding constraints, balance diverse community needs, address historical inequities, and create environments where all students can thrive.

This experience prepares them well for city council service, where similar challenges exist across different domains. Their perspectives would be particularly valuable as Tucson faces critical decisions about:

Housing affordability - As rents and home prices continue to rise, how can Tucson ensure that working families can afford to stay in their neighborhoods?
Climate resilience - In our desert environment, how do we prepare for increasing temperatures, water scarcity, and extreme weather while ensuring that environmental burdens don't fall disproportionately on low-income communities?
Public safety - How can we reimagine community safety beyond traditional policing models that have often failed our most vulnerable residents?
Economic development - How do we create economic opportunity that benefits existing residents rather than simply attracting outside wealth that displaces communities?
Transportation equity - How can we build transportation systems that serve all Tucsonans, not just those with cars and those in wealthy neighborhoods?

These questions demand the kind of integrated thinking that comes from seeing how systems like education intersect with all other aspects of community life. Shaw and Riel bring exactly this perspective.

A Note of Hope and Call to Action

In the darkness of national politics, local progressive victories shine even brighter. While we cannot ignore the challenges ahead, we also cannot surrender to despair. Our communities have survived centuries of colonization, exploitation, and oppression. We will survive this too—and more than survive, we will build power and create change from the ground up.

Here's how you can get involved in building progressive power in Tucson:

Register to vote - The deadline to register for the August 5 primary is July 8. Make sure you're registered at your current address.
Volunteer for campaigns - Both Shaw and Riel will need volunteers to knock on doors, make phone calls, and help with community outreach.
Talk to your neighbors - The most powerful campaign tool is still community conversation. Talk about these candidates with your family, friends, and neighbors.
Support progressive media - Independent media like Three Sonorans provides perspectives you won't find in corporate news. Your support helps us continue this essential work.
Show up beyond elections - Electoral politics is just one arena of struggle. Community organizing, mutual aid, and direct action remain essential components of building power.

You can support Three Sonorans by becoming a subscriber, sharing our articles, or making a one-time donation. Your support enables us to continue bringing you coverage of the stories that matter to our communities—stories that mainstream media often ignores or distorts.

Juntos somos más fuertes. Together we are stronger.

What do you think about progressive educators moving into city governance? Do you believe their school board experience will translate effectively to the city council? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you had experiences with either Shaw or Riel in their current roles that make you excited about their city council candidacies? Share your stories in the comments.