Guests - Jay Tolkoff, Joseph Chaplik, Tara Oster
Tucson's Budget Crisis, Free Transit, and the RTA Renewal Debate
On a chilly Friday morning in Tucson, host Kathleen Winn opened Winn Tucson by celebrating sweater weather and the arrival of the weekend. She highlighted an upcoming Republican Party of Pima County event expected to draw over 200 attendees to celebrate grassroots achievements and push for renewed Republican leadership in Arizona.
The conversation quickly turned to the city's mounting financial troubles and the looming March 2026 special election on Propositions 418 and 419 — the proposed renewal and expansion of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) half-cent sales tax to fund a new 20-year, $2.67 billion regional transportation plan (RTA Next).
Tucson’s $67–97 Million Budget Shortfall
Guest Jay Tolkoff, a Tucson businessman and former Ward 6 city council candidate, joined the program to discuss the City of Tucson's recently acknowledged budget deficit. Tolkoff, who attended a recent mayor and council study session, described watching the budget update unfold.
He recalled pre-election estimates of a $26–27 million shortfall, but noted his own calculations suggested something closer to $80 million. Reality landed between those figures: a confirmed $67 million deficit, with an additional potential $30 million hit if the RTA renewal fails, since certain RTA funds currently flow into the city's operating budget.
Tolkoff pointed out a striking correlation: over the past five years, the city has subsidized the fare-free Sun Tran bus system at roughly $13 million annually — totaling around $65 million. "The amount of shortfall is in direct correlation with the money that we've given away for the first five years," he observed.
Kathleen Winn pressed the point: "Isn't that interesting that the amount of shortfall is in direct correlation with the money that we've given away?"
Tolkoff agreed it was no coincidence. He described the free-bus policy as a political hill on which leadership appears willing to die, despite the mounting costs.
Cracks in Democratic Council Unity — and Calls to End Free Transit
Tolkoff highlighted an unusual moment of dissent among the all-Democrat council. Council member Paul Cunningham reportedly declared he would not support a budget that includes layoffs while continuing to fund free transportation.
"That's a good thing," Tolkoff said. "At some point, if we have time today, I would like to read a wish list that the Democrat Socialists of America has... I think in a lot of ways they're driving the narrative here."
Both hosts expressed skepticism about leadership's repeated requests for new revenue sources — which, in government terms, usually means higher taxes — without first addressing core spending priorities.
The RTA Renewal: Trust, Accountability, and Potholes
Much of the discussion centered on voter distrust toward renewing the RTA sales tax.
Kathleen Winn argued that residents already see roadwork happening on major corridors like Tanque Verde, 22nd Street, and Grant Road — some of it unrelated to prior RTA funding — yet potholes remain a daily hazard. "Every road project that I could possibly have between my house and the studio is taking place right now," she noted.
Tolkoff emphasized that the RTA itself does not fix potholes or directly manage construction; it allocates funds to jurisdictions (Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, etc.) that handle the work. He praised the accountability the RTA provides in ensuring money stays dedicated to approved projects, but acknowledged widespread frustration with Tucson's execution.
A listener, Kate, called in to express concern about vague language in the RTA Next plan allowing the board "flexibility to rescope or schedule projects to adapt to changing needs." She questioned why a 20-year commitment is necessary when accountability has been lacking.
Winn agreed the language felt overly broad and said she leaned "no" primarily due to insufficient accountability, not because roads don't need fixing.
Tolkoff defended some flexibility as necessary — citing revenue shortfalls during the Great Recession that impacted the original RTA — but stressed that trust remains the central issue. "It's a matter of trust," he said. "If someone tells you something but then their actions are not what they've told you... people are just like, no, we're not going to entrust this much money to you if you don't prove to you know how to manage money."
The Democrat Socialists of America Wish List
Tolkoff read from what he described as the published platform of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which he said has growing influence in Tucson and is holding a launch event in the city.
Among the items:
Free healthcare, college, and childcare
Canceling all student loan debt
Decriminalizing all drugs
Abolishing prisons and cash bail
Universal rent control and free legal counsel for tenants
Mandatory paid family leave, a 32-hour work week, and more unionization
Eliminating fossil fuels and public ownership of transportation/energy infrastructure
Higher taxes on wealthier individuals and corporations
Abolishing the border and immigration enforcement
Granting voting rights to noncitizens and felons
Abolishing the Electoral College and limiting Supreme Court power
Tolkoff framed the list as aspirational but financially unrealistic. "It's like sending a letter to Santa Claus," he said. "If you're going to give some benefit, you've got to take something away from something else."
State Rep. Joseph Chaplik Resigns to Run for Congress in CD1
Later in the program, State Representative Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale, LD3), a founding member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, called in to announce his imminent resignation from the Arizona House to focus full-time on his campaign for U.S. Congress in Arizona's Congressional District 1 — the seat being vacated by Rep. David Schweikert.
Chaplik, who has consistently earned the highest vote totals in the Arizona House and top conservative scorecard ratings from groups like Turning Point Action, the NRA, and the Club for Growth, said he could not balance the intense demands of legislative session with a serious congressional bid.
He emphasized his record: "I have a voting record. There's no reason to guess how I'm going to act in Congress like any other candidate that has never voted for their constituents."
His top priorities for Congress include eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending; lowering taxes and regulations; securing communities and the border; protecting parents' rights; and defending personal freedoms from government overreach.
Chaplik also owns investment property in Tucson and expressed concern about crime and cleanliness in the city, particularly near the University of Arizona campus.
Get Out the Vote — and Become a Precinct Committeeman
The program closed with Tara Oster, Third Vice Chair of the Pima County Republican Party and a key grassroots organizer, discussing voter turnout efforts for the March 10, 2026, special election.
Oster reported strong early ballot returns among Republicans — the smallest registered group in Pima County — and urged listeners to return their green envelopes promptly, preferably via secure drop boxes.
She encouraged residents to become Precinct Committeemen (PCs), calling it "the most important elected official in the Republican Party." The filing window runs February 23 to March 23, 2026. Interested Republicans can pick up nomination forms at Pima GOP headquarters (4801 E. Broadway, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.) or email HQ@PimaGOP.org. Only 10 signatures from the precinct are required.
Oster noted the party's recent growth — now 1,776 PCs possible — and framed engagement as both strategic and relational: "It gets you connected again to people in your neighborhood."
Kathleen Winn ended by urging listeners to vote "no" on Propositions 418 and 419 as a stand against government waste and misplaced priorities — but above all, to turn in their ballots and make their voices heard.
Winn Tucson airs Monday through Friday, 9–11 a.m. on 1030 The Voice.