Nanos debates a former sheriff's department colleague in hopes of overthrowing him

The two men faced off Saturday afternoon in a primary debate hosted by Green Valley Democrats. The two former colleagues spoke before a small auditorium of residents eager to hear what Rosenthal and Nanos have planned to keep Pima County safe.

From questions about border control and personnel issues, to drug busts and federal spending, the pointed questions helped provide a brief overview of each candidate's expectations for a successful term.

And although the two men agree on several issues and are from the same party, Rosenthal said he would not vote for Nanos if he himself lost the primary race.

He said he was running against Nanos because Nanos wasn't doing what needed to be done.

“It’s about doing the job well,” Rosenthal said. “You can talk about it, but you have to do the work. »

The two have different ideas about what they want the prison to look like and what kind of budget they will need to make it happen. Given the number of mentally ill and addicted inmates in Pima County, it was important to both candidates that “wraparound” treatment services be provided once people are released.

We hope that these outside services, monitored by the Sheriff's Department, will help reduce recidivism and provide them with more comprehensive services than PCSD can handle.

“I want to make sure that we literally get our hands on people who are in prison for drugs and get them the help they need… The only way to do that is to consolidate services. We need to take advantage of it and make it work,” Rosenthal said. “The judge will be the one to give a little nudge.”

Rosenthal said it was even more important to make sure inmates remained safe in the jail while awaiting their court appearance. He pointed out the number of deaths that have occurred there since Nanos became sheriff. The total is 28, or an average of 7.5 people who die there each year, whether from cancer, COVID-19, suicide or a drug overdose, he said. declared.

There are problems, Rosenthal says, big problems. But these are problems with solutions that Rosenthal said he is eager to confront head on.