Former Congressman Tom O’Halleran; Maureen Borland, chair of the SaddleBrooke Democratic Club; and David Fitzsimmons, Tucson’s famous cartoonist (photo by Stephen Weiss)
Hollace Lyon
This year’s SaddleBrooke Democratic Club (SBDC) annual dinner was an opportunity for SaddleBrookers to thank Congressman Tom O’Halleran for his service. Joining in the festivities were Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego and Tucson’s famous cartoonist David Fitzsimmons. O’Halleran served as a Chicago police officer and later as a Republican in the Arizona Legislature. He thought he had retired when he was recruited to run as a Democrat for Congress, first winning in 2016.
After SBDC Chairwoman Maureen Borland presented O’Halleran with a memento, David Fitzsimmons took to the stage to caricaturize O’Halleran. A lot of laughter and fun followed.
Congressman Gallego closed out the evening calling O’Halleran, “one of the true statesmen,” and saying that he did not pause in deciding to run for re-election, even after redistricting made his new district much more difficult for a Democrat to win. “While many others across the country decided not to even try, Tom never hesitated. He knew he was the best person to represent the people of the new district, and he pushed forward.”
Gallego, who has announced his bid for the second U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, went on to talk about his background from a single-parent, poor family. He was the first to go to college, earning a scholarship and now-defunct grants to help him as he worked to pay his way through Harvard.
Just as he showed the path to college for his sisters, one of whom is now a physician, he wants to give other hardworking people a chance to achieve the “American Dream.” Then Gallego answered questions about a variety of issues facing Arizona. All-in-all, it was a fabulous evening of food, fun, and friends.
The SaddleBrooke Democratic Club holds this dinner every year. If you’d like to attend next year, sign up for their newsletter at saddlebrookedemocrats.org. The club meets every month on the second Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in the SaddleBrooke One Activity Center.