Cara Bissell

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Cara Bissell

Green Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2019

Education

Bachelor's

South West Texas State University

Graduate

Stony Brook University

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Military

Years of service

1970 - 1976

Personal

Birthplace

Ashtabula, Ohio

Religion

Christian: Presbyterian

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Cara Bissell (Green Party) ran for election to the Tucson City Council to represent Ward 4 in Arizona. Bissell lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.

Bissell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bissell attended Ohio State University and earned her B.S. in secondary education from South West Texas State University in 1975. She earned her M.S. in technological systems management from Stony Brook University in 1985.

Bissell's career experience includes working as a secondary education teacher. She has served as the Tucson chapter 13 president of Veterans For Peace (VFP) and as a steering committee member of the Green Party of Pima County.

Elections

2019

See also: City elections in Tucson, Arizona (2019)

General election

General election for Tucson City Council Ward 4

Nikki Lee defeated Michael Hicks and Cara Bissell in the general election for Tucson City Council Ward 4 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nikki Lee (D)	57.5	57,013
		Michael Hicks (R)	37.6	37,254
		Cara Bissell (G)	4.8	4,790
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	94

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 99,151
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Tucson City Council Ward 4

Nikki Lee advanced from the Democratic primary for Tucson City Council Ward 4 on August 27, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nikki Lee	98.9	5,240
		Other/Write-in votes	1.1	59

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,299
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Tucson City Council Ward 4

Michael Hicks advanced from the Republican primary for Tucson City Council Ward 4 on August 27, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Hicks	100.0	4,203

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,203
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Green primary election

Green primary for Tucson City Council Ward 4

Cara Bissell advanced from the Green primary for Tucson City Council Ward 4 on August 27, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cara Bissell	92.3	12
		Other/Write-in votes	7.7	1

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cara Bissell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bissell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Thank you for considering me, Cara Bissell, for your Ward 4 City Council Member.

I am a retired math teacher from Long Island City High School, Queens, NYC. I've been a Certified Nurse's Assistant. I've volunteered at the Centro de Recursos para Migrantes in Agua Prieto & Douglas through Frontera de Cristo repatriating people being deported from the United States. I have demonstrated working for progress through nonviolence my entire life. Nonviolence IS a key value of the Green Party. For reasons iterated by my Green fellow candidates this last few months, Tucsonans are ready for systemic change. We (Mike Cease for Mayor & William Peterson for Ward 2 City Council Member and me] will make you proud. Proposition 205 - Families Free & Together helps relieve fear of being arrested. Whether in a worship setting, a hospital or school, being free to talk with local police without fear of being sent to ICE will make ALL of Tucson safer! Social Justice is another of the top four key values of the Green Party. I believe in developing green, commercial and private energy systems at an affordable cost. We must be good stewards for our environment by reducing Carbon Dioxide emissions. Cutting our use of private transportation for employment along with increasing mass transit systems will help. Environmental Sustainability is the third Green Party key values. The last key ingredient of our Green Party is Grass Roots Democracy! It is the ethical foundation for The Green Party. I believe we can [and need] to work together making Tucson the best model city in our United States through GRASS ROOTS DEMOCRACY, the base value for The Green Party's existence. More of my candidacy is at http://mbfdreams.info

Thank you

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Grass Roots Democracy through nonviolence
• Social Justice through nonviolence
• Environmental Sustainability through nonviolent means

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Working locally to globally with connecting groups of people - demonstrating continually our common bonds and the right we have to pursue our dreams / goals without discrimination.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Tucson's City Council serves through the appointed City Manager to administer its Charter which is compatible with Arizona State law. It is the responsibility of the Council Members (one of whom I am expecting to be) to fulfill their positions based on the principles he or she was elected on. I support "The Green New Deal". The City Charter's main focus (by its Charter) is the Fire Department, the Police Department and the infrastructure of the city (streets, zoning, buildings, attracting businesses to Tucson, providing an environment conducive for further job employment.

This written, it is and must be a cooperative effort - no one person can do it all. When I am elected to office, in spite of others being elected on different platforms and Parties, the will of the people (I will have been elected) will show partially the direction we are mandated to go. There will be a persuasive argument for systemic massive change. Clean Water, and even clean air are now priorities no one would have dreamed of 100 years ago. Human-caused Climate Change dictates we plan for the future with environmental sustainability. Some programs are in place already. They need improvement and greatly expanded efforts done with public funding and start up companies geared in mass production of product to insure low prices for the people yet sustainable livings for the company employees.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Mahatma Gandhi; Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Jesus. They, to me, represent a moral and ethical life style needed no matter what life you are living or where or when it is / was. I do not believe in perpetual warfare and have said and stand with my sworn statement while applying for a Conscientious Objector Status while in the Army - "I will die for my country, I just won't kill for it to the best degree I can." Reversing the underlying conditions in neighboring countries for example will go a long way to solve immigration problems from South and Central America as well as terrorism generally. Reducing the Military, Industrial Congressional Complex is crucial. Asking the military how to solve a problem is like asking "the fox to guard the henhouse". I look up to these three leaders, one is said to be perfect then as he lives in us now, the other two, like all human beings had their faults but their ideals and how they sought to bring about positive change for the oppressed and disenfranchised - as well as everyone else - is commendable. Those of us blessed to such a wonderful degree as to be insulated from the pains of even our own neighbors in our communities need to recognize causes and be the good neighbor. While many say this is indeed the function of individuals but not government, I say it is exactly the cause of our government to represent society as a whole in a way that does not discriminate.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As an elected Council Member of Ward 4 in Tucson, it is most important that I always strive to adhere to the communications made during my campaign which to the best of my efforts are following the Green Party's Values:

Grass Roots Democracy
Social Justice for all
Environmental Sustainability
Nonviolence as THE means to progress at any level

These 4 principles along with the remaining 6 published Green Party Principles:
Decentralization
Feminism and gender equity
Community-based economics and economic justice
Respect for diversity
Personal and global responsibility
Future focus and sustainability

interrelates with the first four principles. I am guided by my platform to support all people wherever they happen to be. Separated families, Children incarcerated and people fearing going to the police as they may be reported to ICE is inhumane. When Proposition 205 passes, I will be elected and ALL people in Tucson will be more safe. To decrease the need for private vehicles coming into Tucson, a public transportation system (eventually running on electricity by the trolley being expanded and also developing electric buses) must be used with the incentive of providing incentives for would be drivers to use public transportation. In New York City for example, the subway system (electric) combined with the busses and taxis have reduced the need to drive in the City largely because there is a grid lock so much of the time anyway still. In Tucson, we have the opportunity to design a system that will keep Tucson's air clean and Tucson generally free from cars going to and from work. It's all in the details to be worked out. We can work details out!

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a "glass is half full" person. I have determination to get "the job" whatever it is done. I believe in 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration is needed to make things happen. I have taught and retired from the NYC Public School System. Long Islanc City High School (were I taught) has students from around 35 countries. I am aquainted with other cultures and groups including "Me Too", "BIPOC", WILPF, SAGA, GLBTQ+ generally and PCOA, Helping all groups see the common grounds we have and to eliminate discrimination from our system every step of the way will make us successful. That will make me a successful officeholder.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I recognized the horror of Nuclear Bombs dropped August 6 and 9, 1945 for the first time in 1968. I was a 18 years old high school graduating twelfth grader. I went to the local Lakeland Community College to find information on Hiroshima and Nagasaki for a "report". The charred and disfigured bodies of civilians will never leave my mind. I was steeped in the necessity of WWII. My father was a 101st Airborne Division Sergeant in Germany during WWII. An uncle in the Navy in the Pacific often said when referring to the war or Japanese generally - "The only good Jap is a dead Jap". Needless to say - there was a great difference in the things I was learning from the Community College and what my upbringing had to say about "Mother, home and apple pie, America, right or wrong, do or die!" It was an surreal experience at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first regular job was during my 7th and 8th grade summers working at a boat dock on the Grand River in Ohio. I sold bait and tackle for sports enthusiasts, pumped gas for the off shore boats and small outboard boats, collected boat unloading fees and pulled stuck vehicles with their boats from the river with McDowell's Boat Dock's Tractor.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible. It is the book I use consistently the most through weekly scripture readings and used parables / stories taught from childhood that seem applicable as much today as when they were written. That said, I do not feel the Bible is infalible - it was written by men and the books of the Bible chosen by people. Furthermore, various people can and do interpret the same Bible passage in different ways. "I believe, help me in my unbelief." tempers my belief in the bible.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Madam Secretary  :)

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"God be with us till we meet again."

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I myself expect my powers and responsibilities will be learned as I take office. I have attempted to make contact with the existing Ward 4 Council Member who is retiring. Ms. Shirley Scott was gracious to invite me to attend the Saturday 10th annual Back to School Bash. Ms. Scott was right there with all the people make this event a success! This small event showed me this is the "tip of the iceberg". It is a gift for someone to say I know 1/6th of what there is to do in this position. I know it is said to be a "part time" position. I have the time to give as a dedicated full time plus person. Representing the approximately 70,000 people in Ward 4 let alone the entire City of Tucson is humbling and eye-opening at the same time. I know the two office assistants who work in the Ward 4 Office do much of the organizing for the Council Member and are instrumental in keeping the Council Member informed of the Ward's needs and progress. I know the Office Assistants often speak before organizations (as does the Council Member of course) in behalf of the policy set forth by the Council Member. I realize too that "the machine is well oiled and operational on self pilot" to some degree. Keeping it where it is without going backwards will be my first task of office. I expect the Council itself to be of aid to me in this regard. To ask me if there are "any little-known powers or responsibilities" of office at this time?; has me acknowledging my inexperience in this position but recognizing my background provides the tools to be the best Ward 4 City Council Member at this existential time.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

This is a proven trick question! I illustrate at the Presidential level. We have had an Actor (President Reagan), a Corporate Key Pin (President Trump), a military General (President Eisenhower), and a Catholic (President Kennedy! Arguably some of the Presidents without prior experience have or have not been good for the country. The point is it depends on the individual. It depends on his or her basis for making decisions - their ability to persevere based on moral and ethical character. By the platform I will be elected on, there is a very set path for me to hold to. This written, of course I will argue for not having to have on the job experience for a given position. I have not had experience as a government employee in the executive branch at any level. I have an honorable discharge from the army. I have experience as a high school math teacher I retired from. I've held a position with Access Wisdom in Green Valley as a Certified Nurses Assistant. I've volunteered at "Centro de Recursos Para Migrantes" in Agua Prieto across from Douglas, AZ through Frontera de Cristo. These among other ***experiences*** will make me the best Ward 4 City Council Member at this existential time.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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