Who would you rather see representing Arizona? John McSame, J.D. Hayworth, or this guy? No one talks about Rodney Glassman but it should be obvious that he’s the best candidate in this race. First of all, from a progressive point of view, it’s comforting to know that Glassman used to be a staffer to Rep. Raúl Grijalva. If you are attracted to John McCain’s military service, Glassman is currently serving as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the Air Force Reserves. If you want someone who can attract Republican votes and work across the aisle, Glassman is your man.

Rodney was elected citywide with over 60 percent of the vote to the Tucson City Council and represents the most conservative part of Tucson. His endorsements, which ranged from the Tucson Chamber of Commerce and Tucson Association of Realtors to the Sierra Club and the Pima Area Labor Federation, are representative of the way Rodney uses coalition building to get things done.

If you want someone who cares about the environment or foreclosures, I don’t think you’ll be picking Hayworth or McCain.

On the council, Rodney quickly earned the reputation as an innovative problem-solver who brings people together to get the job done. He worked to tackle Tucson’s water shortage by championing the nation’s first-ever rainwater ordinance, which now requires new commercial development to harvest and re-use rainwater. He also brought the council together to unanimously require that new Tucson homes include gray-water plumbing systems to reuse water for landscaping.

These landmark ordinances, introduced by Rodney, are now being adopted by cities across the Southwest. He is regularly invited by mayors of all stripes from across Arizona to speak at their council meetings and share his method of consensus building around sustainability issues.

He worked with business owners and city officials to cut red tape, making it easier for solar generating plants to set up shop in Tucson, bringing in jobs. With the support of the Tucson Association of Realtors, Tucson Electric Power and city staff, Rodney helped find a way to get electricity turned back on in foreclosed homes to help speed up the sale of Tucson’s glutted housing stock.

And he’s sane on immigration.

For 28 years, McCain has taken all sides of the immigration debate while the problems have only gotten worse. In the meantime, Arizonans have been searching for answers. SB1070 is not the answer; it is a rash attempt to score political points. As a former Vice Mayor for the City of Tucson, I understand the importance of safety in our communities. SB1070 is an unfunded mandate and additional burden on local law enforcement at a time when every municipality in Arizona is struggling with budget cuts.

He’s young, he’s accomplished, and he has a beautiful family. Most of all, he’s not a cranky malcontent or a soulless hate radio jockey. He’s good enough on the issues to satisfy me and he should be a very tough opponent for McStain.

I think people are tired of John’s act, frankly. Even in his home state. I think Glassman has a chance.