Education leader Rocque Perez appointed to Tucson’s Ward 5 city council seat
- Rocque Perez
- May 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 13
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At 26, the newest representative of Tucson’s Ward 5 is one of the youngest to serve on the city council.
Metro Education Commission Executive Director Rocque Perez was appointed Tuesday to replace Richard Fimbres, who is stepping down after almost two decades on the council. Perez will serve until Dec. 1, 2025.
“Like most Gen Z, I tend to disassociate a bit, so I’m not quite caught up,” Perez said, laughing outside council chambers before heading in to join the evening meeting as a council member. “I’m excited to hit the ground running.”
As director of the commission, an independent nonprofit established by Tucson and Pima County, Perez leads an organization that assists local students with college and career planning. In that role, Perez said he has invested special attention in Ward 5 schools, “recognizing the urgent need for trusted partnerships and resource equity in historically underserved communities.”
Fimbres announced in January that he would retire due to health issues.
“I want to let you know that it has been my profound privilege and honor to represent the constituents of Ward 5 and the City of Tucson community,” said Fimbres, who has served on city council since 2009, in an email newsletter in April. “I want to thank all who have made my time as the Ward 5 Council Member a sincere pleasure.”
Perez was one of five people who applied to replace Fimbres — none of whom said they plan to run for the seat in November.
District 5 spans from Broadway Boulevard to south of Valencia and includes Santa Rita Park and Sunnyside.
Ward 1 council member Lane Santa Cruz nominated Perez for the role at a special meeting Tuesday. The vote was unanimous.
In recent weeks, Fimbres could have been the deciding voice in a split city council vote on whether to introduce a new measure that would have banned camping in washes.
Perez said he isn’t sure how he would vote if the wash ordinance came up again. He supported council member Kevin Dahl’s concerns about criminalizing homelessness, but said he did not want people camping in washes to impact the flow of water.
“I’m not quite decided on that front just yet, but I do know that there’s some things to be balanced,” Perez said.
On the future of fare-free transit in Tucson, which the council is expected to weigh in on in the coming weeks, Perez said he supported a transit system that was accessible to everybody.
“I would like to see that free cost carry out for this next fiscal year,” Perez said, even as he was uncertain it could be promised through to 2027.
As of June 2024, city council members earn an annual salary of $76,600, according to the city’s most recent compensation plan. After a ballot measure to increase their pay passed, this year’s budget will include a salary increase for council members that brings their compensation in line with the Board of Supervisors, who earn $96,660 annually.
In his goodbye newsletter, Fimbres spoke about what he was most proud of in his nearly two decades as a city council member. He founded the Homeless Work Program, a collaboration of multiple social service groups offering work to unhoused residents. He also secured funding for the Tucson Buffalo Soldiers Memorial recognizing African American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army after the Civil War.
That included his efforts to bring about the retail plaza Tucson Marketplace at the Bridges and his efforts to fight the closing of the U.S. Post Office at Cherrybell.
