The following is an unedited email from a LOVE reader who would rather not have his name published. His name is not important. The issue he addresses----Vice Mayor Dankwerth, is what's important.
We hope you'll take the time to read his thoughts and let us know what you think.
Art
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Please don't attribute any of the following to me, but you should place Dankwerth's "expert" testimony as a mental health professional ["feet planted firmly on the ground"] against past comments like:Dankwerth played on her experience as a mental health professional by joking that new shopping opportunities would raise the moods of women in OroValley.As we all know, she said; "happy women create a happy home." [this statment is extraordinarily offensive and ignorant.]
Editors Note-- Dankwerth stated: "Realistically, anyone who thinks that we can exist without (a property tax) doesn't have his feet planted firmly on the ground." (Explorer article April 18, 2007)
"As we all know, happy women create a happy home." Alluding to the Vestar shopping experience.(Explorer article March 28, 2007)
Vestar promised me that I would never have to pay property taxes to Oro Valley if the deal went through. I'm sure you can find this stated in their promo literature. Dankwerth was elected on a self-defined anti-big box platform:Desirable businesses would include high end clothing stores, boutiques, home decorator and accessory shops, sports equipment outfitters, fine dining, art galleries and booksellers. With the continued influx of retirees, and the development of higher-end housing in neighboring communities as well as in Oro Valley, we are in an ideal "destination shopping" location, allowing us to derive tax revenues from a population other than Oro Valley residents.
Businesses will naturally "come to the money" - but we have to lure them with attractive, unique, and quality "village-type" locations. Our low crime rate and high per capita income, coupled with insistence on tasteful building complimenting our environment and the ever broadening "circle of opportunity" will attract stable, well-funded enterprises which look to long term gains rather than a "quick fix." Undesirable businesses would include additional fast food eateries, car washes, big-box stores and more drug stores. We have enough such establishments to meet our needs - more of the same will not attract the type of buyer we wish to target.
So let's try to connect some dots:
1. Dankwerth vows to oppose big boxes.
2. Vestar promises no property taxes.
3. Dankwerth hails the new Wal-Mart as a boon to mental health.
4. Dankwerth implies that anyone who doesn't believe in property taxes is crazy.
What a tangle! How can Dankwerth both support Vestar - who vowed no property taxes - and support property taxes. By Dankwerth 's learned testimony, Vestar - who says they don't believe in property taxes, "does not have their feet planted firmly on the ground." But they have their grubby greedy hands planted firmly in our pockets and their footings for the terrible development planted firmly in the soil at the corner of Tangerine and Oracle.
Full disclosure: When I served on the ****(Editor's Note: To protect the writer's anonymity , we eliminated the committee he served on) I supported, and still do, property taxes. That's not the issue, hypocrisy is.
And don't even get me started on that scum Weir!
11 comments:
The comment made about women shopping and happy homes really angers me.
I can tell you I would have been a lot happier in my home without that mother of all strip malls sitting at the corner right across from our beautiful Santa Catalina mountains!
Our town blew it, big time.
What were they thinking, never mind, don't answer!
Most of the council should be recalled or just resign and fade away.
Wonder if all council cheerleaders will bale out?
I hope so.
Wake Up Oro Valley, so far looks like we got taken over by the slick developers from Scottsdale or is it Phoenix.
In my opinion, it's bad policy to publish anonymous hate mail.
I hope that LOVE will decline to post such "blasts" in the future, otherwise your credibility will be lost.
Vicki, I think that the so called blast or bash might be justified.
The council has the benefits of having a staff and a town attorney at their beck and call, maybe this is one of the only ways the average Jane or Joe has to fight back.
If what was printed by this anonymous poster is true, then we need to hear it.
Maybe the council member or members in question will speak out, unless their hands being tied prevent that!
"Vicki" refers to the above posting as "anonymous hate mail."
Allow me to comment.
First, I would say, we have received two emails from,what I consider to be articulate, intelligent readers, who, basically felt the same way.
We responded to both emails; thanking them, and acknowledging their point, with the following explanation:
The writer did not ask to have his email published. That was my decision, as well as abiding by his opening comment of not divulging his name.
In line with our policy of allowing readers to comment using pseudomyns, I thought that was appropriate.
As to the headline-----perhaps: "Reader "Blasts" Dankwerth," was a bit harsh,and, if so,was my responsibility.
However, I felt the reader was doing no more and no less than quoting the vice mayor, and pointing out her "paradoxical views."
The reader writes that the Vice Mayor was elected on a “self-defined anti-big box platform."
So how, our reader asks, did Vice Mayor Dankwerth come to support the Vestar deal, a deal which promised us “no property taxes” and a deal that now brings us the “big box Wal-Mart”? How can the Vice Mayor be both anti-big box and pro property taxes when the deal she supported was just the opposite?
I thought the writer brought up valid issues, but I certainly would not refer to it as "hate mail."
We will however, try and be more circumspect in the future.
Facts should be able to stand the light of day, otherwise it appears to be mud slinging.
Writing, or publishing an anonymous letter, in my opinion, is beneath the standards of a credible blog. Doing so makes it appear as if your blog has an agenda, as opposed to a balanced site to better the community.
Again, these are just my opinions!
Vicki
Two points, in response to "Vicki," and then, we'll "put it to rest."
Point#1-- Commenting as "Vicki" is not being anonymous, but pretty darn close.
Point # 2-- We DO, in fact, have an agenda. As our name implies, we wish to LET ORO VALLEY EXCEL!
There are many of us who feel we have a long way to go go to meet that goal, and the best way of getting there is to have a town council beholden to its citizens, not special interests.
Thanks for your comments, and interest in our blog.
Art
Dear Vicki,
The comments about Helen Dankwerth were not "hate mail." Hate mail is threatening. This was not. It just stated some facts about Councilwoman Dankwerth, whom by the way, I voted for but have since regretted that decision.
When she first ran for office in 2004, she said she thought the town had been "too welcoming and not selective enough" in dealing with developers. She also said, "Oro Valley is a gorgeous place. Let's not spoil it."
Regarding commercial development, her campaign platform was, "Attraction of unique, image-enhancing commercial entities." And then she voted for Vestar's run-of-the-mill Anywhere USA mall which includes a 24-hour Wal-Mart SuperCenter! Yep, that's certainly a "unique, image-enhancing" entity!
The comments written about Dankwerth are not mud-slinging. They ARE able to stand the light of day since her record and her quotes have been reported in the Explorer.
You don't believe that anonymous letters should be published, yet you didn't sign YOUR name on YOUR letter. You also suggest that this site is not "balanced." Have you not seen all of the blogs submitted by OV Objective Thinker??!!
I'm obviously reading the wrong blog.
Vicki Payne
azvicki@gmail.com
Vicki,
Everyone is welcome on our blog. The more different perspectives we have presented the better the blog will be. Glad to have you.
Vicki,
From what I see most blogs and forums
don't publish the persons real name.
If you have a different opinion, you can post it, why not?
I think we need to really look at this post again. There is nothing really hateful, if you can dispute some of the things mention, you should!
What do you think of the comment about the women shopping and happy homes, honestly if a man said that most of us women whould go for his jugular.
Maybe take a closer look at the message and not the messenger or the delivery.
Helen Dankwerth was voted in by the citizens here and she owes us an explanation, along with the rest of the council who supported this horrible project and or the tax sharing fiasco.
Just to clarify the record, as others may have stated, Ms. Dankwerth was NOT on the OV Council when the Vestar incentive was passed in April 2004. However, it is our opinion that she has been anything but helpful ever since that "fateful" day.
Art
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