We know Al Heinze. We know about his business sense, and we know about his common sense. Al is no "johnny-come-lately." He was outspoken when the Oro Valley Council was rushing to "throw" money in the pockets of the big developers in 2004, and he is outspoken now.
We are pleased that Al shares our views on Oro Valley, and we are pleased that he is sharing his views with our readers.
Please don't miss Al's comments, by clicking here
8 comments:
Al, you sound like a no nonsense type of person.
I also don't understand why people are not raising you know what!
What responsible person keeps spending money on things that they either can't afford,or don't need?
Our town council is not representing us.
Good guess about who they are representing.
The few good members of council need to start making it public that they are not in favor of all this reckless spending by the majority.
Mscoyote and Al are definitely correct in their assumptions. Let's get some real leadership on the council next year in the next cycle of elections.
"Working within their means" has never been part of government.
I also hear so much about the council being a problem but I question the motives of many of the bureaucrats. Big government = more layers of protection.
It's different day, but the same old rhetoric is coming out. As usual, it is easy to sit on the side and be critical.
It doesn't bother me that you want less government, so do I. It doesn't bother me that you believe the proposed Naranja Park is too expensive. I agree. What does bother me is that you(Plural)just make broad general statements and offer no suggestions and no specifics for improvement. Other than releasing pent up frustration, what practical purpose does it serve? The difference between us is that I offer specific suggestions.
We have a well documented shortage in soccer fields and ball diamonds. So my plan is to build recreation areas, plan for the expansion with infrastructure now and be done with it until money is available.
You know as well as I that we simply can't "fire one third" of the Town employees. You and every citizen who demands services would be screaming. But we can pass a budget that forces department heads and managers to operate within the same financial framework as last year. I suggested that in a letter I sent to each Council member and with some with whom I met personally. So far we haven't learned that tactic at the Council level.
By the way, I don't think I saw any of the main contributors here at the May 5th Council session at which the bloated budget was presented to the public. It's easy to sit on the sidelines and throw stones. It takes more effort to go to the meetings, stay informed and be PRO-ACTIVE!
Hi Thinker. How do you know who was at the meeting on May 5? How do you know that some of us are sitting on the sidelines and not participating?
I have offered my suggestions to the town council on several occasions.
Thank You for making suggestions to the council, I anxiously await their response. Maybe you will have better luck with making the council listen to reason then most others.
I agree it would be dificult to fire 1/3 of the town employes.
However budget cuts and a hiring and spending freeze is a solution.
Only hiring and spending of a critical nature would be approved.
State governments do this, why can't we?
Good Morning Ms. Coyote.
I am glad you agree with my budget philosophy. To answer your last question, we can impose spending limits. That's exactly what I think we should do.
To answer you first question, I was at the budget session. I obtained a copy of the 250+ page budget and studies it. Now I don't think that is something the average citizen needs to do but it simply emphasizes the point that I try to do my homework before posting comments and I try not to be critical unless I can offer a sensible and logical alternative. Firing one third of the town staff is, as you pointed out, not sensible or logical and therefore the writer looses credibility.
There is, in my opinion, a lot of fat in this budget and I hope it gets removed.
Perhaps what Oro Valley needs is an Ethics Commission. An Ethics Commission would advise on ethics regulations and require the city to adopt and maintain a code of ethics.
Establishing independent citizens with oversight of ethics reform will make Oro Valley government more honest, effective, and accountable to citizens.
This Commission would allow for restrictions on the power of lobbyists and tough reforms on contract bids.
Hi Bill--- Great idea----with one BIG problem. OV has citizen boards, commissions, committees, etc. that offer the town council advice & recommendations.
Bottom line: This town council majority think they're smarter than anyone else, and advice & recommendations usually end up in the "round file."
Until we get better leadership, we're not going to get better!
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