Saturday, April 19, 2008

Six Degrees Of Separation: Oro Valley Citizens & Terry Parish

Allow me to play out this scenario. It's like "Six Degrees of Separation."

1. The Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce has seen fit to endorse Terry Parish in his run-off election against Barry Gillaspie. So be it.

2. At least two of the members of the "Candidate Evaluation Committee," real estate people, Don Cox and Lyra Done, have both been previously defeated in their attempts to get elected to the Oro Valley Council.

3. The Chamber not only endorsed Parish in their April newsletter, but they also took out an ad in the Explorer which notes: “Parish has earned the endorsement of the NPCCC by being a strong and vocal advocate for the business community while making public safety and parks a priority during his first term in office”

4. The ad is paid for by a NPCCC PAC, which is fine----as long as you believe this organization should even endorse any candidates, especially since...

5) The Town of Oro Valley contributes $50,000 to the NPCCC, although I'm not sure why.

6) Therefore, although indirectly, you and I are paying for an ad in support of Terry Parish in his re-election bid. This is not fine!

There it is---"Six Degrees of Separation."

7 comments:

Richard Furash, MBA said...

It would be illegal for the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce PAC to use funds from the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce for any purposes. A PAC is supposed to get its funds from contributions to the PAC itself, not to the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce.

One would need to trace the funds in order to see if the money Oro Valley gives to this group (for what reason?) is being used for PAC purpose.

artmarth said...

Zee Man and others--- I didn't suggest the money spent by the NPCCC to pay for the endorsement ad was funds from Oro Valley.

The issue is this. Oro Valley gives the Chamber money. They have a PAC which is a separate entity that pays for an ad endorsing a candidate.

I don't like the idea of giving them money and have a NPCCC committee recommending which candidate they wish to support

Interesting, but in the primary, they saw fit NOT to endorse any candidate. Now, Terry Parish is their man.

I say, let them endorse whomever they want, but let's not give them OUR money.

Terry Parish said...

It is a sad day in our election process when votes are cast based on innuendo and fear mongering.

Yes I have the support of the Chambers of Commerce. I am also endorsed by Ray Carroll, Sheriff Dupnik, Superior Court Clerk Patty Noland and the Tucson Association of Realtors. I believe that strong businesses and the revenue they represent for Oro Valley are our only hope the Oro Valley has for remaining one of the few municipalities that do not charge their citizens a primary property tax. I have voted to raise impact fees dramatically but in a phased approach so as not to injure our business community during the current hard economic times our country faces. This approach was supported by a majority of the council.

Revenues in Oro Valley are up, in most places this is not the case. I have worked hard to make our businesses small and large strong. Sales tax revenues in Oro Valley are up over 15% while state wide they are down. This represents money that Oro Valley won't have to ask you for. I voted against and have tried to repeal the Storm Water Utility Tax and am in favor of letting the Utility Sales tax expire. Our revenue streams look stronger all the time. I think that shows the success of my actions and of some that came before me.

I have demanded a police force that is strong that grows in conjunction with our population. We have a responsibility to keep our homes and families safe. Alas I could not do this by myself. I worked with other members of the council consistently to accomplish the stated goals and desires of Oro Valley's citizens. I can never hope to have everyone agree with me all the time but I am hopeful that you and the majority of the Town of Oro Valley will at least consider what I have said and done. I then hope that no matter who you vote for you will do so based on belief and hope for the future. I encourage you to vote on these things versus fear and manipulative innuendo.

Terry Parish 260-6195

mscoyote said...

Terry,
With all due respect you are penny wise and pound foolish.
If OV was not developing faster then the speed of lightening we would not need increases in town services.
Oro Valley has a high sales tax.
Developers are getting a break with the phased in impact fees.
Why, Why, Why. Maybe because they
financed your election? You can deny it all you want.
You are beholden to developers.
You are not beholden to the citizens.
In the end, who benefits? Eventually we will pay a property tax and in the meantime our area is slowly but surely being cemented over and the developers get richer.
Yeah sounds like a win to the development or growth lobby.
We are voting for Barry Gillaspie, not because we are supporting him but because we think you are so far out of touch with our idea of a quality lifestyle and living environment.

OV Objective Thinker said...

Art......

"Therefore, although indirectly, you and I are paying for an ad in support of Terry Parish in his re-election bid." Those are your words copied from the original post.

If that isn't suggesting the money paid by Oro Valley is being used to endorse Mr. Parish, just what does it mean?

Ms. Coyote..... How does development increase services? It may increase, by a very small number, the number of people it takes to provide some services but not the services themselves. Without the development to pay the majority of the costs for these services it would all have to come out of our individual pockets. Would you prefer that?

The developers, as you call them, don't get any break on the phasing in of impact fees. Those fees are simply passed through to the end user. The developers simply front the money and get paid later.

mscoyote said...

Thinker,
Development increases the population which then increases the amount of people to perform the services.
If our population increases then we need more police and public safety personnel, correct?
Development also results in the need for more town staff to facilitate the paperwork deemed necessary for same, correct?
Actually I prefer that development pays for itself and from everything I have read it does not.
So then if the developers don't absorb the cost of impact fee's as a part of doing business and just collect it from the future homeowners then they indeed do not pay their way.
Developers are even more greedy then I originally thought.
We would have GLADLY paid a small property tax to keep Oro Valley
the beautiful place we moved to by choice. NO we will not be happy to pay a property tax after all the poor planning and poor decisions that are turning the whole area into a parking lot.
Say what you want about developers, etc but eventually we will all pay a property tax and the developers will be on to the next destruction zone.
Now get back to the kitchen and rattle up some grub. : )

OV Objective Thinker said...

Ms. Coyote...

I just had a BBQ pulled pork (which I smoked myself) sandwich. It was really good....if I do say so myself.

I appreciate your position on development. However, like it or not, without it you and I could not afford to live here.

I would ask that you attend the Town budget study session on May 3, 2008, and ask the question "How much revenue does the Town receive annually from commercial and residential development?" Then take that amount and divide it by the taxpayers in the Town. That would be your annual share.

That's where you and I part ways when it comes to development. I can't afford to live here without the development community....and unless I am sadly mistaken about who you are....I don't think you could either.

PS...The next time I smoke a pork shoulder or a pork loin, I would be more than happy to share.