Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Video Interview With MIke Zinkin

This week, we had the opportunity to interview Mayoral Candidate Mike Zinkin. We think you'll find our interview with him insightful and interesting. Click the picture below to watch. And be sure to give us your comments.

9 comments:

artmarth said...

Thanks Zeeman, and thanks Mike.

Hopefully, all our Oro Valley neighbors that haven't met Mike will come to see what we see in him, and why we are so enthusiastic about his candidacy.

Mike is just like so many of us---just an average citizen that wants to see Oro Valley thrive and look out for its people.

Unlike most of us, Mike is doing something to allow this to happen.

We hope all our citizens will support Mike Zinkin in his run for mayor.

vet66 said...

I would like to hear a detailed discussion concerning Oro Valley budget growth, contingency/rainy day funds and small government. Specifically, does Mr. Zinkin believe in small and less intrusive government on the lives of ordinary citizens?

Ferlin said...

vet66 is right...let us have some definitive statements.

Rumour has it that Mike Zinkins comments vary according to the audience......and I don't mean his approach :)

The Bikebox said...

Sounds like a free for all for business--and saying we can do more of what was done with Vestar does absolutely nothing to encourage me to vote for this guy.

mscoyote said...

I don't want to see our rules and regulations and standards changed to allow a business to be here. Maybe consider help for business to meet our high standards.
Economy is so bad that everybody is looking for something or somebody to blame.
Any talk of raising taxes right now is insane!
Perhaps some type of service cuts are necessary until things get better, which may take a long time.

Victorian Cowgirl said...

Bikebox,

I don't think Zinkin meant that he'd like to see more Vestar type developments. I think he meant that OV is very difficult on someone trying to open a small business but they had no trouble pushing through the Vestar deal. Probably falls under the category of "money talks."

Zinkin doesn't want a property tax. Therefore, the tax base has to come from sales taxes. So he can't be against a property tax and also be anti-business. So I thought his point was that if OV continues to make it difficult for business owners, then they will go elsewhere and we will then end up with a property tax on the ballot.

Nombe Watanabe said...

Is OV as bad as Tucson? I saw an article in the AZ Star about some of the problems that small business owners were having in getting permits.

IMHO, in this economic mess, we should be helping people open business rather than killing them with BS.

Code is code, it should not change with each inspection (as is the case SOMETIMES in Tucson) and hopefully NOT in the OV.

Zev Cywan said...

My opinion is that at least Mike Zinkin is the type that wants to and is willing to open up discussion in Town in a new and 'progressive' manner. Most certainly, at times it might seem that he is 'feeling' his way but, for me, openness to new discovery is a positive. When one individual has been in a position of service for too long, most of them become stuck in a mold or groove they cannot escape. Thus, it is time for a fresh restart. Bikebox, I think you have misinterpreted what Mr. Zinkin has proffered; send him an e-mail and let him explain further exactly what he meant relative to what he said.

Now, relative to the increase of business in order to increase tax revenues - this is going to be a difficult feat as there are many facets involved in this issue. There are empty storefronts ACROSS THE NATION and each community, even the more stable and diverse ones, has a plethora of them. So, we just can't come up with simple arguments for this, that, or the other.

Earlier this morning I had an occasion to go to the Desert Ridge Shopping Center in Phoenix (another Vestar project which preceded ours and one which I used to deem as being horrid); it has expanded over the past few years and it was PACKED WITH CONSUMERS buying, buying, and buying. It would behoove a few Town representatives to go physically and examine why this center is doing as well as it seems to be. It would also behoove same to examine other areas' sporadically applied strip store appliques and observe why they are doing
poorly.I have my own opinion(s) but mine are just mine and, for now, I'll just let it go at that.

We need to get away from the mind set that Oro Valley is THE 'cat's meow' and that 'if we build it, they will come'. Folks, it just ain't gonna happen that way!!!

I firmly believe that the right team can help right the ship and that an 'open Mike', in the position of leadership, without the shackles of old 'stuck in the mud' and passe entrenchments, can, in fact, get it rolling!

Victorian Cowgirl said...

Bikebox,

Here is Zinkin's take on Vestar et al.

"I oppose tax subsidies to large, out-of-town corporations at the expense of taxpayers and locally-owned businesses. I'm following with interest the Goldwater Institute's case at the Arizona Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of such subsidies."

You can find this and more on his website - www.votezinkin.com