Oro Valley Town Council voted 6-0 to retain both "Call to Audience" portions of Council Meetings. The initial motion, proposed by Council Person Joe Hornat, would have eliminated the end of meeting "Call". After consideration, even Joe thought it was a bad idea to eliminate this added level of citizen input.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
TREO Gets Dough: 6 to 0
With minor amendment, Town Council unanimously approved signing the participation agreement with TREO: $40,000 plus.
As John Musolf notes in his analysis, the Town really doesn't get much for its money.
As we've noted previously, TREO is not an effective organization.
We guess that Oro Valley has "money to burn."
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As John Musolf notes in his analysis, the Town really doesn't get much for its money.
As we've noted previously, TREO is not an effective organization.
We guess that Oro Valley has "money to burn."
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Is Tonight The Night The Super Majority "Pays Back" TREO For Its Support Of Them
Consent Agenda Item I on tonight's council meeting calls for "Authorizing and Approving a Financial Participation Agreement between the Town of Oro Valley and Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc." The cost of this agreement is over $40,000.
For what? For a failed economic development group to fail to deliver results for Oro Valley.
We've written countless time of TREO's incompetence and how Oro Valley gets nothing from TREO's services. It has been a gigantic money pit for Oro Valley.
TREO openly supported Mayor Hiremath and council members Waters, Hornat and Snider. And these four appointed developer Solomon. So they have a super majority. They can do as they wish. Perhaps, it is payback time for them.
Bill Garner has advocated a "pay for performance" system for TREO, a system with real measures of results and a focus on Oro Valley.
We do too!
Our friend John Musolf has completed a detailed analysis of the TREO and Oro Valley. We post it here for your review.
John's conclusion bears repeating"
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For what? For a failed economic development group to fail to deliver results for Oro Valley.
We've written countless time of TREO's incompetence and how Oro Valley gets nothing from TREO's services. It has been a gigantic money pit for Oro Valley.
TREO openly supported Mayor Hiremath and council members Waters, Hornat and Snider. And these four appointed developer Solomon. So they have a super majority. They can do as they wish. Perhaps, it is payback time for them.
Bill Garner has advocated a "pay for performance" system for TREO, a system with real measures of results and a focus on Oro Valley.
We do too!
Our friend John Musolf has completed a detailed analysis of the TREO and Oro Valley. We post it here for your review.
John's conclusion bears repeating"
" I don’t believe that TREO’s suggested recommendations in this draft FPA meet any emphasis on promoting Oro Valley economic development specifically. It is a canned or boilerplate statement for the Tucson region and TREO itself with limited measures for promoting development for Oro Valley."
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Town Summary
At the April 28, 2010 Study Session, Town Council directed the Economic Development division to work with the Legal Department to draft a Financial Participation Agreement (FPA) between the Town of Oro Valley and Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc. (TREO) that identifies 1) Specific performance measures for the agency and 2) Evaluation criteria and reporting.
Musolf Comment
Signing a Financial Participation Agreement with the Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO) is based on a “trickle down theory” of promoting development. If Oro Valley gives TREO $43,521 it will be used to promote REGIONAL development in the Tucson area. Somehow, TREO’s Regional efforts are supposed to trickle down to Oro Valley (even the name of the TREO organization suggests it will promote TUCSON REGIONAL economic development) not specifically Oro Valley.
Musolf Analysis
Look at TREO’s 3 major recommendations!
TREO Recommendation 11) Retention, expansion and attraction of primary employers
Strategies:
- Support local company formation as a method to create jobs and capital investment as well as showcase the Tucson region’s innovative strengths.
- Conduct 3 Economic Development missions/trips to showcase the region’s competitive strengths.
- Publish/sponsor 15 media articles showcasing the region’s competitive strengths
- Conduct 4 outreach meetings with regional primary employers to discuss current and future issues associated with operations, workforce, sales, local government, and other important matters. These meetings will focus on businesses within the four targeted industries and primary employers which produce goods and services in excess of what can be consumed by the local market.
- Attract and assist businesses outside of our community to relocate into the region and create new jobs. TREO shall focus on companies within the four targeted industries.
- Host 2 site selectors in Oro Valley.
Musolf Comment
The first five bullet points all emphasize regional development. Only the last bullet point mentions Oro Valley specifically. Somebody at TREO needs to be trained to understand that if you are going to take money from a client (Oro Valley), it should be clear how you are going to perform tasks and be measured on performance specific to that client (Oro Valley).
As an example of how it could be Oro Valley specific, why not change the third point to read: “Publish/sponsor 15 media articles showcasing Oro Valley’s competitive strengths”.
As a second example why not change the fourth point to read: “Conduct 4 outreach meetings with Oro Valley primary employers to discuss current and future issues associated with operations, workforce, sales, local government, and other important matters”.
TREO Recommendation 2Economic development policy and tools development and pursuit
Strategies:
- Pursue reinstatement of State Job incentive grant funds.
- Enhance and standardize the State enterprise zone program for use in relocation of primary employers.
Musolf Comment
Pursuing a goal of State development help is a worthwhile goal. Considering Arizona’s State’s current chaotic financial and economic conditions, in my opinion, the Oro Valley’s Economic Development Manager can do just as an effective job of lobbying as TREO.
TREO Recommendation 3Marketing and promotion of the region as a business center
Strategies:
- Continue national public relations outreach to position TREO as a business center by conducting 2 press trips, one out-bound and one in-bound.
Musolf Comment
This third TREO point emphasizes the REGION (TREO) again, not Oro Valley specifically. Push Oro Valley as a business center in the press trips.
Town Staff Recommendation
Town staff recommends approval of the FPA between the Town of Oro Valley and TREO.
Musolf Recommendation
Why recommend approval? I don’t believe that TREO’s suggested recommendations in this draft FPA meet any emphasis on promoting Oro Valley economic development specifically. It is a canned or boilerplate statement for the Tucson region and TREO itself with limited measures for promoting development for Oro Valley.
Oro Valley's Actions Are "Unconscionable"
In my absence, the Zeeman posted the Explorer article concerned with the firing of longterm employee Deanna Ruiz.
The Zeeman mentioned he thought that was the "end of the story."
I think otherwise.
As reported in The Explorer, another longterm employee was also fired. I was quite familiar with how and why both these ladies lost their respective jobs, but thought better of saying or writing anything.
I did not wish to invade their privacy, but being the Explorer reporter saw fit to document what he uncovered, I feel it necessary to not let this be the "end of the story."
Ms. Ruiz seems to be overly generous, as she mentioned she holds no ill will to anyone.
Well, I believe she is being too generous.
We believe that the Interim Town Manager, now Town Manager, Jerene Watson indicated there would be NO repercussions concerning Ms. Ruiz.
FIRING HER, is hardly "No repercussions," especially when there was absolutely no GOOD reason to take that action, other than the Town Manager wanting nothing but "yes men" & "yes women" with no alternative voices to be heard.
Alternative voices cost two fine women their jobs.
That, as far as i'm concerned is "unconcionable." I hope that this is not the end of the story.
We will let our readers decide if they believe the actions of the Town Manager served the best interests of the town.
Certainly, it did not serve the best interests of two longterm, dedicated town employees who served us well.
Art
The Zeeman mentioned he thought that was the "end of the story."
I think otherwise.
As reported in The Explorer, another longterm employee was also fired. I was quite familiar with how and why both these ladies lost their respective jobs, but thought better of saying or writing anything.
I did not wish to invade their privacy, but being the Explorer reporter saw fit to document what he uncovered, I feel it necessary to not let this be the "end of the story."
Ms. Ruiz seems to be overly generous, as she mentioned she holds no ill will to anyone.
Well, I believe she is being too generous.
We believe that the Interim Town Manager, now Town Manager, Jerene Watson indicated there would be NO repercussions concerning Ms. Ruiz.
FIRING HER, is hardly "No repercussions," especially when there was absolutely no GOOD reason to take that action, other than the Town Manager wanting nothing but "yes men" & "yes women" with no alternative voices to be heard.
Alternative voices cost two fine women their jobs.
That, as far as i'm concerned is "unconcionable." I hope that this is not the end of the story.
We will let our readers decide if they believe the actions of the Town Manager served the best interests of the town.
Certainly, it did not serve the best interests of two longterm, dedicated town employees who served us well.
Art
Town Employee "Bites The Dust" For Providing Recording
The Explorer reports that "the Town fired a longtime employee after she provided a town council member with a recording of a conversation taped at a cancelled town board meeting."
In the recording, which we made accessible on the blog on May 8, Carter alleges that he cut a deal with Mayor Hiremath to do the Mayor's day job. Click here to listen to KC's remarks. He said what he said and that is that.
The explorer article notes that: "The incident prompted an internal review and a Pima County Sheriff's Department investigation, which later was forwarded to the FBI. The results of that investigation found that no laws were broken."
And so this story ends.
Best to move on.
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In the recording, which we made accessible on the blog on May 8, Carter alleges that he cut a deal with Mayor Hiremath to do the Mayor's day job. Click here to listen to KC's remarks. He said what he said and that is that.
The explorer article notes that: "The incident prompted an internal review and a Pima County Sheriff's Department investigation, which later was forwarded to the FBI. The results of that investigation found that no laws were broken."
And so this story ends.
Best to move on.
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