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"Here we go again!"
On September 15th, the Oro Valley Town Council voted to contribute $40,000 to the
Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO). It is my contention that this
expenditure is not justified. It is the contention of many others that TREO
itself, is a poorly functioning, poorly performing organization.
On December 7, 2011. the Oro Valley Town Council approved, without public discussion, the Tucson
Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO) first quarter report of performance in
relation to the Town of Oro Valley. This report is incomplete. It should have warranted the full attention of the members of the Oro Valley town council.
TREO trumpets its relationship with Raytheon
Missile Systems.
What a joke!
In the Dec. 2 issue of Inside Tucson Business, Patrick
McNamara made this statement about Raytheon Missile Systems when he was talking
about bringing business (economic development) to Tucson:
Such was the case last year when Raytheon Missile Systems put out the word it was looking to set up a new manufacturing facility. Local officials were dumbfounded - and pointed fingers at each other - when leaders from Huntsville, Ala., showed up with Raytheon execs at the Farnborough International Airshow in England to announce they had agreed to build the new plant in Alabama. It was embarrassing that officials in Tucson, in Raytheon Missile Systems' hometown, didn't know what was going on.
However, in the same editorial article, Mr. McNamara also
commented on the most recent failure of economic development and political
leaders involving Caterpillar’s manufacturing facility search:
Mr. McNamara reported on the efforts - or lack thereof - of the Tucson region's economic development and political leaders to get in front of executives at Caterpillar, which is searching for a new North American ma While officials at Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO) played dumb with reporter McNamara, others within the organization said they were aware of Caterpillar's quest but that's it.
Why does the Town of Oro Valley continue to
donate to an organization $40,000 to TREO for incomplete or
questionable performance?
Where is due diligence by the Oro Valley Town Council?
John Musolf
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