In late July, Mayor Hiremath sent an email (below) to Pima County Attorney Barbara Lawall. In it he claims that:
"...there are town employees who have severe concerns about their safety given Councilmember Burns's increasing escalation of infractions of the law in addition to him having a military background." Also, Hiremath asserts that "...safety is a concern for me as well."
Fact:
There are no complaints by town staff on file about Council Member Burns. Nor has Council Member Burns ever demonstrated any action to Hiremath that should make Hiremath fearful.
Fact:
Council Member Burns was in discussion with Town Attorney Rosen about residency requirements long before Mayor Hiremath chose to become involved. The requirement that an elected official must live in their community is a state law the came into effect in July. The only reason Burns was not a resident at that moment was that he had separated from his spouse.
Fact:
Yes. Council MemberBurns was arrested on domestic charges. Yes. he has to prove himself in court and if he's found guilty of a felony, then it will be difficult to support Burns behavior outside of the arena of politics. Having said that, Burns is a council member who would go to bat for any Oro Valley citizen and we continue to support his professional role as a leader of our community until it's proven otherwise.
What is going on on the part of Mayor Hiremath is simple:
The Mayor is fixated on removing at least one of the minority from council. He failed at removing Council Member Zinkin last winter in a recall attempt. Now he wants Burns out.
The Mayor is out of control.
Frankly, we think that Hiremath is "losing it."
The following is the email and Council Member Burns's response to it:
---
From: Hiremath Satish
To: barbara.lawall@pca.pima.gov
Subject: FWD: Article
Date: Wednesday, July 30,2014 10:31:28 AM
Barbara,
The article that is being referred to below by Council member Brendan Burns is the letter I wrote to you regarding an investigation into residency rules and being an elected official. I am forwarding this to you because I feel that it should be incorporated as part of your investigation. There are other Town emails which reflect communication between Councilmember Brendan Burns and both of our town attorneys (Tobin Sidles and Kelly Schwab) regarding Councilmember Burns wanting to challenge their interpretation of what constitutes residency.
An additional note to consider is that there are town employees who have severe concerns about their safety given Councilmember Burn'ss increasing escalation of infractions of the law in addition to him having a military background. Safety is also a very large concern for me as well. I would like to discuss this further with you in person or via phone. My cell phone number is .... Thank you for your attention on this very serious matter.
Respectfully,
Satish Hiremath---
Mayor Oro Valley
Sent from my iPad
Burns responded that same day:
"So I assume you realize you are lying to the public about your leadership when you actively work to discredit and remove fellow council members. I cannot stand a man without integrity or honor. You sir, have neither."---
17 comments:
Given the entirety of Councilman Burns' erratic behavior in the past, I can appreciate the concerns expressed by the Mayor. God forbid something would happen and the concern was never raised. I don't think anyone would disagree that Mr. Burns has some issues that should be addressed. I don't know if he has ever served in a combat theater but he could be suffering from PTSD.
Liberal - would you care to give factual details about Burns' "erratic behavior in the past"; innuendo and hearsay are not enough to form an opinion here.
Just wondering if you have (or ever had) any concerns regarding Mayor Hiremath's behavior? (eg. violent outbursts and threatening behavior in private meetings leading to a councilmember fearing for his safety, demeaning comments towards councilmembers made in public, dressing down of senior staff members in public, dismissive comments and/or actions towards councilmembers, lying about his record as Mayor, etc.)
I don't think anyone would disagree that Mayor Hiremath has some issues that should be addressed.
Interesting TIMELINE:
MARCH: Burns is charged with disorderly conduct/domestic violence.
MAY: Burns is charged with burglarizing his own home.
JULY: Quote from Mayor Hiremath: "I feel very comfortable with the relationship I have with CM Burns."
JULY: Hiremath has concerns for his safety given Burns' "increasing escalation of infractions of the law in addition to him having a military background."
Problem is that Hiremath was already aware of those "infractions of the law" and the "military background" when he stated in July that he felt comfortable with the relationship he had with CM Burns.
So, was he lying THEN or is he lying NOW?
I'm sure you'll be the first one to let us all know if Hiremath were to ever face felony charges or if his wife were to ever take out restraining orders against him. In the meantime, I suggest you go looking for your moral compass. You seem to have lost it.
Fine. I'll bite: Suicide attempt (attempts?). Wife having to take out restraining orders against him. Burglary with deadly weapon. Asking wife to kill him with said weapon.
Would you like me to keep going? Oh - and by the way - you can read about all these innuendo and hearsay in the local newspapers.
Impeccable logic as always. Context never matters to you, does it? You are the best conspiracy theorist in town.
Since you brought up "context."
You mean like when Zinkin was accused of calling someone a slut when all he actually did was use the word slut in a sentence? Yeah, your side is all about context. I'll say it again...the word "slut" can be heard on NETWORK television any day of the week (eg. morning talk shows, afternoon soap operas, evening sitcoms.)
The FACT remains that Hiremath said one thing one day and the complete opposite thing another day, so they can't both be true. Now if he had said he was comfortable with Burns PRIOR to the charges, then said he feared for his safety AFTER learning of the charges, that would make sense. You can change your mind about something when presented with more information. But he had the SAME INFORMATION both times.
Therefore, MY logic is just fine, thank you.
Never smoked, never drank, never used drugs, never gambled, never hunted or abused animals in any way, never hurt a child, and I give to numerous charities every year. But yeah, my moral compass is way off.
Oh, and I'm not the one who charges taxpayers for mileage to attend retirement parties and BBQ's and fiestas. Now tell me, how does any of that benefit the town? Are you sure you want to continue with the moral compass line of questioning?
My, my, those should have been headlines - I never saw them, and I'm a news hound. But, if you're citing Explorer News sources, I'll take exception as I don't consider that a valid journalism source.
BTW, Notovdad/ or whatever your handle is, Hiremath's "wife" may not be such a good example to use.
Toughteri, I'm a afraid your news hound's nose may not be functioning well. Much of what has been written about Burns was on local news stations, in the Arizona Daily Star, and the Explorer. Just google it. Facts are facts. It's a sad situation on many levels.
notovdad. You are on the edge of being removed from our posters. We will not discuss the personal lives of any person. Back off or be gone.
I too believe Hiremath is trying to tip the scale towards his side with taking out Burns. I think judging Burns and his martial problems is not in anyone's best interest. A relationship is something that should never be taken for granted. Don't assume anything.
The dentist must go. This horrible thread is a good example why.
teri.... The other poster is pretty accurate. All have been reported in local media. You can include a disorderly conduct with a weapon.
If you truly want to be considered a news source then you need to allow the news to come forth whether it is good or bad. It's already a matter of public record anyway.
Not OV Dad,
You didn't answer my question. When certain council members (wink-wink) charge mileage to the taxpayers for attending retirement parties, BBQ's, fiestas, etc., how does that benefit the taxpayers?
Perhaps you haven't answered yet because you're busy looking for YOUR moral compass. When you find it, do tell us if it's MORALLY acceptable to charge taxpayers for attending these parties.
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