A month or so ago, we published a posting that was authored by Oro Valley resident Don Cox. He was celebrating the election results. Cox is chairman of the Triple E Pac and, we believe, publisher of his own blog that he calls "The Truth." We published his work because our pages are open to all and he asked us to do so. The following was submitted to us by one of our regular readers. This individual wants you do know who Don Cox is. The person asked that we post it without attribution to them.
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"If you have followed Oro Valley politics for any amount of time, you have most likely heard the name, Don Cox. He appears during every election cycle and for years afterwards, in his ongoing attempts to sway OV voters to vote for his chosen candidates and to remove anyone from office with whom he disagrees. Below is a primer on Mr. Cox.
Don Cox twice ran for Town Council, losing both times. A few years later, during Mayor Hiremath’s first year in office, Cox was named Oro Valley Volunteer of the Year. He served on the Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Commission, also serving as Chairman during a portion of his term. Sounds good initially, until you dig a little deeper into Mr. Cox’s behavior.
Cox Violates Town’s Code of Conduct
In 2012 and 2014, two different Town Attorneys wrote the Council advising them of Mr. Cox's inappropriate behavior while serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Both Attorneys stated that, in each instance, Mr. Cox had violated the Town's Code of Conduct for appointed officials.
Cronyism Anyone?
What happened as a result of those letters? Mayor Hiremath and Councilmembers Snider, Hornat, and Waters ignored these communications and re-appointed Cox to P&Z for his final two years despite being well-aware that Cox had twice violated the Code of Conduct. When the Majority-4 were reminded of the attorneys letters, they claimed to know nothing about these communications, even though they were among the addressees.
Triple E PAC Violates State Law
Currently, Don Cox is the Chairman of the Triple E PAC. This PAC was responsible for the billboard signs promoting the recent Town Council challengers…..signs that were posted in violation of State Law as they were installed 48 hours earlier than the law allows.
Tabloid Politics – Lies and Defamation
Cox was the author of the outrageous 2016 election mailer that was full of bold-faced lies, including the false claim that Councilmember Burns was on parole. Burns has never been in prison and has therefore never appeared before a parole board! This fish-wrap mailer also claimed that Councilmember Zinkin was accused of 11 different violations of conduct. Zinkin was accused only once, and the investigation showed that there was NO basis for the accusation and that it was likely politically motivated. But Mr. Cox has repeatedly shown that he is not interested in conveying the truth.
Another example of Cox publicly spreading lies was when he stated in a letter to the editor that Councilmembers Burns, Garner, and Zinkin voted in favor of all three apartment complexes on Oracle Road. The facts are that Burns and Zinkin were not even on the Town Council when those votes were taken, and Councilmember Garner approved only one of the apartment complexes.
Cox was also the subject of a defamation lawsuit brought by Councilmember Zinkin after Cox made repeated false claims about Zinkin in order to drum up support for what would become the failed 2014 Zinkin recall. Cox settled the suit out of court, most likely to avoid a deposition where he would be required to answer questions under oath. Mr. Cox’s insurance company paid the settlement.
Summary
Don Cox has violated Oro Valley's Code of Conduct for Appointed Officials, has perpetrated outrageous lies about opponents, settled a defamation lawsuit against him, and over a protracted time, has been dragging Oro Valley politics into the gutter.
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This posting was written by "anonymous"
