One Word Sums Up Last Week's Town Council Capital Budget Study Session: "Laughable"

Laughable

Last week, we reported on the latest staff recommendations on the Town of Oro Valley Ten Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The town council held a study session on the program last Wednesday. In our minds, the study session was laughable. The session left more questions than it answered.  Here are our takeaways:

Study session occurred too late at night
There’s really no way to have a productive study session late into the evening, especially after the Council has already discussed pressing matters. In addition, just before this study session, the Council had already sat through a study session on the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve Master Plan.

The CIP study session was so late in the evening that, by the time Council Member Joyce Jones-Ivey was asked if she had any questions, she was literally giddy. After all, she had been in that room for almost six hours.  Jones-Ivey started laughing and couldn’t stop. We don’t blame her because having a session on something as important as capital spending so late at night is ridiculous. That topic requires a "clear, fresh mind."  In addition, Joyce pointed out that the tiny font used on the schedules that staff provided was way too small to be read by a human being! She is right!

A $3.2 million magistrate court project...
Next year, the Town will start remodeling the Magistrate Court.  The estimated cost for that is $1.5 million each of the next two years. We have no idea why staff proposes this project or why it is proposed for next year because...

...With no detail provided on that or on any proposed project

We cannot tell you more about the Magistrate Court Project, or any other project really, because the packet provided to the Council does not include a detailed description of the project, a description of exactly what is to be done, the reason or justification for doing that project, the return or benefit from doing the project and the basis for the estimated cost of the project. All of of this is best practice in capital budgeting. All of this is missing from the council packet. It is no wonder that Jones-Ivey was laughing because what the Council received last week was laughable.

Thus requiring Council to get "down in the weeds"
Town staff is budgeting replacing "circuit three" street lights in Sun City. Barrett wants that circuit replaced sooner rather than later. Winfield asked why the town should continue to provide street lights in Sun City. After all, Sun City is the only place in town that has street lights. He was informed by staff that the street lights are there for historical reasons. Owning and maintaining those lights was part of the agreement when the town annexed Sun City 45+ years ago. Winfield suggested that is is time to re-examine that situation.

Finding discrepancies accounting among funds
It is necessary for the Council to "get down in the weeds."  Some members of this Council, Tim Bohen in particular, are good at doing that. His tracking of fund transfers, for example, reveals confusing accounting between the Community Center Fund (CCF) and the CIP.

According to Town Finance Director Gephart: “The one that I will highlight is the elevator and the ADA improvements to the Community Center.” These are included in the CIP Fund at the moment. According to Vice Mayor Barrett, these costs are supposed to be in the Community Center Fund. Barrett noted that “The motion for the elevator said that the additional funding would come from the Community Center Fund, so what would happen if we end up paying for all that from the Capital Fund? Would there be a transfer from the Community Center Fund?”. Gephart responded: “Yes. There would be a transfer as long as funds are available.”

Then, there are capital costs related to the creation of the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve. These are included in the CCF capital budget. They belong in the CIP budget.

No basis provided by staff to Council for prioritizing projects
The staff did not provide nor does the Council have a method for prioritizing projects. Having such is best practice of a capital budgeting process. Council Member Solomon noted that the Town Council needs to separate projects as to whether they are essential, “a must or need”, or something it would be nice to have, “A want”. Then, the Council should agree upon and then apply a "screen" for prioritizing projects within those categories.

Our conclusion

Staff had been requested by Council to hold this session. They conducted the session as if they had been requested to do something that they did not want to do. They were "going through the motion."

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Mayoral Candidate Danny Sharp: “We Need More Rooftops”

Mayoral Candidates Danny Sharp and current Mayor Joe Winfield have different approaches to “Development”

This was noted at the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum of June 28. 

Sharp advocates for the “rooftop strategy”. Winfield does not

Danny Sharp stated at the Forum that Oro Valley needs to bring in on-site retail business in order to grow sales tax revenues.  According to Sharp: “We have to bring in more retail. We don’t have the retail because we need to bring in more rooftops.”

Winfield believes that the General Plan should guide whether variances and general plan amendments should be approved. The Winfield Council abided by the General plan during the past four years. Winfield promised to do so when he ran in 2018 and he did so. Only one general plan amendment was submitted and it was rejected because it did not fit the concept for that area.

The “rooftops strategy” is a revisit to the Hiremath Years

The “rooftops strategy” is a revisit to the Mayor Satish Hiremath years (2010-2018) of leadership. It was his strategy. Hiremath was eager to grow rooftops because he felt it would attract retail business and increase the town’s sales tax revenue. His council, which included current council candidate Bill Rodman and current Council Member Steve Solomon, approved a slew of general plan amendments, converting land into high density residential zoning. His council was so eager to increase rooftops that they approved several general plan amendments before the citizen vote that approved the 2016 “Your Voice, Our Future” general plan was ratified by the Secretary of State.

The “rooftops strategy” added to congestion but did not foster retail business success

As LOVE reported, the Hiremath Council left Oro Valley with a large pipeline of residences to build. As a result, the town’s population has and will continue to grow substantially.  Still, onsite retail struggles in this town before, during and now after the Pandemic. One merely needs to look at the vacancies at the Oro Valley Marketplace and the need for complete revisioning as an example of the failure of this strategy. Indeed, one could reasonably question the feasibility of the “rooftop strategy” in today’s retail world, a world where on-line retailing, a lack of personnel, and huge supply chain issues are plaguing brick and mortar retailers. 

We believe it was the rejection of the “rooftops strategy” that propelled Winfield, Barrett, Jones-Ivey and Nicholson to win the 2018 election, defeating Hiremath and his team. Voters were tired of the congestion that the rooftop strategy has caused.

Sharp will be more aggressive in pursuing growth.

For example, Sharp would have approved the Oro Valley Marketplace revisioning as presented 

Sharp blames Winfield for not approving the Oro Valley Marketplace revisioning as presented to council.

Sharp stated at the Forum: “When people propose projects we need to be sensitive to the fact that this costs them money. We need to be sensitive…We should have told Town West years ago that what they were proposing would not be approved and that they needed to come up with something that fits within the town’s framework.”

What was presented to council was vetted by town staff in detail, vetted at neighborhood meetings, vetted by the Planning and Zoning Commission, and vetted at a public hearing before council. This is the town’s process. There was no opportunity for the Council to tell Town West anything because the council can only discuss the project together in public at a hearing after this process has been completed. 

After all this, however, what was presented to council-15 exceptions to code, 75 foot tall buildings, and minimal road setbacks- was “not in character” with the town. Still, the council wanted to shape this project because the Oro Valley Marketplace is a commercial disaster; so they continued the application as opposed to rejecting it.

We believe that it is reasonable to conclude that Sharp would have approved the project as presented because the developer had invested so much into it and because the project had gone through a long process.

Sharp does agree with Winfield in one area. According to Sharp, speaking at the forum: “If [a developer] brings in something that is not in character with the town, we need to find a compromise to get to ‘Yes.’”That is exactly what Winfield did. In June, Town West, the owner of the Marketplace, presented a new plan that is more in line with existing codes and the character of the town . It is a revised plan that both Sharp and Winfield said they would support.

 "The properties currently under consideration for annexation

by the Town of Oro Valley are the two State Land‐ owned sites

indicated on the map below, referred to as Tangerine North

(302 acres), and Tangerine South (550 acres)."

Sharp will vigorously pursue the annexation of the Tangerine State Lands

Both Sharp and Winfield agree that town should annex the Tangerine Road State Lands. This is 852 acres, split into two portions (panel left). Sharp asserts that it should have happened long ago because he worked on it with State Lands when he was interim town manager (June 2016 to September 2017). 

However, as stated by Winfield and as reported in LOVE, the State discontinued conversation with the town in July of 2019 because State Lands was short of staff. They were to continue discussions in November of that year but failed to do so. Sharp would seek to restart these discussions immediately. The town’s annexation plan calls for seeking this annexation in the near term.

…Though not all residents want this annexation

It is not at all clear that residents want the town to annex these lands and open them for development. Annexation and development of these lands met significant opposition from residents when presented at neighborhood meetings.

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Is Public Safety An Election Issue?

Is Oro Valley public safety an election issue?

It is. According to Candidate Danny Sharp, Oro Valley is not as safe as it once was.

It is not.  According to Candidate and current Mayor Joe Winfield, Oro Valley is the safest community in Arizona.

 

The differences in their thinking were “front and center” at the Greater Oro Valley Chamber Candidate Forum of June 28.

Mayoral Candidate Danny Sharp believes that public safety isn’t as good as it was and isn’t good enough

Danny Sharp made it clear at the forum on two occasions that Public Safety in Oro Valley is not good enough. In his opening remarks, Sharp noted: “When I am elected Mayor I will work to restore public trust by getting the Police Department the staffing needed to address the safety issues in our community and the threats looming from outside.”

Later in the forum, when asked how Oro Valley will be different in four years of his leadership, Sharp said that Oro Valley will be safer: “We talk about Oro Valley being the safest community in the state. Those are based on figures from 2020. I’m concerned about the fact that we don’t have enough police officers to do the job. I’m concerned about the vision that this Mayor and Council has given the police department so we can be understaffed to the point where we have to pull high school resource officers out of our high school. I drive up and down Oracle Road, Tangerine, LaCholla and I don’t see any police cars. I don’t see traffic stops. I see speeders. I see red light runners. I see tailgating in my rear view mirror.

The town is not as safe as it was.. People cant’t go to Riverfront Park and go for a walk without their Catalytic Converter being stolen. Or breaking out their window and stealing their purse. That’s not a safe community”. 

Sharp said that public safety will be a top priority if elected.

Candidate Joe Winfield disagrees: Oro Valley is safe because Chief Riley and her team are getting the job done.

Joe Winfield asserted at the forum that Oro Valley continues to be the safest community in Arizona. He points to FBI statistics and crime scores. He noted that Chief Kara Riley was twice voted best community leader. He noted that Oro Valley has more police per capita than Marana, Tucson and Sahuarita and pays its police officers more than any other town.

According to Winfield, to say that Oro Valley is not safe is a disservice to Chief Riley, the command staff, and the 103 men and women to put their lives on the line every day in service to the community.

Some added information

Three points of information for you to consider. First, the above panel shows the latest publicly reported crime statistics.

Second, in May, Chief Riley addressed the council. As we reported at that time, the objective of the Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD) is to be the best police agency in Arizona. The department is adding four positions in fiscal 2023. Two of these positions are officer positions. One of the four positions will free an officer for field work. That is a net increase of three field officers. Chief Riley stated at that time that the added positions she requested in this year’s budget was everything the department needs to meet its objective.

Third, in June, the OVPD was again acknowledged for excellence. “Special recognition and congratulations goes to Chief Riley and her entire PD Team for successfully completing the Arizona Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ALEAP). The department was found in compliance with the 170 established standards and will be recommended for accreditation at the next ALEAP Commission meeting, with final approval expected. Oro Valley joins 20 other agencies across the state with this accreditation.” (Source: Town Manager’s Executive Report To Council, July 2022)

You be the judge 

Whether you agree with Danny Sharp’s observations or Joe Winfield’s facts, it is clear that the approaches to public safety of the two will be very different. 

Joe Winfield has been “hands off” when it comes to the OVPD. The OVPD has operated without his direct involvement. He has expressed his confidence in Chief Riley and the police force on numerous occasion. He will not “second guess” her judgment. We expect this behavior to continue. 

A Mayor Sharp will have a more “hands on” role when it comes to the OVPD. How involving that role becomes is yet to be determined.

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Guest View-Mayor Winfield: Naranja Park Buildout Provides Recreation Opportunity For All

In early July, Oro Valley voters will be receiving ballots for the 2022 election or a Mayor and three town council members. LOVE plans to keep you informed regarding each candidate. In this regard, we’ve offered the pages of LOVE to each candidate. We’ve asked that they submit guest views. Mayor Winfield has provided the following “Guest View”. 

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Naranja Park Buildout Provides Recreation Opportunity For All
Last Tuesday I had the privilege to speak at the groundbreaking for the Naranja Park expansion. It was an exciting day for me personally, and for the many young families in attendance. What started as a vision when the Town acquired the 213 acre site in 1998 is now well underway to becoming the best recreational facility in our region.

Over the past two years, the Town involved the community in developing a Parks and Recreation Master Plan. From this plan came a new design for Naranja Park that works with the topography of the site to reduce grading, and allow the site to be expanded for half the previous plan’s cost.

Improvements and upgrades to Community Center exterior amenities were identified and also determined to be a priority. The improvements at the Community Center tennis courts and golf irrigation replacement are already underway and will be completed sometime in 2024.

To construct these improvements, the Town has obtained a $25 million parks and recreation bond at 2.3% interest, which will be funded by the half-cent sales tax revenues that were previously required to subsidize golf. In 2018, the golf subsidy was $1.75 million; as fiscal year 2021 ends, we now project NO subsidy for golf.

The Town’s successful golf management efforts included changing the golf operator to Indigo Sports, changing the operating model of the courses from a country club model to a municipal model, and opening all course to outside play. We have grown memberships, and benefit from a $125,000 annual contribution from adjacent HOAs.

Using bond financing for these capital projects at a record low interest rate has allowed the Town to design and build the park as a whole, saving both time and millions of dollars. It will also allow our current and future residents to enjoy these amenities years sooner without any tax increase.

Naranja Park, identified as the highest priority, will be expanded with new amenities: 4 additional multi-use fields, 6 pickleball courts, 3 basketball courts, a bike pump track, a skate park, a splash pad and paved walking trails. At the Community Center residents will enjoy a resurfaced and expanded parking lot, upgraded and improved tennis courts, 4 new pickleball courts for a total of 10. Both the El Conquistador and Canada golf courses will have their 40 year old irrigation systems replaced. Multi-use paths will be added to La Canada Drive and Naranja Drive to provide safe off road access to the Community Center and Naranja Park.

Health and wellness are important to our community. These new and improved amenities will provide expanded outdoor activities for existing and future Oro Valley residents. They will provide opportunities for physical fitness and social interaction for years to come.

Joe Winfield

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Guest View-Mayor Winfield:Fiscal Responsibility-Fixing The Police Pension Debt

In early July, Oro Valley voters will be receiving ballots for the 2022 election of a Mayor and three town council members. LOVE plans to keep you informed regarding each candidate. In this regard, we’ve offered the pages of LOVE to each candidate. We’ve asked that they submit guest views. Mayor Winfield has provided the following views. The words are his. The subheadings are ours

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Fiscal Responsibility - Fixing the Police Pension Debt
Town government must provide services and amenities in a fiscally responsible way. I would like to share with you actions your Council has taken to provide current and future Town services to residents, while ensuring that we avoid raising sales taxes, or recommend a property tax.

 

Last year your Council voted 7-0 to solve the $27.6M of underfunded police pension debt by transferring $10M from reserves, and bonding $17.6M at 2.4% interest. We accepted the recommendation of consultant Stiffel, Town Manager Mary Jacobs, Town Finance Director David Gephart, and the Budget and Finance Commission. The OVPD police pensions are now fully funded, the Town’s investment is projected to save up to $30M over the life of the bond, and we will save $700,000 this year.

 
In essence, we replaced a $27.6M debt growing over 7% each year with a $17.6M bond at 2.4% interest. My opponent, a benefactor of the now fully funded police pension, did nothing either as police chief or as acting town manager while this debt grew. [chart above] Further, he still advocates doing nothing, and “kicking the can down the road”. Were we to follow his course of inaction the police pension debt at a 7% expected return would double in 10 years to $56M, and in 20 years to $112M.

 
I would like to commend Pima County for placing a $300M bond and Golder Ranch Fire District for placing a $28M bond to fix their police and fire pension debt. These actions like ours will protect Oro Valley property owners from future tax increases from these two property taxing authorities to “bail out “ county and fire district unfunded but obligated pension debt. In all, 27 Arizona municipalities and fire districts wisely chose to pay down public safety pension debt by using low interest bonding.

 
Fully funding the pensions that our sworn officers and staff have earned protecting us is our obligation, and a way to show that we appreciate their success in making Oro Valley the safest town in Arizona.

 
Joe Winfield

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Jacobs Works "Behind Closed Doors" To Craft Economic Development Agreement On Oro Valley Village Center

"Dark of Night" Negotiating
Town manager Mary Jacobs is working "behind closed doors" without council authorization to craft an Economic Development Agreement  ("EDA") between the owner of the Oro Valley marketplace, Town West, and the town of Oro Valley. 

We believe that this agreement relates to the Entertainment District of the proposed Oro Valley Village Center. The cost of that district, according to Town West representative Keri Silvyn, will be from $11-$12 million. It is possible that the EDA may well be for that amount.

Jacobs has been negotiating this EDA since at least the fall of 2020. She has been doing so at a time when the council has yet to approve the many concessions that town staff wants to make regarding this revisioning of the marketplace. We posted about that yesterday.

Only rezoning is supposed to be on the table.. Not "deals"
Indeed, Council has been told that their job at this point is to only discuss the rezoning that has been as requested. Therefore, any EDA between the Town and Town West is premature because it assumes that the council will approve the project as proposed. The council should not be participating in any discussion regarding an agreement on how the Town is going to help make this project financially viable.

Deja Vu 2006: "The Outrageous Giveaway"
We wish to remind everyone of the 2006 "Outrageous Giveaway" involving Oro Valley Marketplace  It was an EDA from which Vestar, the developer and center operator, was to receive 45% of all sales tax revenues during the first ten years,  up to $23.3 million.

In the end, the venture was a miserable failure. In the ten years, the center earned a total of $16.4 million in sales tax revenue, with Vestar getting $7.4 million.

While the Town had agreed to do so, thousands of residents opposed the  "The Outrageous Giveaway." They fought to get the item put on the ballot. It was ultimately approved by the voters, due in part to Vestar's glitzy marketing campaign. However, it was a straight up deal and everyone knew what they were going to get and what it was going to cost. It was not hidden behind closed doors as this one is. (Indeed. LOVE's first post was about this giveaway)

Bohen Asks: Why the secrecy?
Rothchild Responds: Because we can and I recommend it
At last week's Town Council Study Session, Councilmember Tim Bohen asked Town Council Jonathan Rothschild whether keeping these discussions behind closed doors is required by law. Rothschild replied: “What we don’t want to get [into] is a conversation of how much you expect from us or, you know, [what]we want to do because again those are contractual discussions and negotiations. Those are subject to executive session… and what we need to do is to keep [this a] zoning conversation, which is really what tonight’s about separate from that.” (Source: Oro Valley Town Council Study Session, January 19, 4:47:51)

Bohen, once again, asked if this was mandatory. Rothschild stated that it was his strong recommendation. In other words, there is no legal requirement against having public discourse on this.

Council "in the dark"?
We do not know if any council member has been participating in the discussions with Town West on this economic development agreement. We do know, however, that at least one member council, Tim Bohen, has not. Bohen told LOVE: "The draft agreement was never shared with me except a brief view in a meeting with Mary Jacobs near the beginning of my term. And I don’t know if what I was shown is actually current as of today." Bohen asked Town Manager Jacobs for the current draft agreement. As of today, he has not received it.

If Bohen does not know any of the details of the EDA, it is reasonable to assume that the rest of the council does not know the details since "Council members shall be provided equal access to information, documents and materials." (Source: Oro Valley Parliamentary Rules 13.9 INFORMATION)

A pattern of behavior
Jacobs seems to want to keep everything private. And, unfortunately, Mayor Winfield allows her to do so. With Jacobs, the public only finds out what the deal is after the deal is done. By then, there's nothing the public can do about it.

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Winfield and Barrett To Vote '2 and Only 2': Garner and Bohen

Statement of Mayor Joe Winfield
Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield issued a statement that was published in the Explorer today.  Winfield is voting for '2 and only 2' in this election. The two are Bill Garner and Tim Bohen.

The following is the text of his statement:

"I had not intended to endorse candidates in the Council's primary election. However, I cannot reman silent while the two best candidates are maligned in costly attacks and mailers.

I will vote for Tim Bohen and Bill Garner in the Town Council primary election. I believe these gentlemen will always place residents first through fiscal responsibility, supporting public safety and defending the General Plan.

Please join me in voting for Bill Garner and Tim Bohen!"

Statement of Vice Mayor Barrett
In an email sent to the Explorer, Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett issued the following statement in support of Garner and Bohen.

"The non-partisan Town election is often decided in the Primary. This year the primary is on August 4th. I plan to vote for two individuals in the Primary election: Tim Bohen and Bill Garner."

Her message continues: "Both Bill Garner and Tim Bohen have committed not to accept large donations from special interests and developers, and will be focused on meeting the needs of our residents. They will seek citizen input, keep Oro Valley safe and financially secure, and honor our voter approved General Plan.

I would like to invite my fellow residents to join me in voting for Bill Garner and Tim Bohen on August 4th."
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Town Staff Decides To Proceed On Vistoso Golf Amendment Virtual Session

Online information sharing session starts tomorrow
Tomorrow the town is "hosting" on online forum to present a general plan amendment on the Vistoso Golf Course. We posted about Monday. We asked then: Does this fulfill the requirement that a pre-submittal, in-person neighborhood meeting be held prior to formal submittal of a General Plan Amendment and/or rezoning application.

The town thinks it does.

Winfield agrees it will accomplish objective of getting public input
We asked Mayor Winfield why the “town” pushing the amendment process forward in these challenging times when we can not have the required in person neighborhood meeting before submission on April 30 of the Romspen GP Amendment?  Why not extend the filing deadline until at least one in person neighborhood meeting can take place?  You can read his response in the panel.

Town: Planning and Zoning Administrator has the authority to decide what "input" is
The town provides the following response to the same question, providing detail for moving forward.

"The Zoning Code enables the Planning and Zoning Administrator to approve alternative methods of public outreach when warranted. With the ongoing COVID-19 social distancing requirements, an alternative method and schedule is necessary and the best solution under the existing circumstances.

The Planning & Zoning Administrator has the authority to approve a customized process and approach as part of the Public Outreach Plan (POP) as provided below:

22.15.D.4. The POP must incorporate the neighborhood meeting requirements noted in subsection F of this section. The applicant may propose an alternative process if it is designed to include key stakeholders in a meaningful way, and is consistent with subsection A of this section, Purpose, and the public participation and notification policy. Any alternative proposal will be subject to Planning and Zoning Administrator approval. At a minimum, the POP must contain educational and issue identification and resolution elements, as defined in the public participation and notification policy. ((O)16-02 , 2016; 6/11 supplement, 2011.)

Staff has arranged a means for residents to learn and share comments/concerns about the upcoming General Plan amendments in a decidedly low tech and easy manner. The pre-submittal public outreach process in April will involve an online informational video, initial public question and comment period and video response.

In person neighborhood meetings will be postponed till August and September – assuming public health concerns are alleviated. Over the summer, there will be web based opportunities to participate. The aim is to keep the process moving forward and utilize low tech means that are easy to use. This also alleviates some of the concerns from residents about not being in Town over the summer.

The Town is obligated by State Law to act on General Plan amendments in the same year that they are submitted. Town Council does have the option to continue this item if it is apparent that more public participation is needed."
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Video Message from Mayor Winfield On Covid-19

Mayor Winfield addresses our town
The town issued the following video. In it, Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield explains what The Town of Oro Valley is doing and what you can do to help as we work our way together through the Covid-19 epidemic.

Please do watch the video and read the posting that follows.

We are in this together.

We will win together.
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Guest View-Mike Zinkin: New Council Majority Has Kept Its Promises

Tonight, the Oro Valley Town Council will meet. The Council has been in the usual August recess. For at least the last 8 years, there have been no Council meetings scheduled in August. This might be a good time to look back and reflect on how this new Council majority is doing.

The last election had two major areas of concern: First, the golf dilemma; and second, the disregard for the General Plan and the rampant approval of development. This new majority was elected, I believe, because the majority of voters felt that these new council members could bring a change to what was happening.

So, how is the new council majority doing? 
Since taking their seats on council last November, only one development application has come forward. That was the development of the Town Centre at Oracle and Pusch View Lane. This application initially came forward during the past regime. The new majority sent the applicant back to amend their request and reduce the density and grading requirements of the property. Although they might have gotten a better deal, the applicant came back with an amended request. This would not have happened if the new majority had not been elected.

All Major General Plan Amendments must, by State law, be submitted prior to April 30 of the calendar year, and heard by the Council before the end of the year. This year there were NO General Plan Amendments submitted. It appears that the development community has gotten the message that this new majority will adhere to the wishes of the voter approved General Plan.

Developers have plenty of entitlements that were issued by the last majority. There is approximately an 8 – 10 year supply of homes that already have entitlements from the past majority.

Another big concern was the annexation of the State land on the west side of town. The Citizens did not want the State plan for small lots and 3,000 homes. The Town has received word that the State has closed its Tucson office and will pursue the annexation at another time. Do you think that the State would withdraw or delay its plans if the new majority had not been elected?

So how about golf? 
The majority is being criticized for questioning the numbers that they are getting from staff. After all, the prior majority NEVER questioned staff. However, there is not one member of the staff that has any experience in municipal golf. They are receiving their numbers from Troon. Do you think Troon might have a dog in this fight?

This majority is not going to make a rash decision, a decision that has not been vetted and thoroughly researched. This is, without question, the most important decision that the Council will make. There are millions of your dollars at stake. Taking time to ensure that all the facets of the decision are completely studied is why you elected them. Let them do their job.

I can pretty much assure you that no matter what decision they make on golf there will be a group of residents who will disagree and probably initiate a recall. This is the atmosphere that these 4 newly elected public servants live under. They need your continued support.

Guest View: Diane Peters ~ A New Beginning

Please watch the included video of Mayor Winfield’s opening remarks after being sworn in as mayor last Wednesday. Contrary to the openly hostile and “I’m always right” demeanor of the previous mayor, I believe you will find Mayor Winfield to be amiable, humble, and respectful.

Highlights from Mayor Winfield’s opening remarks
Winfield stated that in working with many elected officials over the years, he has learned that “Our elected officials are (1) simply ordinary people for the most part and (2) they clearly are individuals that have a desire to serve and make their community a better place.”

Mayor Winfield graciously thanked the outgoing mayor and council
He shared anecdotes to include Mary Snider’s long-standing involvement with school students and how it “speaks to her devotion to our community.” With Veterans’ Day approaching, Winfield honored Joe Hornat’s military service, noting that it “exemplifies a lifetime of service that Joe has dedicated to our country and to this community.”

The video also includes Winfield’s kind remarks and anecdotes about Mayor Hiremath and Vice-Mayor Lou Waters.

Winfield also shared his vision for leading our town
Winfield extended an inclusive outlook in defining his vision. “It’s our greatest desire to serve all the members of our community and we know it takes collaboration and cooperation and civility to make that happen…certainly we can be civil and collaborative in our efforts to serve you.”

“We are anxious to build a relationship with you, our community. We pledge that we are here to serve you and we are going to do everything we can to make you a part of that process. We don’t want anyone to feel disenfranchised or out of the loop, so to speak…We’re here to govern for all the members of our community.”
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Diane Peters has lived in Oro Valley since 2003, moving here to escape the humidity of the East Coast. She’s been involved in OV politics and development issues since 2006. In 2014, she organized a citizens group, Citizen Advocates of the Oro Valley General Plan, who over a 9-month period, successfully negotiated a controversial 200-acre development project. In her past life, she worked in medical research at various University Hospitals in New England. Her interests include reading, writing, nature photography, travel, art galleries, museums, and politics.

Meet Our New Council: Mayor-elect Joe Winfield

Joe Winfield  is one of those people to whom it is easy to talk and who has some interesting things to say.  He's a son, a father, a grandfather, a landscape architect, a forest service-national parks lifer, a racquetball player, and hiker.  And he's been a member of our community, by choice, more than 25 years. He knows who we are. We want to be sure that you know who he is.

Joe is the youngest of his family of origin. His mom is his hero: “She divorced my father when she was pregnant with me. It wasn't an easy decision for her. She didn't have a college education. A bright lady, working as a bookkeeper. What she did was courageous.”

Today, Joe has a busy family life. He and his wife Marianne have a daughter and six sons. They have nine grandchildren, with two on the way. One of his son’s was married in September; another announced his engagement late last month.

Mayor-Elect Joe Winfield

Joe is a University of Arizona grad and a landscape architect. He worked for the US National Park service for 32 years. He is now in his fourth year with the US Forest Service. He plans to retire in a year.

Joe’s favorite program is the River Trails Conservation Program.  “To activate and assist community-based conservation work. I opened the office here in Arizona in 1996… We provide professional services throughout the state of Arizona. One of our mantras is ‘close to home recreation.” He applied this thinking when he chaired the Oro Valley Trails Task Force in 2000.

Joe and Marianne put roots in Oro Valley in the 90’s. “We are a community-oriented family”. They were careful to stay put here in Oro Valley once their kids got to high school age. He sought out work here so that he could stay in our community

When he is not working
Joe can be found playing racquetball with one of his sons at Kreigh Park. And, of course, as you would expect,  Joe likes to hike. His favorite trail is at the end of Linda Vista.

Joe shared a hiking moment with us. He hiked from his home in the Palisades and Catalina Shadows  through the Catalinas.

“I always wanted to just go out my front door and go backpacking in the Catalinas. I did that a few years ago. I went on a 30-mile backpacking trip. I went out my front door and hiked up CDO wash to and past the Romero Pools.”

Joe is an optimist who loves Oro Valley. 
“I’ve been doing some traveling recently. I’ve seen some great communities but they don’t hold a candle to Oro Valley. There are some very positive things that have been happening in our community that are attributed to our mayor and council and we will build on those positive things. I hope to be moving the community in a direction where I think we can do better.”
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PRESS RELEASE

A MESSAGE FROM ORO VALLEY MAYOR-ELECT JOE WINFIELD
ORO VALLEY, AZ—AUGUST 30, 2018:

First, I want to thank Mayor Satish Hiremath and council members Joe Hornat, Mary Snider and Lou Waters for their eight years of service to Oro Valley. Our town has taken many positive steps forward under their leadership.

Next, I want to thank our council candidates Melanie Barrett, Joyce Jones-Ivey, and Josh Nicolson for their valiant effort and the support of their families. This was not an easy decision for any of us. Running for elected office is not for the faint of heart or sunshine patriots. It involved many days of displacing family responsibilities and getting by with a lot less sleep.

Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank all the Oro Valley residents who supported our campaigns - our campaign teams - supporting volunteers - individual donors and all those who chose to vote for each of us. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of our supporters for your belief in our team. My commitment to town residents is that we will work hard to represent all residents and make Oro Valley the best town in Arizona.

More information can be found at JoeWinfieldmayor.com

A Message from Joe Winfield

We found this on the Joseph Winfield for Oro Valley Mayor Facebook Page and thought we would share it with our readers who might not be on Facebook.

A Message from Mayoral Candidate, Joe Winfield

We have had over 24 "Community Outreach" events since May. These meetings have been in the form of Meet the Candidates Events, Neighborhood Home Gatherings, Question and Answer Sessions, Candidate Forums and hundreds of conversations with residents on their own doorsteps.

We have done this to meet and come to know the people of Oro Valley. We have enjoyed meeting you, hearing your stories, listening to your concerns and have done our best to respect differences of opinion.

We are grateful for those who have generously given of their time, efforts and monetary support. We are truly a grass-roots campaign.

We desire to give the Citizens of Oro Valley more of a voice and say in what happens in YOUR town. Winfield, Barrett, Jones-Ivey and Nicolson would be honored to receive your vote. Thank you!

Joe Winfield releases new video

Please check out this short video from Mayoral Candidate, Joe Winfield. We think you'll like it!

Click HERE to view it.

Guest View: Susan Ross ~ Hiremath’s Character?

I was amused by retired General John Wickham's letters (Arizona Daily Star and Explorer) extolling Mayor Hiremath's character. The mayor of Oro Valley was also endorsed by Reverend James Briney in a "Special to the Arizona Daily Star.” Seriously? They must be speaking about a different Hiremath than the one I have observed in his role as the mayor of Oro Valley.

Hiremath’s Misrepresentations
The Hiremath that I have observed has misled residents and has been far from forthcoming with the media. These are some examples of Hiremath's misrepresentations:

"It wasn't a backroom deal."
"Golf will be profitable in year four."
"The town got a turnkey community center."
"We put the 454 bond on the ballot to respond to the outcry for youth fields."
"We had no skin in the game."

And so it goes…on and on.

Hiremath’s Character
Hiremath called council member Bill Garner a liar on talk radio. Hiremath wrote the Arizona Bar Association in an attempt to get council member Brendan Burns disbarred. Hiremath led an unsuccessful recall of council member Mike Zinkin including authoring incendiary opinion pieces in the Explorer.  All of these actions are beneath the accepted standards of the office of mayor.

Hiremath began his re-election campaign by calling his opponent, Joe Winfield, "disingenuous" for highlighting the $6.9 million in town-reported golf operating losses. Hiremath has tried to hide the extent of these losses through an accounting shell game which treats sales taxes as golf revenue. No, Mr. Mayor, my sales taxes are not “green fees.”

If the residents desire a leader with true character, then Joe Winfield is the candidate for whom they should vote.

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Susan Ross is a former college professor who has lived in Oro Valley since 2014.  She has a Master’s degree in History.   She enjoys swimming.   An avid reader, she reads dozens of non-fiction books per year.

Incumbents being financed by wealthy special interests once again

Synopsis of Incumbents’ Campaign Finance Reports
Campaign Finance Reports through June 30th reveal that Mayor Hiremath and Councilmembers Hornat, Waters, and Snider have received a total of $61,580 in campaign contributions with $50,000 coming from developers, builders, land speculators, and others in the real estate industry.

Mayor Hiremath raised $21,430 in donations.

It’s worth noting that the incumbents have continued to solicit donations from developers and special interests despite knowing that over-development and special interest influence are the major issues that are angering Oro Valley residents.

LOVE readers will be familiar with “the usual suspects” who are once again the top contributors. These include Humberto Lopez/HSL Properties ($14,000), the Kai family ($20,000), and Jeff Grobstein, President of Meritage Homes ($4000).

As you will see in the charts at the end of this article, the top five donors contributed $46,500 accounting for a whopping 76% of the total contributions.

Mayoral challenger, Joe Winfield stated in a press release, “Special Interest influence on Oro Valley land use decisions is the major complaint I hear from voters. I thought the incumbents would reconsider relying on Special Interest money in this election in light of allegations of ‘Pay to Play’ by residents of the town.” Winfield further stated that the challengers promise to neither “seek nor accept contributions from special interests but will represent Oro Valley residents in our council decisions.”

Synopsis of Challengers’ Campaign Finance Reports
Joe Winfield, Melanie Barrett, Josh Nicolson, and Joyce Jones-Ivey raised a combined total of $28,397 and have done so without any special interest donations.

If elected, this ensures that all their decisions will be citizen-based and not influenced by wealthy benefactors. This will result in future developments adhering to the standards in the voter-approved General Plan and Town zoning codes rather than catering to the whims of developers.

Joe Winfield raised $13,687
     (plus an additional $5000 that Winfield donated to his own campaign for a total of $18,687).

A Comparison Study
56 Oro Valley residents contributed a total of $13,687 to Joe Winfield’s campaign.

Only 6 Oro Valley residents contributed a total of $475.00 to Mayor Hiremath’s campaign.
     (7 residents and $575.00 total if you count the $100 donation from Councilmember Rodman)

Here’s why the incumbents rely on special interest donations:
Only 6 Oro Valley residents contributed to Mayor Hiremath’s campaign.
Only 2 Oro Valley residents contributed to Lou Waters’ campaign.
Only 2 Oro Valley residents contributed to Joe Hornat’s campaign.
Only 4 Oro Valley residents contributed to Mary Snider’s campaign.

Meanwhile…
56 Oro Valley residents contributed to Joe Winfield’s campaign.
27 Oro Valley residents contributed to Melanie Barrett’s campaign.
17 Oro Valley residents contributed to Josh Nicholson’s campaign.
9 Oro Valley residents contributed to Joyce Jones-Ivey’s campaign.

[Click on the charts to enlarge]

Another Opportunity to Meet the Town Council Challengers

Candidates Host Voter Registration Drives at Oro Valley Parks on July 4th

PRESS RELEASE:  In celebration of our country’s independence and right to elect a representative government, the candidates for Oro Valley Mayor and Town Council will be hosting voter registration drives at parks around Oro Valley.

Candidate Joe Winfield explained their reasons for doing this, stating that “Registering to vote, being informed about community issues, and voting for the best qualified candidates are the responsibility of good citizenship.” Joyce Jones-Ivey elaborated further: “We want to listen to and respond to the citizens of Oro Valley, not special interests. We want to represent the people, including new residents that have not yet registered to vote.”

Winfield and Town Council candidates Melanie Barrett, Josh Nicolson, and Joyce Jones-Ivey will spend the morning of the 4th of July at Riverfront park talking to community members and encouraging voter registration. Later in the evening, they will host a booth with registration materials during the 4th of July event at Naranja Park.

The slate of candidates will also hold an informational meeting on July 9th at 6:30 pm at the Community Center.

More information can be found at JoeWinfieldmayor.com; MelanieBarrett.org; JJonesIvey4OV.org, JoshforOroValley.com

LOVE is on vacation for the remainder of the week.

LOVE interviews Mayoral Candidate, Joe Winfield. Part 3.

Mayoral Candidate, Joe Winfield, recently sat down with LOVE for an interview. This is our final installment of the 3-part article. Parts 1 and 2 were published on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can find them by scrolling down beneath this article.

What is your vision for the remaining 15% of Oro Valley's undeveloped land?

WINFIELD: When the question of vision comes up, I immediately turn to the General Plan, Your Voice, Our Future, because it lays out the vision for our community and it’s a reflection of all that community input. I feel that I would have a responsibility as mayor to be an advocate for that vision and to protect that vision, to make sure that the decisions that are made are taking us towards that vision, rather than away from it.

If it were suggested that there should be a change, then what would be important to me is that the community would support that change. I would reach out to the community to understand what it is that they wanted to happen for any particular parcel.

What is your impression of the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance? Do you believe it’s what the citizens envisioned and intended?

WINFIELD: The genesis of ESLO goes back, I think over 20 years. It’s a little hard to say if it’s lived up to what people envisioned. At the time, there was a lot more undeveloped land and pristine desert and the hope of many residents at the time was to preserve as much open space as possible.  I would probably say that, now 20 years later, I doubt that it’s accomplished what they were envisioning.

What makes it difficult to answer that is that you would almost have to go back to 1996-1998 and look at an aerial photograph of our community and map those areas considered to be environmentally sensitive lands…what were those lands that we were trying to protect? I think what we essentially have now, 20 years later, are lands to a certain extent that would have been preserved without the ordinance, and for the most part, that’s undevelopable lands…the washes. I would like to think that some open space has been protected, but with the recent development approval in Big Wash, a major wildlife corridor between the Catalina and Tortolita Mountains...if we can’t protect that, than what can we protect? So I suspect that for the folks who were very much invested in the ESLO, I think they would be disappointed in the results we see today.

What was your feeling about the Community Center purchase when it was first discussed in December of 2014 and what is your impression of it now, after 3 years of operations?

WINFIELD: I was on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board when the mayor and council made the purchase of the golf course and clubhouse and I opposed it, and as a result of that, I resigned from the Parks and Rec Advisory Board. I felt it was a betrayal. When we were given a tour of the clubhouse, I was even more astonished that this was being portrayed as a community center because to me it was completely unsuitable as a community center, both from an accessibility standpoint and architecturally it was too compartmentalized and dated. Clearly, to me, the mayor and council didn’t have the community’s interest at heart.

Three years later, I don’t feel any differently. Personally, I think any money invested in that facility is a waste of taxpayer money. I think it will always be unsuitable. Does that mean that it can’t be adapted for use for some other Town purpose? Absolutely. But as a community center? I think we should stop wasting our money and time.

As Oro Valley’s population continues to grow, the demand for water also increases. What will you do to ensure that residential growth does not negatively impact our water supply or increase our costs to obtain CAP water?

WINFIELD: Our ground water tables have been dropping for years and they’re going to continue to drop because of increased development and population. I think this is a serious matter. The golf course is a perfect example of poor water use. That’s the first place we should start as a community. Admittedly, this is a an area that requires some science in hydrology.

We need to take a more serious look at what is sustainable. I think, to a certain extent, we don’t exercise enough humility when it comes to the environment and where we live. I mean, for goodness sake, we live in the Sonoran desert. We’ve been in a drought for a decade or more. There’s nothing we can do to change that other than to change our attitude about water use. It’s more than turning off the water when you’re brushing your teeth. It really has a lot to do with over-development and the golf courses. That’s a good place to start.

Do you support the Main Streets project?

WINFIELD: I don’t support the Main Streets project. I think it’s folly. What I do support is a more walkable community, making things more pedestrian, making our streetscapes as pedestrian friendly as possible. I said this when we were doing the General Plan…that this idea of a Town Center, the water has gone under the bridge with that. Our town is what it is. I think it’s a lovely town. We don’t have a Town Center and that’s OK, many communities don’t. But many towns that do have a Town Center, the shops are boarded up. So Main Street is a planner’s folly.

LOVE interviews Mayoral Candidate, Joe Winfield. Part 2.

Mayoral Candidate, Joe Winfield, recently sat down with LOVE for an interview. Part 1 was published yesterday. Part 3 will be published tomorrow. (If you missed Part 1, you can find it below this article.)

What do you like about Oro Valley?

WINFIELD: I was in the Landscape Architecture program at Arizona State University and learned that the program wasn’t accredited but that it was accredited at the University of Arizona (U of A) so we moved to Tucson. We fell in love with the mountains, the Catalinas, the Santa Ritas and so forth.

When we had the opportunity to return back to Tucson about 20 years ago, we had 6 children at the time, so of course schools were important to us and that’s what really drew us to Oro Valley.

In addition to that, the mountain views and close to home recreation. Wherever we’ve purchased a home, we’ve looked for trails, parks, and similar amenities because we enjoy the outdoors and being physically active. Certainly, the schools were first, but the beautiful mountain views, the open spaces. Having graduated from the U of A in Landscape Architecture, the Sonoran desert plant palette is something I love.

What are your hot button issues with the town?

WINFIELD: My hot button issues go back to about three years ago when the Your Voice, Our Future General Plan was nearly finished. I have to applaud the Town for YVOF because it was so impressive, the amount of community outreach that was done. Public involvement, that’s at the heart of what I’ve been doing for 25 years, and I was impressed with the effort made to involve the residents in the planning process.

So consequently, because I was so pleased with the effort to involve the residents, I was equally disappointed and felt betrayed, that once the Town passed the General Plan, we had no more than approved the plan when the mayor and town council began to make amendments to YVOF. We had just made this great effort to involve the community and then it was as if all that public effort was being cast aside. So, for me, it was such a betrayal and so counter to my own personal values.

Closely tied to that was the announcement of the purchase of the golf course.  My issue with it was how it was presented to the community, especially how it was veiled in terms of a community center. I felt it was taking advantage of the community because I, for one, had been an advocate of a community/recreation center. But when the mayor and council presented the golf course and clubhouse as our community center, we toured the facility and it was such a disappointment. It was so unsuitable, in my view, as a community center. It was not accessible, it was dated architecture from the 1980’s, it was very compartmentalized, it wasn’t open, and the spaces weren’t inviting, and I thought, what a tragedy that this clubhouse is being pawned off onto us as a community center.

My other hot button issue is the survey that was done, the “statistically valid survey."  The Town commissioned a survey to determine what amenities and facilities the residents wanted in their parks.  At the top of the list were playgrounds, play structures, and ramadas.  But how did the Town respond?  They purchased a 45-hole golf course, they developed large treeless parking lots at Naranja Park and James D. Kriegh Park, and they installed large park monument signs, all of this stuff, even an archery range. I don’t have anything against archery, but archery was not even on the list. So to me, these are all examples of how out of touch the mayor and council are with the community and instead are pushing their own agenda or the agenda of Special Interests.

What is your vision for Oro Valley in four years, after your first term?

WINFIELD: I would hope that after four years of my term as mayor, that there would be an increased feeling of goodwill in our community.

I would also hope, as I already mentioned, that there would be new accessible play structures in Naranja Park and James D. Kriegh Park and that those would be facilities that children and families and others would enjoy.  Having adequate ballfields so that families do not have to travel outside of Oro Valley for practice is important to me.  We did our fair share of driving kids to Catalina simply to practice baseball and other sports.  That needs to change.

One of the things that’s always concerned me since we moved to Oro Valley is the polarization between the retired community and the non-retired community and I would hope that we could somehow bridge that and that we could see ourselves as one community.  It’s been interesting to me as I’ve been canvassing and talking to individuals, I’ve been surprised that some of the senior members of our community have also felt somewhat abandoned and feeling that there haven’t been the programs and facilities they desire.

I would hope to have made a difference in terms of the development of our community. Admittedly, much of the community is already developed so I don’t know that you’ll see a significant difference but I would hope that there would have been some moderation in development and the type of development.