Guest View: Diane Peters ~ Vice-Mayor selection reveals the hypocrisy of Councilmembers Pina and Solomon

During the December 4, 2019 Town Council meeting, the annual discussion took place regarding who would serve as vice-mayor for 2020. Melanie Barrett served as vice-mayor in 2019. Just one year. Prior to that, Lou Waters served as vice-mayor from 2012-2018. Seven years. Keep that in mind as you continue reading.

Councilmember Jones-Ivey nominated Melanie Barrett to serve for another year, seconded by Mayor Winfield. Councilmember Solomon nominated Bill Rodman, seconded by Councilmember Pina.

Discussions began and the hypocrisy ensued.

Councilmember Solomon’s argument:

“…it’s appropriate that since Councilmember Barrett has already served a year as Vice-Mayor, that it’s time to let another council member step in and serve in that capacity.”

Councilmember Pina’s argument:

“I think that Councilmember Rodman would bring a different perspective to work with the mayor so I’m in favor of Councilmember Rodman being the Vice-Mayor for the following year…Why not give someone else the opportunity?...Why not do something different and have someone that would give a different perspective?”

Mayor Winfield pointed out that regardless of title, they all have the opportunity to share their perspectives and they each have one vote.

A tangled web
According to Pina and Solomon, the necessary criteria for the vice-mayor is:
• they should not serve more than one year
• it should be someone who has different views than the mayor

Interestingly, they felt much differently about this “criteria” when they were in the majority on council.

Lou Waters was the vice-mayor when Pina-Rodman-Solomon were sworn in on 11/16/16 and he had served as vice-mayor for five years at that point (2012-2013-2014-2015-2016).

Yet when Waters was nominated for vice-mayor again for 2017 and 2018, Pina and Solomon never argued that someone else should be given the opportunity or that it should be given to someone with a different perspective than the mayor. They elected Waters with a 7-0 vote to serve as vice-mayor in 2017 and 2018.

In fact, on December 6, 2017 it was none other than Councilmember Steve Solomon who nominated Waters to serve as vice-mayor for 2018…despite Waters already having served as vice-mayor for 6 years at that time. Solomon was just fine with Waters serving as vice-mayor for a 7th year.  (See referenced minutes from 12/6/17 meeting below):

Now that Pina and Solomon are in the minority, they’ve suddenly decided that it’s imperative to give someone else a chance. Waters can serve as vice-mayor for 7 straight years but Barrett can serve for only one year.

Voting Results
Mayor Winfield held a roll-call vote. The vote was 5-2 for Barrett as Vice-Mayor for 2020.

• YES votes: Winfield, Barrett, Jones-Ivey, Nicolson, and Rodman (yes, Rodman)
• NO votes: Pina and Solomon
…
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, 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.

Guest View: Jack Stinnett ~ How Special Interests have influenced our Town Council elections

Just since 2014, developers and special interests have contributed a quarter of a million dollars to influence the elections of Oro Valley’s mayor and council. So far it has worked to allow their candidates to control our town and approve every developer requested General Plan amendment and rezoning.

Town Council decisions allowing rampant over-development is viewed by many as being a direct result of developers and special interest money buying our small town elections. Below is the sequence of events that has caused our town to fall prey to outside big money influence.

2010 Election
This was Hiremath’s first run for mayor and he funded his campaign at a level 5 times greater than his opponent. Hiremath raised over $45,000, (some from personal loans) and $13,000 from special interests. Despite this advantage, Hiremath won the 2010 election by only 30 votes. His campaign later repaid his personal and family loans.

2014 Election
In the 2014 election, Mayor Hiremath and Councilmembers Hornat, Snider, and Waters ran as a team who knew “what was best for Oro Valley.” Hiremath was opposed by Patrick Straney. Donald Bristow was the only opposing council candidate.

Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters had now learned the campaign finance model, as did the developer, builder, and real estate community. This time, special interests kicked in $59,000 (a four-fold increase from 2010) for a second term of their team who knew “what was best for Oro Valley."

The Top 5 Donors in the 2014 Election were: [click to enlarge]

The special interest funded candidates won re-election. Why was this unheard of level of Special Interest funding needed to fend off two first time candidates -- and two incumbent council candidates who were effectively running unopposed?

2015 Recall Election
In the 2015 Recall election of Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters, special interests once again contributed heavily to keep their council in office. Humberto Lopez (HSL Properties), the HSL Family trust, and HSL employee Omar Morales donated $24,000 to defend Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters against four recall opponents.

Through the October 15, 2015 campaign finance report, Mayor Hiremath alone had raised $104,000 and spent $101,323 to retain his office against challenger Patrick Straney. Despite Hiremath outspending Straney by 15 to 1, Hiremath won with only 51% of the vote.

2016 Council Election
In the 2016 election, candidates Rhonda Pina, Bill Rodman, and Steve Solomon defeated incumbents Zinkin, Garner, and Burns, effectively giving Mayor Hiremath a 7-0 council. Zinkin, Garner, and Burns had refused to accept donations from special interests and were heavily outspent as a result. Once again, the special interest funded challengers won the election.

The result of three special interest funded elections (2014-2015-2016)
During the period 2014 through 2016, special interests funded Mayor Hiremath and our six elected council members to create an unassailable 7-0 council majority. Since the new council took office in November 2016, over 90% of all decisions have been 7-0 votes, with many items agreed prior to council meetings by "consent agenda" and never discussed in public. Not one developer requested rezoning or General Plan amendment has been denied by the Oro Valley mayor and council.

The Top Donors to Mayor Hiremath and the current council from 2014 to 2016 were: [click to enlarge]

2018 Primary Election
Now running for a third term, Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters reported $61,580 in campaign contributions during the 2nd quarter reporting period [April 29 - June 30]. (Editor’s Note: Campaign Finance Reports through August 11th reveal that the incumbents raised an additional $35,581 since the June 30th reporting period.)

Further inspection reveals that over 90% of this amount came from developers, landowners, and other special interests expecting to do business with or in Oro Valley.

As of the June 30th reporting period, the incumbents raised less than $2,000 from Oro Valley residents. That’s not nearly enough to pay for the multiple glossy, multicolor mailers we have received, much less the multiple full page ads in the Explorer.

So when you receive all their promotional material, recognize that it is coming from special interest contributions to influence your vote to keep the status quo for them.

Let’s vote ‘em out.

Editor’s Note: For more information on the updated Campaign Finance Reports, please scroll down to read our Special Saturday Edition that you may have missed since we don’t normally publish on the weekends.

Town Council Election ~ Special Saturday Edition

Below are two charts showing the total amount of contributions from developers, landowners, and other special interests that were donated to the incumbents (Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters) in the 2018 Town Council election. 

If you want Town Council decisions to be based on your vision rather than the vision of wealthy developers, we urge you to vote for Joe Winfield for Mayor, and Melanie Barrett, Joyce Jones-Ivey, and Josh Nicolson for Town Council.  They have not accepted any special interest donations.

[Click to enlarge]

Source: Campaign Finance Reports -- Dr. Hiremath for Mayor, Vote Lou Waters for Oro Valley, Mary Snider for Oro Valley, Vote Joe Hornat

Challengers: "Special Interests Trying To Buy Oro Valley Election"

91% of incumbent contributions came from special interests
91% of campaign contributions to Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Water's Snider and Hornat have come from special interests, according to an August 23 press release of challengers Winfield, Barrett, Jones-Ivey and Nicholson.

Challengers contributions came from the public
"The incumbent’s campaigns have now accepted over $84,000 from groups, companies or individuals looking to influence the Oro Valley town elections," according to the release.

In contrast, challenger funding has come from more than 300 residents and their own pockets. They "...raised $29,311 from over 300 individual contributions from residents supporting their campaigns."

The special interests contributing to the incumbents' campaign include the "usual suspects": Developer HSL, the company that sold the failed El Conquistador Country Club to the town; and developer-landowner Kai family.  PAC's contributing include the Realtors of Arizona and the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association.

"Large campaign donations buy access, increase influence"
 ...the challengers note in their release. They assert that it is wrong to accept “Candidate contributions of this magnitude, from landowners, developers, and special interest groups over whom council can approve land re-zoning applications."

It may be wrong, but it is the way of Oro Valley elections when Hiremath, Snider, Waters and Hornat run.
In all of their four campaigns, they have always received the bulk of their campaign financing from special interests. Their actions on council, as documented over 8 years in LOVE, have demonstrated their preference in serving the needs of these donors.
---
Yesterday, LOVE reported that the incumbents are using this special interest money to employ the services of a California political consulting firm. Read on for more.

Guest View: Mike Zinkin ~ The $6 Million Dollar Bond

The “turn-key” Community Center needs another $6 MM in taxpayer funds
In December 2014, Town Manager, Greg Caton, plus Mayor Hiremath, and Councilmembers Hornat, Snider, and Waters insisted that the Community Center and Golf course purchase was a great deal because it was a “turn-key” operation costing only $1 million dollars and that no debt service would be required. Turns out that this has become just another one of their lies/broken promises.

Through a series of email exchanges with the Town, I recently learned that Town Manager, Mary Jacobs is recommending a $6 MM bond for Community Center expenses, with half to be spent in FY 2018/19 and half in FY 2019/20.

According to Finance Director, Stacey Lemos, the actual cost for this bond, assuming an interest rate of 5% over 20 years will total an estimated $8.7 million dollars.

A Budget Study session will be held on Wednesday, May 2nd at 3 PM in Town Council Chambers. Will the mayor and council consider approving a $6 million bond in order to save golf? We expect that they will since none of their previous efforts to finance the Community Center and Golf Courses have been successful.

The Repeated Lies and Broken Promises of the Town Council

• They promised that the half-cent sales tax increase would cover ALL Community Center costs. It hasn’t.

• They asserted that there would be no debt service. Yet, here we are, three years later, discussing a $6 MM bond for Community Center/Golf expenses.

• They lied when they said that only $1.2 MM would be taken from the General Fund Contingency to jump-start the Community Center Fund. As you will recall, they had to transfer another $350,000 from the General Fund last year to meet Community Center expenses.

• They lied when they promised they would pay back the $1.2 MM to the General Fund with $120,000 a year for the next 10 years.

• They spent $50,000 of taxpayer money on a Golf Study and then completely ignored the recommendations.

Mary Jacobs email stated the following:

“I point you to page iv of the Town Manager’s budget message that outlines how the recommended capital expenditure is being budgeted in FY 18/19.

In addition, the Recommended Budget includes half of the projected $6 million in total planned funding for capital improvements at the Community Center building as well as irrigation system replacement, turf reduction and other improvements on the Canada and Conquistador 18-hole golf courses. The expenditure will be financed via the issuance of a 20 year bond, and debt service will be repaid through the Capital Fund…..it’s a $6 million bond with HALF of it expected to be expended in 18/19, and HALF expended in 19/20.” (emphasis added)

Page 228 of the TMRB
Town Manager Jacobs has requested $3.6 MM for golf course repairs and $2.4 MM in Community Center improvements (TOTAL $6 MM) spread over two years and financed with a 20-year bond

The following information was obtained from Page 228 of the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget (TMRB).

COMMUNITY CENTER (CC) BOND FUNDED IMPROVEMENTS

                                                                     FY18/19                FY19/20                  TOTAL
Community Center Improvements              $1,200,000            $1,200,000              $2,400,000
Golf Course Irrigation Replacement           $1,800,000            $1,800,000              $3,600,000
TOTAL CC BOND IMPROVEMENTS         $3,000,000            $3,000,000              $6,000,000

The Town Council’s Community Center financing plan did not work
The additional half cent sales tax was supposed to offset ALL expenses for the Community Center, including golf, tennis, and the Community Center building. Instead, all of the sales tax revenue is going down the drain for golf. As such, there have been limited funds for capital improvements which is why the Town now wants to bond $3M in the 2018/19 budget and another $3M in the 2019/2020 budget.

How many more millions of taxpayer dollars are they going to spend on this endeavor before they admit that they made a mistake in purchasing the El Con Community Center and Golf Courses?
---
Mike Zinkin has a Bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education from California State University, Northridge. He was a commissioned ensign in the United States Navy Reserve. He was an Air Traffic Controller for 30 years. He and his wife moved to Oro Valley in 1998. Mike served on the Oro Valley Development Review Board from 2005-2009 and the Board of Adjustment from 2011-2012. He served on the Town Council from 2012-2016 during which time he was named a Fellow for the National League of Cities University, he was a member of the National League of Cities Steering Committee for Community and Economic Development, and a member of the Arizona League of Cities Budget and Economic Development Committee.

Guest View-Diane Peters: Vice-Mayor Lou Waters vs. Freedom of Speech

During our sign staking event in last week in the right of way ("ROW") outside Mayor Hiremath’s office, Vice-Mayor Lou Waters suddenly appeared and began taking pictures of us. I approached Waters and said, “You do realize that we’re just exercising our First Amendment Rights - Freedom of Speech.”

He replied that we were on private property and that Hiremath had to close his dental practice because he got word that we would be staging a protest that day. I told Waters that Hiremath was misinformed since he could clearly see that all we were doing was staking signs in the ROW. I told him that we had an official present from ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) to ensure that our signs were legally placed.

Waters Gives Shifting Reasons for being there
I then asked him why he was there. He replied that Hiremath was his dentist and he was there for a dental appointment. I reminded him that he just told me that Hiremath had to close his practice today due to the “protest.” He then became very flustered and denied ever having said that.

Waters then switched gears and claimed he was there as a journalist. Then his famous ego kicked in. He said, “Do you know who I am? I’m a world-renowned journalist! I worked for CNN!” I told him that was in the past. I continued trying to ascertain the real reason for his presence.

Uncivil, turbulent Waters
Waters danced around the questions and then accused me of “twisting everything.“ Next, in a highly agitated voice, he said, “YOU ARE SO POLITICALLY DENSE!” Ahhh, name-calling. The last resort of the person who’s run out of anything intelligent to say.

I especially enjoyed that exchange since Waters, Hornat, and Snider have a website called, “Stand for Civility” where they purport to have the market cornered in the civility arena.

Insults, Lies, and Videotape
I continued asking him why he was there, since we had established that it wasn’t for a dental appointment since the office was closed. Below is the part of the exchange where Waters contradicts himself. His contradictions are highlighted in green.

Peters: You said you were here as a photojournalist.
Waters: No, I didn’t. I said I was here to have an appointment WITH MY DENTIST!!!
Peters: No, that’s what you’re saying NOW. You completely changed what your saying.
Waters: You twist everything. You don’t have a truthful bone in your body.
Peters: How can you have an appointment with your dentist if you just told me that he closed
his office for today? How are you here for an appointment that doesn’t exist?
Waters: What??!!!
Peters: You just told me that he had to cancel all of his appointments today.
Waters: Yes, he canceled all of his appointments, mine included.
Peters: And yet when I asked you why you were here, you said you were here for an appointment.
Waters: I’m here because I’m passing by here to say hello to my friend, Satish Hiremath. 
Peters: He’s here?
Waters: You’re a real piece of work, you know it? Keep it up.

World-renowned journalist? Not!
I couldn’t help but notice the dazzling commentary from the self-proclaimed “world renowned journalist.” He sounded sophomoric to me.

 “You don’t have a truthful bone in your body…You’re a real piece of work…You are politically dense.” Can you imagine Tom Brokaw or Bob Schieffer behaving this way? All I wanted to know was why he was there and all I got in response was tap-dancing and insults.

Recap: So what was Water’s doing there?

• I have an appointment with my dentist.
• He canceled all of his appointments, mine included.
• I’m here as a photojournalist.
• I’m here because I’m passing by here to say hello to my friend, Satish Hiremath.

When he finally realized that he couldn’t keep up with my questions and his constantly changing reasons for why he was there, he walked away and threatened to call the police. Of course, he never did, because what would he have told them? “Officer, there’s some people staking signs in the ROW, they have a State official with them, and one of them is asking me questions that I’m completely unprepared to answer.”

This might explain why one of the demands the incumbents had at the Sun City Candidate Forum was to be given the questions in advance. It’s clear that, Waters at least, isn’t very adept at answering questions when he’s put on the spot.
---
Diane Peters has lived in Oro Valley since 2003, moving here to escape the humidity of the East Coast. Combining her love of animals and writing, she wrote her first protest letter at the age of 12 to the Canadian Prime Minister in support of ending the annual baby harp seal hunt. Years later, she flew by helicopter to the ice floes off the coast of Newfoundland where she was able to pet baby harp seals recently born on the frozen tundra. Her other interests include reading, nature photography, traveling to National Parks, Native American history, art galleries, museums, and following politics. In her past life, she worked in medical research at various University Hospitals in New England, including coordinating Oncology Clinical Trials and preparing manuscripts for publication in medical journals.  Her husband is an Army veteran who served in Germany and South Korea. A former hippie, he attended the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Upstate New York.

Much Ado About Nothing

Last Wednesday, there was an incident in which Oro Valley Vice Mayor Lou Waters and Oro Valley resident Tom Kamoske scuffled. It happened when residents were going to a scheduled appointment to turn in recall petitions on Mayor Hiremath.

If you have not seen the video, then you a probably wondering what really happened? Was Vice Mayor Water's attacked? Was resident Tom Kamoske pushed to the ground by the Vice Mayor? Did they scuffle? Was anyone hurt?

The Incident

The following is exactly what happened:

• About 80 individuals wearing "Red Shirt" that voice support of Hiremath  formed a gauntlet through which those supporting his recall must pass through in order to submit their petitions to the town clerk. 
• Vice Mayor Lou Waters was standing inside this gauntlet, partially in the path of the submitters
• Vice Mayor Waters was taking pictures of the submitters as they walked through the gauntlet
• The submitters walked past and to the right of Vice Mayor Waters.
• Oro Valley resident Tom Kamoske blocked Water's camera lens by putting papers in front of Water's camera as he walked past Waters.
• Waters pushed Kamoskie with his left arm as Kamoske passed him
• Kamoske continued two steps, then turned back to face Waters. In turning back Kamoske fell. It seems to us that his left ankle gave way as he turned back at Waters. 
• Waters watched Kamoske fall.
• Waters then turned to face the submitters to take pictures of the other submitters. 
• Then Waters turned to photograph Kamoske on the ground.

The total event was 13.3 seconds! We've slowed it down in the video at right so that you can see it  in detail.

"Much Ado About Nothing"

So why is this such a big deal?

Waters claims he was  injured. It is obvious that this not the case. After he pushed Kamoske, Waters turned to take pictures of other submitters. How injured could have possibly been? Certainly, not injured enough to even take personal note.

Kamoske claims that Waters push caused him to fall. How is it, then, that he took two steps and then fell after he turned to face Water.

In is on both sides: "No harm. No foul."

At worst, Kamoske, who was charged by Oro Valley police with assaulting Waters is guilty of 2 counts of bad judgment. The first count has to do with putting the papers in front of the camera. The second is turning back after being pushed.

At worst, Vice Mayor Waters is also guilty of using bad judgment. As the sitting Vice Mayor of Oro Valley he should not have been at this event. He should not have been taking pictures so as to intimidate the Oro Valley residents submitting the petitons. He should not have shoved Kamoske.

It's all politics

So, why the big deal?

It is a big deal because the Oro Valley police, supporters of the Majority-4, decided to turn this into a big deal. It was they who "investigated" the incident and "convicted" Kamoske. They should have simply said to bother parties: "Grow up."

Now, supporters of the Majority-4 are trying to say that the new candidates and those who support change are "thugs."

Waters seeks restraining order
Vice Mayor Waters has filed for a one year restraining order against resident Kamoske. 

A triple play of insanity

It's all politics, folks. And it makes us sick! It's a "triple play of insanity."

A town resident acts foolishly. A vice mayor participates in an event the he should not have been at; and then pressing charges when he, himself, pushed the resident. And, an outrageous, obviously biased enforcement of law on the part of the Oro Valley police.

Bits and Pieces

Meet the new candidates tomorrow
"Just a friendly reminder that you can meet three Town Council candidates this Saturday, June 27th and sign the petitions to help get them on the November ballot. The event is from 9am - 3pm at the Town Council Courtyard and at the Oro Valley Public Library. Refreshments will be served. Please see the attached flyer." (Source: Steve Didio email)

In light of the "insanity" that occurred at town hall Wednesday when Hiremath recall papers were filed, lets hope that only those interested in meeting the new candidates attend this event.

Petitions submitted to recall Mayor Hiremath

Oro Valley, Arizona (June 25, 2015) - At approximately 10 a.m. yesterday, June 24, 2015, signatures for a recall petition for Oro Valley Mayor Satish I. Hiremath were delivered to the Town of Oro Valley Clerk's Office. The petitions were submitted by the Oro Valley Citizens for Open Government Committee.

The Oro Valley Clerk's Office has 10 days in which to process the petitions and verify that the total number of signatures eligible for verification is equal to or exceeds the minimum 2,765 required signatures.

Pima County will then have 60 days in which to verify the signatures before the petition process moves forward. Once the county verifies the signatures, they will come back to the Oro Valley Town Clerk for a final check before they are legally filed. (Source: Town of Oro Valley Press Release) 

Group forms to oppose Pima County Bond
Taxpayers Against Pima County Bonds has formed. According to a group press release: 

"The real myth is “new bonding will not affect your property taxes.” The fact is, last year on my tax bill, I paid almost $170.00 under the category "county bonds secondary." This represents almost 5% of my total tax bill! It does NOT include the roughly $1,385 I pay in other secondary property taxes, many of which are also bonds for other things. And secondary property taxes are in addition to the primary property taxes we pay. Bonds DO affect your taxes! Pima County now wants to borrow close to $816 Million. This is a 57% increase over what Pima County currently owes. If my taxes on the existing Pima County Bonds are $170 a year, what can I expect them to go up to after they borrow another $816 Million? It's basic economics, the more you borrow, the more you need to pay back! " (Source: Taxpayers Against Pima County Bonds Press Release)

Their webside is pimabondfact.com

 Hecker Leads Pima County Bond Support
"A group in support of the Pima County bond proposal has formed and begun to lobby the public to vote for the $815 million bond plan. The group, called "Yes on Pima County Bonds", held a news conference Monday to announce the effort.

Tucson attorney and chairman of the Pima County Bond Advisory Committee Lawrence Hecker is listed as the group’s chairman.

Business consultant and former Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities chairman Steve Eggen is treasurer of the group." (Source: Arizona Daily Star

Do you think that Hecker has a conflict of interest being chairing the Pima County Bond Advisory Board and now leading the cheerleading effort?

"Waters: From CNN To Council"
Rose Law Group published an exclusive interview with Council Member Lou Waters.

Entitled: "From CNN anchor desk to Oro Valley Town Council", the article asked why he ran for office. "Service always has been in my DNA, so I ran and won . . . twice." Later in the article he notes: "Far too many of our “politicians” will say or do anything to remain in office. And far too many things they say are just not in the best interests of the constituents they serve."

Rock Ridge Apartments Needs Tenants
Rock Ridge Apartments are located on the west side of Oracle Road, just south of Lambert Lane. The've been in town a long time. They need tenants. And the prices actually look pretty interesting. Want to learn more?

We imagine that apartment pricing in Oro Valley is going to get even better for the consumer as Russ Rulney's apartments, located just south of Rock Ridge on the east side of Oracle near completion. It is a monster development.

Oro Valley Releases Latest Crime Statistics

Oro Valley Police Department has issued their latest crime statistics.  Almost have of Oro Valley's accident intersections are at 3 major intersections. Oracle and Magee are, once again, at the top of the most frequent collision intersections.  Next are LaCanada and Tangerine and Tangerine and First Avenue.

The report includes information on how quickly police reach the scene of an incident, traffic or otherwise.  90% of the time or more officer response is at or under the allotted time for a particular incident priority. For example, our police responded to 97% of top priority incidents within one minute. There were 14. (Source)


Coffee with a Cop This Morning 
 "The Oro Valley Police Department is excited to announce its June Coffee with a Cop event located at Jerry Bob's, 10550 N. La Cañada Drive, Suite 140 . It will be on Friday, June 26, 2015 from 7 to 9 a.m. This marks the one year anniversary of its inception." (Oro Valley Police Department Press Release)

November Sees The Q and Brew 10K
"On Your Left Fitness is excited to partner with the North Tucson Firefighter’s Association (NTFFA) in hosting the Q and Brew 10K Run/Walk in conjunction with NTFFA’s BBQ Cook Off. Over 30 firefighter teams will be cooking up mouth-watering BBQ for you to enjoy after your run." The race is Saturday, November 21 in Oro Valley. (Source) On Your Left also sponsors a Test N Tune events at Steam Pump Ranch.

Bits and Pieces

Waters Recall Makes National News
The national publication "Daily Caller" has reported that Oro Valley Council Member Lou Waters' is involved in a recall election. The article is entitled: "Former CNN Anchor Involved In A Sticky Recall Election In Filthy Rich Tucson Suburb."

Imagine. Oro Valley-a filthy rich suburb!

The highlights the following about Waters:

• "The Oro Valley government website has an impressive sounding but really poorly written bio on him."
• "But it seems poor Lou isn’t so enthralled with the state of the journalism industry"
• "As much as Waters claims to be a big proponent of getting the facts, revealing basics on himself is another story. In a bio for the Arizona Daily Star, he refused to reveal his age. “Would not disclose,” reads the age line. A 2014 profile, however, in Tucson Local Media lists his age as 75.

Courtesy: The Daily Caller

The article posts a picture (at right) of Waters when he was on CNN.

Not very flattering.

Hiremath gets more Oro Valley money for Explorer Program.. fails to reveal that his son is a member.

Mayor Hiremath asked for a $5,000 increase in the towns funding of the Oro Valley Police Department Explorer program. The program, paid via donations in most other communities, is funded by the Town Of Oro Valley.

What Mayor Hiremath failed to disclose, so Council Member Bill Garner did it for him, is that the Mayor's son is a member of the Explorers.

Town Council To Call For Recall Election

"Oro Valley, Arizona (June 4, 2015) - Recall petitions were officially filed today against Town of Oro Valley Vice Mayor Waters, Councilmember Hornat and Councilmember Snider. State statute requires that the recall petitions are not officially filed until the Town Clerk determines that the total number of valid signatures are sufficient to meet the minimum requirements for a recall election.

Pursuant to A.R.S. 19-208 and 19-209, Waters, Hornat and Snider have five business days during which they may choose to resign. If a resignation is not tendered, the order calling a special recall election shall be issued within 15 days.

An item has been added to the June 17, 2015, Council Meeting Agenda to call the election for November 3, 2015."

(Source: Town of Oro Valley Press Release)

2015 General Plan Is Ready For Your Review

The 2015 General Plan is 60% complete. The plan paints a vision of what Oro Valley is and wants to be. It is ready for public review. Visit this link to learn more. There you can read the plan and provide comment. If you prefer, you can comment by sending an email to YourVoiceOV@orovalleyaz.gov.  Public comment will close on July 31.

According to the town's press release:

• The plan is entering a summer review period during which the public, stakeholders, boards and commissions, and local agencies will provide comment. 
• Planning and Zoning Commission will be holding study sessions on July 7th and July 9th.
• We’ll also be reconvening the committees in August to decide on edits for the Recommended Draft (90% plan version).
• That draft will then be presented to Planning and Zoning Commission as well as Town Council this fall.

Please do invest the time to review and comment.

Golf Course Signs Apply
One of our readers wrote to us. The reader questioned the restrictive nature of the signs telling people to stay off the golf course. The reader stated this it is a public course owned by the community and that it should be available to all.

This is not the case. Public safety comes first.

According to Town Manager Caton: ""It is now publically owned; however, access is restricted for the intended use. For example, if I visit the Aquatic Center, I have to pay and I can’t ride my skate board around the pool deck. Also, the signage is intended to prevent accidents. A golf course, unless a special event is occurring, is for golf. If someone randomly walks onto the course, then they could get hit by a golf ball."

Meet Council Candidate Steve Didio
Oro Valley resident Steve Didio has announced his candidacy for council in the November election. LOVE will be posting a "Meet The Candidate" article about him on June 22. In the meantime, if you want to know about about Steve an article about him in Sun City OV.

OVPD is named Model Agency of the Year for School Resource Officers program

Oro Valley, Arizona (June 9, 2015) - On June 16, 2015, the Arizona School Resource Officers Association (ASROA) will present the Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD) with the award for Model Agency of the Year. This is the second time OVPD has received this distinction; the first was in 2013.

The Town's School Resource Officer (SRO) program, which dates back to 1977, was restructured in 2002 and is based on the "Basic Triad Concept" of being a law enforcement officer, teacher and counselor to the school community in which they serve. ((Source: Town of Oro Valley Press Release)

Oro Valley to offer FREE community enrichment classes for adults/seniors

Oro Valley, Arizona (June 10, 2015) - The Town of Oro Valley is proud to announce a series of free summer enrichment classes for adults and seniors. All classes will be held in the Sunset Room at the Oro Valley Community & Recreation Center, 10555 N. La Cañada Drive. To register, call 520-544-1900. (Source: Town of Oro Valley Press Release)

The classes include:

• Understanding Joint Conditions of the Spine and Treatment with instructor Dr. Steven Hanks 
• Are you tired of taking the purple pill? Thursday, June 18 at 10 a.m. with instructor Dr. Martin 
• AARP Foundation Finances 50+ Part 1, Monday, July 13 at 9 a.m. Part 2, Tuesday, July 14 at 9 a.m. Part 3, Wednesday, July 15 at 9 a.m 
• Diabetes 101 Friday, July 17 at 11 a.m. with instructor Dr. Leila Wing 
• Computers 101: I've turned it on. Now What? Wednesday, July 29 at 9 a.m. with instructor Audrey Sharp
• Heart to Harddrive Online Security: Protecting Yourself in the Digital Age Tuesday, August 18 at 9 a.m. with instructor Audrey Sharp
• Diverticular Disease Thursday, August 20 at 10 a.m. with instructor Dr. Martin 
• The Weekend Warrior and that Problem Shoulder Wednesday, August 26 at 10 a.m. with instructor Dr. Prickett

Despicable Him: Hornat Plays Politics With Steam Pump Ranch Funds

The gloves are off in the Oro Valley town council. The embarrassment continues (see our Monday post). This time it was about the 2016 budget and funding for Steam Pump Ranch.

Council Member Joe Hornat played politics with 2016 proposed spending on Steam Pump Ranch at the June 3 council meeting. He did it in an attempt to get at least one member of minority to vote for the Oro Valley record budget.

Hornat said this at the conclusion of a 3 minute speech on why he ignores things he'd like to see changed in the budget.

Hornat: We'll spend on Steam Pump if you'll vote for the budget

Council Member Hornat recommended approval of the budget if there were removal of the $425,000 planned expenditure for Steam Pump Ranch.

"In the interest of cooperation, if I can secure a better than 4-3 vote on the budget, I'll gladly entertain a friendly amendment to ... put it back in there."

In his remarks, delivered in shaky voice, Hornat said that he feels that the budget is a reasonable compromise even though there are some items on the budget to which he  does not agree.

According to Hornat "A no vote is a vote against the quality of life in Oro Valley... You need to look at the greater picture."

Council Member Snider (watch) voiced her support of the budget because town council sets policy; not budgets and whaterver town staff says is good enough for her.

Mayor Hiremath (watch) said that he felt that those who vote for the budget should get all the credit for its success.

Vice Mayor Waters, as usual, said nothing. He did vote 'yes.'

Council Member Burns told Hornat that Burns would vote for the budget if Hornat would agree to defund the golf course!

Garner: Hornat's attempt to defund Steam Pump Ranch is unconscionable

Council Member Garner did not let Hornat's threat pass.

Addressing the audience Garner observed: "You folks are witnessing politics at their finest, " Garner started.

"Steam Pump is going to fall in disrepair. To sit there and let a project lose $425,000 worth of funding over politics is completely ridiculous for a vote."

Garner then went on to explain why he was going to vote 'no' on the budget. "Yes. I am going to vote 'no' on the budget. I am consistent in voting 'no'. I will continue to vote 'no' on this budget ... There are efficiencies that we find in this budget and we refuse to do it. Now that we have this community/golf course we need to find even more efficiencies because we are going to be in really bad shape."

"I am not supporting the budget, Joe, and I think that it is absolutely unconscionable to think you would take $425,000 out of the town manager's recommended budget over Steam Pump for a vote."

Was Council Member Hornat thinking of the greater good when he recommended defunding Steam Pump Ranch?

Guest View-Diane Peters: Hornat and Waters Charge You For Every Mile

Generally, we reserve Friday for "Bits and Pieces" of stuff about Oro Valley. This week, it being election time, we're going to also post a guest view regarding the practice of Council Member’s Hornat and Waters charging the taxpayers for every mile they drive. This includes miles they drive from their home to the Town offices.
---
There is something for you to consider as you cast your vote in the Oro Valley Town Council election, Do you think that the council incumbents have been good stewards of your taxpayer money? One indicator of this would be their requests for mileage reimbursements.

As a point of reference, I’m providing the statistics for all the councilmembers even though only three of them are up for re-election.

To their credit, Councilmembers Garner, Burns, and Snider charged ZERO for 2012-2013. They do not charge the taxpayers to attend meetings or events. Councilmember Zinkin charged only for trips outside of town limits, most trips averaging 30-50 miles.

Contrast this with the mileage reimbursements submitted by Councilmembers Hornat and Waters during the same period. They submitted a total of $2,637.56 despite rarely leaving town limits. They even charged the taxpayers when there was a free meal involved.

Hornat charged for every 8-mile round-trip from his home to Town Hall. He charged to attend fun events including a “Baseball Fiesta,” the Halloween Safe Treats Program, and the Annual Holiday Parade. He charged to attend events that included free meals such as the OV/Marana Legislative Breakfast, the Marana State of the Town Luncheon and the Annual TREO luncheon.

Waters charged for 4-mile round-trips from his home to Town Hall. He charged to attend enjoyable events such as ribbon cuttings, grand openings, the El Tour de Tucson, the Project Graduation Car Show, the Steam Pump Ranch Fall Festival, and the Holiday Tree Lighting. He also charged for attending events where he was treated to a free meal including farewell and retirement parties, the State of the Town Luncheon, and an Appreciation BBQ.

Waters even charged mileage to attend a Veterans Memorial Program and to deliver groceries for the disadvantaged at the Annual Ed Jones Thanksgiving Bag-a-Thon where he was treated to a free breakfast.

Perhaps the reason that Councilmembers Hornat and Waters attend so many events or visit Town Hall so frequently is because they get money-to-go in the form of mileage reimbursements. Apparently, they see this as an easy way of getting a few more bucks from the taxpayers. While I have no issue with anyone charging mileage for travel of 30-50 miles or more, I think it’s presumptuous for council members to think that taxpayers should foot the bill for travel within town limits or for attending enjoyable events and parties.

I have no doubt that Don Bristow will not follow this standard. He believes the citizens are stakeholders, not cash cows.
---
Diane Peters has lived in Oro Valley since 2003, moving here to escape the humidity of the East Coast.  Combining her love of animals and writing, she wrote her first protest letter at the age of 12 to the Canadian Prime Minister in support of ending the annual baby harp seal hunt. Years later, she flew by helicopter to the ice floes off the coast of Newfoundland where she was able to pet baby harp seals recently born on the frozen tundra.  Her other interests include reading, nature photography, traveling to National Parks, Native American history, art galleries, museums, and following politics. In her past life, she worked in medical research at various University Hospitals in New England, including coordinating Oncology Clinical Trials and preparing manuscripts for publication in medical journals. Her husband is an Army veteran who served in Germany and South Korea. A former hippie, he attended the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Upstate New York.
---

Separate Fact from Spin At Tonight's Candidate Forum

Tonight, the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce and the local advertising circular  will host a candidate forum (See right panel for details).  It is the 3rd of 4 forums.  Both sponsoring organizations have been heavy supporters of the incumbents. The local advertising circular, for example, ran a recall Zinkin ad next to a posting by Zinkin explaining his position.  And the Chamber lives off the largess of the town.  So, really, we don't expect the challengers to be given much of a chance.

Still, we think that is it important to set the record straight regarding assertions made by candidates at last week's SunCity Oro Valley Forum since we may hear these again:

False Assertion: There Is No Division On Council Because Most Votes Have Been 7-0
Fact: One Measures Disharmony By Displayed Actions and Attitudes, Not By Votes. Besides,  Most Council Votes Are "No Brainers"

Whether or not there is divisiveness and a lack of civility on the part of the Majority-4 can not be measure by "vote counts."   Divisiveness is measured by actions. The actions of the Majority-4 for the past 2 years demonstrates an effort to divide and not harmonize the council.  They think that there are no consequences when they try to recall Council Member Zinkin, marginalize the ideas of Council Member Garner, and intimidate Council Member Burns with impunity.

The only ideas the Majority-4 accept are their own. They never consider ideas of the minority.  For example, the minority, seeking to understand options for future revenue sources, and there are many options beyond a property tax, sought to put the item up for discussion. They were voted down by the Majority-4.  Something is wrong when only some of the ideas are considered.

The Majority-4 wants to convince you to measure "divisiveness" by votes cast at council meetings.  They asserted this at the SunCity Forum.  According to them, 59% of the votes cast in council meetings from June 2012 to July 2014 were 7-0 votes.

There have been 15, 4-3 votes.  If the vote count has any validity as a measure of division, it is not only in the number of 4-3 votes.  It is in the quality of the no votes. The no votes concerned important matters like:

• Approval of a Master Sign Plan for El Dorado 
• Reappointment to CDRB (was this the Gil Alexander hearing?) 
• Reimbursement from the general fund for TEP underground lines 
• A Platt amendment for single family home 
• Changing the Chief of Police Reporting Structure 
• General Plan Amendment for Vistoso Highlands 
• Election of Vice Mayor Waters
• Oro Valley Personnel Policy 
• 2014/2015 Budget Adoption of Final Budget

The "3" no-votes are all of the minority.  

Division? You think? Repeat: All the no votes are always those of the minority.

We conclude that, by any, measure, qualitative or quantitative, there is great division on this council. As a result, the voices of those who support the minority are never heard.

False Assertion: Minority Council Members Voted Against Home Rule
Fact: All  7 Council Members Voted To Put Home Rule On The Ballot

Incumbent candidate Mayor Satish Hiremath dropped this one at last weeks SunCity Oro Valley Forum:

"Keep in mind, there are members of this council, who are not up for reelection who voted 'no' on home rule." 

You will vote on Home Rule in November. Its passage allows Oro Valley to spend considerably more that the amount that would be allotted by state limits. Oro Valley residents have approve home rule ballot measures every time the measure has been on the ballot.

Mayor Hiremath is wrong. All 7 council members voted to put "home rule" on the ballot

False Assertion: Candidate Bristow Is Against The Development of Parks
Fact: Candidate Bristow Is For The Planned, Not Haphazard, Development of Parks

At this same forum, Council Member Lou Waters alluded to a lack of support on the part of Candidate Don Bristow regarding parks.   "I find it most difficult to find that Mr. Bristow is on the "your Voice our Future" committee."  Waters made this assertion after Bristow had observed that Oro Valley moved ahead with building 2 ball fields at Naranja Park before completing a current town-sponsored study on what to put at the park.  Bristow stated that the plan should be developed before the project begins.

Bristow has never said he was against Parks. He is against haphazard, one-off, unplanned adventures.

False Assertion: Oro Valley "...Does Not Have A Lot of Challenges"
Fact: Oro Valley Has Many Challenges Facing It, Including Protecting Our Lifestyle

Council Member Joe Hornat measures Oro Valley's challenges in "dollars and cents."  He, like Mayor Hiremath, see no other challenges facing Oro Valley.

So, we present a list of some of the items put forth by the challengers and others:

• Oro Valley moves forward on building things without a plan, such as the ball fields at Naranja Park;
• Oro Valley moves forward with a flawed "remodeling" plan for the pool. Then, after being told that the initial drawings were not sufficient to produce a world-class pool, it raids the bed tax and contingency funds to fund twice what it planned to spend on the Oro Valley Aquatic Center;  
• Oro Valley fails to move forward on items that were agreed upon when there was a plan, such as Steam Pump Ranch;
• Oro Valley still does not have a Community Center, despite paying "lip service" to the need for one for 4 years;
• "Civility, Integrity and Teamwork" has been replaced with "arrogance and dismissiveness" on the part of the Majority-4. Our community is divided. Bringing Oro Valley together is a big challenge.
• Oro Valley must consistently work to do things things smarter: "Less money does not mean less services," according to Mayoral Candidate Pat Straney. 

And what of our "quality of life?"  Shouldn't that be in the mind of every Oro Valley elected official?

Today, Oracle Road is becoming like Ina Road in Marana: Traffic lights, heavy vehicular traffic, shopping centers and schlock signs.  800 new apartments will increase population density along Oracle Road, disproportionately burdening the need for town services.  Dark Skies ordinances need to be created to eliminate huge illumination signs like the 2 LA Fitness signs,.  How about our views and hillsides?  These certainly must be protected against the onslaught of requested general plan and zoning amendments.

We could go on and on, but we think you get the gist.
---
Read the Arizona Daily Star's Fact Check of the Rancho Vistoso Forum.
---

Bits and Pieces

What Me Worry? Lou's Confused

Council Member Lou Waters must have been confused at last week's Northwest Conservatives Forum.  He said that he moved to Tucson to be news director at Channels 4 and 13. Actually, before that, he worked for friend Phil Richardson at KTKT Radio.

Do You Agree With The Oro Valley "Approved" Vision

In May, the Oro Valley Town Council approved a vision statement the will be in the general plan. It is:

"To be a well-managed community that provides all residents with opportunities for quality living. Oro Valley will retain its friendly, small-town character, while increasing access to daily services, employment and recreation. The Town’s lifestyle continues to be defined by a strong sense of community, a high regard for public safety and an extraordinary natural environment and scenic views."

Let the town know what you think by taking the survey.
---
Firefighters Weigh-In On The Election

As we surmised on June 30 in our posting: 2014 Election: Majority-4's Oro Valley's Special Interests , the International Association of Firefighters, known to many of us for their work in supporting "Jerry's Kids," are back supporting Dr. Hiremath for Mayor.

Once again, we ask: What skin do they have in this game?

The answer is: NONE.

Firefighters have their own fire district. They are not going to be impacted by the Oro Valley election.
----
Watch Oro Valley's History

There are 3 excellent videos that discuss Oro Valley's history. One was produced by Oro Valley resident Bill Adler. It is entitled: "Determining Our Destiny: Oro Valley's Heritage."  It was produced this year.

The other is a 2-part video entitled: Oro Valley-An Oral History. It was produced in 2007. Both of these videos are the recollections of 2 individuals.  One video is a video of Henry Zipf.  Henry lives in Amado.  Henry is the grandson of George Pusch, who founded Steam Pump Ranch. The other significant individual is Jim Kreigh, a town engineer who was one of the of the founders of Oro Valley.
---
State Funds Some SRO Programs

The State of Arizona has provided grants to the Marana, TUSD, Amphitheatre School Districts for School Resource Officers ("SRO").  The grant provides for a "whopping" one SRO for the entire district.

"Each district handles safety at its schools differently. For example, some of the schools in Amphitheater Public Schools fall within the Town of Oro Valley boundaries. Oro Valley Police say they provide school resource officers at all the schools within town limits through a grant or its budget." (Source)

Northwest Conservatives Forum Incumbents Misstate The Facts On Oro Valley's Employee Wage Increases They Granted

Last week the Northwest Conservatives hosted a candidate forum at the Oro Valley library.  LOVE's John Musolf video recorded the event.  We posted in on YouTube for you to view.  You can access it at the top right panel of this blog.  This posting is first of several that we will post regarding the forum.
---
Incumbents Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat, Snider and Waters either misstated the facts of simply obliquely responded when asked the following question at last week's Northwest Conservatives candidate forum.

"Lacking any evidence that the Town has difficulty retaining employees, the recently adopted salary increases were based on a study that compared Oro Valley to cities and counties with much larger populations. The increases are ongoing and also trigger increased retirement obligations for the Town. Given that residents’ incomes are flat or declining, and County property taxes are increasing significantly, please explain your views on fiscal responsibility relative to salaries.” 

Fact Check: When All Is Considered, The Average Wage Increase Is 6.5%, Mr. Mayor, not 2%

Mayor Hiremath stated:  "The reality is, the average raise the employees got was 2%."

Mayor Hiremath is wrong.

The fact is that the minimum one time salary adjustment was 2.7% for Oro Valley's top 24 employees. Some one-time adjustments are as high as 6%.  On top of this, each employee will receive an merit increase on their employment anniversary date of from 3.5 - 4.0% on their new base wage.  Taken together, the one-time adjustment plus the merit increases will average about 6.5%,  Some employees will see a double digit increase over their 2013-2014 compensatoin

Fact Check: There Is No Town Of Oro Valley Employee Retention Problem

No one discussed the retention rate of Oro Valley employees.    Our guess is the incumbents either never checked on what the retention rate is or that the retention rate is high, therefore not supporting their position.  We have seen no mass exodus of Oro Valley employees despite not receiving salary increase for 3 years. This is because there are few comparable job opportunities. 

Incumbent Lou Waters provided two examples of the town is losing employees. In neither case, compensation was not the reason.

Waters pointed to former town planner David Williams. Williams, be believe, left to go into private practice for, what we understand, were personal reasons over which the town would have no control; and the town's Human Resource Director, Ron Corbin, left to return to Yuma to be with his wife.  His position, based on this study, received a 8.3% earnings increase based on the study.

Fact Check: 8 of 11 Municipalities To Which Oro Valley Was Compared In The Salary Study Are In The Phoenix Area

Council Member Joe Hornat disputed that the study included towns bigger the Oro Valley. He observed that Sahuarita and Marana were included in the study. He is correct. However, these are only 2 of the 11 communities considered.   The fact is, as noted in our posting last week, 8 of the 11 cities in the study were in Maricopa County. All of these have substantially larger populations than Oro Valley.

Fact Check: Current Compensation Is Just One Possible Factor That Attracts Or Retains Quality Personal

Council Member Snider stated the following in response to the question:

"Any organization that thinks they can satisfy the needs of their constituents on mediocrity [of employees] is set up for failure."  

We think that Snider equates high pay to retaining quality employees.  Pay is merely one possible reason people want to work for the Town Of Oro Valley.

Some like public service. Some serve because a public sector job presents a more suitable life style than the pressure-filled competitive nature of the private sector. Others like working in the public sector because public sector jobs are more secure than private sector jobs. Some like it because the benefits they receive, like the ones offered in Oro Valley are far richer than those offered in other communities or the private sector.  Even others like it because of the rich defined benefits retirement program, a program that is no longer offered in the private sector. Regardless of the reason compensation is only one reason that motivates people to work for the Town of Oro Valley.

Fact Check: Challengers Agreed That Some Increase Was Warranted, However...

Mayoral Candidate Patrick Straney and Council Candidate Don Bristow observed that raises were in order for town staff.  Employees had, after all, not received increases in 3 years.

Bristow pointed out that it is the basis for determining the size of the raises that is of concern: "The problem is that the study [upon which the decision was made to significantly increase staff salaries] is flawed."

Pat Straney cautioned that Oro Valley should be thinking "long term" when it comes to granting salary increases.  Given the transient nature of most of Oro Valley's revenues: "We need to know the impact and where the money [in the future] is coming from" to pay for increases.
---
Please watch the video. Then, tell us: What is your analysis of the responses?

Oro Valley Town Council Majority-4 Approve Massive Increase In Oro Valley Spending Cap

Oro Valley's Majority-4 town council members voted to approve the largest budget cap in Oro Valley history. It is $107.1 million.  It is 14% greater than last year's budget.   The "yes" voice votes of Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat, Snider and Waters were registered at last week's council meeting.  Council Members Burns, Garner and Zinkin voted against this cap.

We have previously written regarding this budget.

Caton Chart Understates Proposed Wage Costs By $2.9 Million

There was little new information presented at the council meeting.  A chart presented by Town Manager Caton did not include the substantial increases in earnings per person for Oro Valley employees.  The chart (right) understates the 2014-15 personnel cost by $2.9 million.

According to this chart, as revised for the understated budget dollar amount,  direct pay per employee was $67,352 in 2008-09.  It is $80,117 in the 2014-15 budget.  That is an increase of almost 20% in an economy where wages have been stagnant, even decreasing during those years.

During the "public hearing" portion of the meeting,  Oro Valley resident John Musolf voiced his concern that this budget is outrageous.  He entered into public record some of what he had wrote in John's Place, last Wednesday.

Oro Valley resident Bill Adler has frequently advocated for an additional revenue source for the town.  During the hearing he said he was pleased with the relative health of the town. "It is clear from the graphs that the future is tenuous.  We're not going to achieve any significant surpluses. It is clear from the projections. So, I don't know where the money is going to come from to continue improving the town."

Generally at council meeting, Council Member Waters makes the motions to approve something and Council Member Snider second the motion. For this discussion, the roles were reversed.  Was this because Council Member Waters appeared overwhelmed during the night's proceedings.  "Must be a product of my getting up at 5 am" he joked at one point.  At 9:06 pm, Waters quickly arose to second a Council Member Snider motion to approve the cap.

After making this motion, Council Member Snider celebrated the budget:  "I think this budget shows innovation... I want to thank the staff... I think that this is a great budget. We are the envy of the State. We have a balanced budget with a slight surplus. It is nimble enough to allow us to adapt to changing conditions."

Two other views of this budget cap were presented.

Mayor Hiremath feels that this budget presents strategic spending at a time when the country remains in a recession.  The Mayor does not believe that the money should be returned to the public as a "dividend", such as reducing or eliminating the utility tax.  Rather, Oro Valley should spend this money on more services.

Council Member Zinkin, on the other hand, considers the budget to be overspending, ramifications of which will last well into the future.  Watch their remarks.

Tell us what you think.  Do you think the budget represents wise strategic investments or do you think it represents overspending?
---

Et Tu Brute! Add Council Member Waters As A Member Of The Recall Cabal

In January, we sent an email to our mailing list informing list members of the political nature of the Zinkin recall effort. In that email, we identified Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat and Snider as leading the recall effort.  We observed that this information was "important to them" so that they could make an informed decision regarding signing the recall petition.

The email found its way to 5 key members of the recall cabal.  One of these members, an individual whom we had not previously included as a member of the recall effort, is Council Member Lou Waters.

We did not include Waters as a member of the recall group because, during an interview with Council Member Zinkin, we were told that Council Member Waters had specifically told Zinkin that he was not involved in the recall effort.

So much for "feigning innocence." Et tu Brute!

Click To Enlarge

On Saturday January 4 at 10:53 am Council Member Waters penned an email to Mayor Hiremath, Council Members Snider and Hornat, and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Don Cox.   Waters refers to the LOVE email and then offers advice on how to "position" the recall cabal's response:

"Notice the lead ''of personal importance to you,' Waters writes. "It's what I suggest in all of our counter moves - making it matter "to you".  I have no illusion the LOVE blog will do that. It will be all politics as the rest of the email illustrates. But we must get on ground level and actually NOT make it about politics, however and whenever we can. The most aware folks in the community know what's going on. They're not stupid. We need to motivate them."

It is disappointing to learn that Council Member Waters had participated in this regretful recall attempt.  He is the most quiet of all council members. To have told Zinkin one thing and then acted in an opposite manner is reprehensible on his part.

We discovered this email among thousands of others based on an information request we made in January.  We write about it now, after the recall submission date and passed, to complete the record.  It is part of Oro Valley's history; though a sad chapter it is.
---

End of Zinkin Recall: Now It's Time To "Let Oro Valley Excel"

Last night, we reported that the effort to recall Council Member Zinkin failed to gather sufficient signatures to force a recall election. There is more to the story, of course: A story in which Mayor Hiremath and two sitting council members, plus the spouse of a third council member, lead an effort that, despite their 9th inning heroics, failed.

Hornat With Recall Petition

Yesterday morning, Council Member Joe Hornat was at Fry's soliciting recall signatures.  When asked by a passerby what the recall would cost the citizens of Oro Valley Hornat replied: "I don't know but whatever it costs its worth it."  What a flip, disrespectful answer to an Oro Valley citizen.

Where was Hornat supposed to be a at 9AM?  At a meeting at Securaplane with one of their largest customers.  Hornat was supposed to be there to represent the town.  Rather than that, Hornat chose to stand at Fry's trying get signatures.

Frys, by the way, has a policy that prohibits such activities on its store properties.  At some point. late in the day, they told the recall people to leave.

This is a victory for the citizens of Oro Valley. The citizens will see their duly elected representative fulfill the term to which they elected him. It is a victory for Mike's spouse and his family, who have endured months of witnessing Zinkin vilified.

It is a victory for the citizens of Oro Valley that was earned against the odds:

• Mayor Hiremath put the weight of his position in front of this effort in a late December hit piece on Zinkin that he had published in the local advertising circular;
• Shortly thereafter, Hiremath appeared in front of town hall in a TV4 press interview, extolling the need for the recall. It was a press interview that was, at best, biased against Zinkin.
• Hiremath's political machine, led by the spouse of his campaign treasurer, was behind the group that sponsored the recall.
• Council Member Hornat extolled his support of the recall on a number of occasions.  
• Council Member Snider stated that she supported the recall. She went even further stating that she was personally offended by a word Zinkin used.  We observed that she should not be on council if she is that offended by so little that happened so long ago.
• Then, there's the strage last minute filing of a complaint on Zinkin by Town Economic Development Director Amanda Jacobs.  Jacobs dredged up a complaint regarding a now 20-month old incident; an incident in which we observed that if anyone was abused, it was Zinkin.
• The group took out large advertisements supporting the recall in the local advertising circular. One ad was given special placement by the circular. It appeared next to Zinkin's "rebuttal" of Hiremath's hit piece.  As of January 31, the group had not yet paid for these ads.  Generally, in the advertising business, you pay for an ad in advance!
• The group used a web site that had been created in reaction to the results of the 2012 election, when Council Member's Garner, Burns and Zinkin were elected in the primary.  This site rants about Zinkin.  We have been told that their rhetoric is relentless.
• The group had a number to call that had a recorded message comparing Zinkin's alleged "sins" to those of the "crack-smoking Mayor of Toronto."  
• The recall group gained the complicity of the leaseholders of the Saturday Farmers Market to provide them space for getting signatures; and this leaseholder called the police to have Oro Valley resident John Musolf removed for trespassing because John was carrying a "We Need Zinkin" sign.
• Even though we argued that the recall group was not a civic group as allowed in the Farmer's Market lease clause 21 (c), Town Attorney Sidles wrote to us that such a group was a "quintessential" example of a civic group.  There is no reference in any literature that a recall group going after one individual is a civic group, Tobin. The Girl Scouts are a civic group!
• Council Member Waters spouse paid particular attention to us at a friendly gathering to break ground at Naranja Park.  She referred to the fact that we took pictures of the recall tables and of those who participated in the recall effort.  Yes we did. Those responsible for this effort should not be anonymous.  They should be held accountable.
• The Oro Valley Police Officers Association wrote a complaint of great length to Oro Valley's human resources director because Zinkin dared to even question police overtime.
• Retired police officers solicited signatures at friendly poker games!
• And let's not forget the "Dirty Trickster," always lurking in the shadows.

We reported on all of this . We reported the facts to you. 

All that weight against one person. All that weight against a retired guy who gets maybe $10,000 a year to do a thankless job; a job that he does to the best of his ability.  All that weight against Mike's wife Ramona and the Zinkin family.  

All that weight focused on one individual.  And you made them fail.  You, the registered voter of Oro Valley, doomed them to fail by not signing the petition.

Yesterday was, indeed, a great day for Oro Valley.

Now, its time to bring Oro Valley together, Mr. Mayor:  "Let Oro Valley Excel!"
----