Bits and Pieces

Children’s Museum reports growth, outreach, and unique new exhibits 

At the April 2, 2025 Town Council meeting, Hillary Van Alsburg, Executive director of the Children’s Museum, delivered an update highlighting the museum’s continued growth and community outreach. She reported that over 31,000 people visited the museum at Tohono Chul in the past year, and nearly 3,000 attended the “Chillin at the Chul” program. Additional outreach brought activities to five Oro Valley parks, reaching nearly 200 children, and special events like “Hallow Halloween” and the Oro Valley 50th Anniversary Parade drew 1,800 participants. New educational features were introduced, including “Ready-Set-Explore” backpacks for garden exploration and monthly clay art sessions with professional artists. She also previewed upcoming additions such as an agriculture-themed play area, the La Comunidad pretend market space, and a new prickly pear exhibit—reportedly the only one of its kind in the world. Learn more about the Children’s Museum.

“Serving with Compassion—Not at the Expense of Neighbors”

Resident Vicki Tarris sent us thoughts regarding the OVCN proposed sanctuary height meeting. About fourteen church member spoke at the meeting.  

"I listened to the Town Council meeting on April 2, 2025. A lot of people from OVCN came to give testimonials on what OVCN means in their life.  I am really happy that so many people have found OVCN to meet their spiritual needs.

 

However, they implied that OVCN was the only church in town that offers children’s programs and helps the needy.

 

I am happy to say that I get a great deal of spiritual comfort from my own church.  We also have a very active children's program. We also feed the homeless. We also help the poor. We also have numerous ways that people can become involved.

 

However, the one way that my church differs from OVCN is that my church does not deliberately harm their neighbors!"

Solomon urged unity—if you agree with OVCN

Former town council member Steve Solomon spoke passionately in support of OVCN during the April 2 meeting. He described the church as “amazing” and shared how it had positively transformed his life. He expressed admiration for the church’s outreach and missions—specifically mentioning a woman he met at work who was going to Guatemala to teach women how to sew. Solomon emphasized the importance of kindness and community, saying, “We just need to love each other and be kind and get along.” 

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Guest View-Jack Stinnett: “Mo” Greene’s Shocking Ties to Developer Donations

Accused Price Fixer, HSL Properties, bas been a fixture in financing Oro Valley candidates since 2014
Since 2014, their practice has been to invest in the campaigns of development-friendly candidates. Their goal is to displace non-aligned, self-funded candidates on the council, none of whom were development-inclined. 

This approach reached a zenith in 2016 when HSL-funded council members Steve Solomon and Bill Rodman were elected to the council by outspending and defeating incumbents Mike Zinkin and Bill Garner.

The HSL strategy of financing candidate campaigns paid off for them
Since buying the El Conquistador resort in 2015, HSL Properties has developed apartments along Oracle Road. In addition, it has 500 apartments approved for their Oro Valley Marketplace development and is Oro Valley’s largest rental landlord. HSL is currently charged with price fixing rents.

Residents said "No" to developer campaign financing in 2018
Oro Valley residents voted out HSL-supported candidates in the 2018 council election and in 2022 rejected the HSL candidates once again. This occurred despite more than $81,000 of HSL-directed donations to mayoral candidate Sharp and council candidates Rodman, Hurt, and Erceg.

These donations included $32,000 from four HSL family trusts, which constitute campaign finance violations. That matter is currently being investigated by the Pima County Attorney.

Solomon and Greene, HSL-financed current council members, championed high-rise apartments for the Oro Valley Marketplace in 2022
Re-elected in 2020, council member Steve Solomon was the HSL spokesman for their proposed five and six-story apartments at the Oro Valley Marketplace. Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene, newly elected in 2020, provided the necessary second for Solomon’s pro-HSL Oro Valley Marketplace motions and voted with Solomon to approve the Town West / HSL plan for these apartments. Fortunately, the Winfield majority voted down the Solomon-Greene motion and approved two and three-story apartments at the Marketplace. These apartments will be adjacent to the Tangerine Road and Oracle Road scenic corridors.

Now, HSL funds Greene’s re-election campaign
In the first quarter of this year, HSL’s owner and employees contributed $13,050 to “Mo’s” re-election campaign [panel above right]. None of the contributors are residents of Oro Valley. The second quarter campaign finance report may show more.  Even, then, there will be a campaign finance report filed after the election. That may contain more.  For example, Greene reported an added $4,500 recived  from HSL officers and employees after the 2020 election. 

With council member Solomon’s recent announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2024, it looks as if Dr. Greene, if re-elected, will likely be the HSL spokesman on the Oro Valley Town Council. So look for HSL funded campaign ads and thousands of mailers supporting “Mo” and attacking his opponents to help re-elect their main man.
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Editor Note: No other candidate has accepted donations form the development community.

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Bits and Pieces

Barrett: Should the town rename the Community Center Fund?

At last week's council meeting, Vice Mayor Barrett reacted to a comment made by Council Member Solomon. Solomon has repeatedly complains that half of the half percent Hiremath Community Center sales tax no longer goes to support golf only.  

"I usually listen to this argument and let it pass, but I don't feel like I can tonight," Barrett noted. "The community center fund sales tax was passed unilaterally by council on a four-to-three vote. This council, on a six-to-zero vote, expanded the use of that sales tax with the exact same authority that passed it to begin with; through the same mechanisms, and ordinances. So continually saying that the community center fund sales tax is just for the community center and the golf courses is just not the case.” That expanded use of these sales tax monies also now goes to funding Naranja Park and other park-related amenities. "It probably shouldn't even be called the community center fund anymore, because now that can be allocated to parks and recreation."

Tiny Bits

• Naranja will likely have its grand reopening in May (Source: Town Manager Wilkins)
• Ashley Furniture is now "Lounge By Levitz"
• Council voted to reduce town's Historical Preservation Commission" from seven to five members. Lack of resident interest in being on the Commission was the primary reason 

Big 50th Anniversary Celebration Saturday

The Town of Oro Valley invites residents and visitors alike to join us for the 50th Anniversary Community Celebration at James D. Kriegh Park this Saturday, April 13, 2024, beginning at noon and concluding with a fireworks finale at 9:30 p.m. JDK Park is located at 23 W. Calle Concordia. (Source: Town of Oro Valley Press Release)

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Council Election Campaigns Begin (Updated January 5, 2024)

Update as of January 6

There  six people have picked up candidate packets for the election from the town clerk. They are: Harry "Mo" Greene, Mary Murphy, Tim Bohen, Elizabeth Robb, Sarah Lee-Davisson and Mike Zinkin. Zinkin has informed us that he will not seek a council seat. Greene, Murphy and Bohen are running. We have no confirmation on the status of Davisson and Robb.

Council Candidates are collecting signatures to get on the ballot
2024 Oro Valley Town Council election is underway. There are three council seats for election. These seats are held by current council members Bohen, Greene,and Solomon. Greene and Bohen have announced for reelections. There is a third candidate, Mary Murphy, a former member of the town's Board of Adjustment. 

LOVE plans to cover the election from start to finish

...as we did the when these seats were up for election in 2020. We herby offer each candidate the opportunity to used LOVE's Guest View program to introduce themselves and communicate directly with you. We will also provide links to their web sites (right column) as they become available to us.

468 Signatures required to get on the ballot
Candidates must submit at least 468 valid elector signatures in order to be on the ballot. The signatures ("nomination papers") must be submitted by April 8.  Unlike previous elections, we expect that all candidates will use online as well as in-person signature gathering. 

You can sign an online petition for a candidate, starting the process here. Online requires a valid drivers license or your entering in personal data. Once you have done this, you will be presented with a list of all candidates in the state who are seeking to get on the ballot for other elections. Scroll until you find the Oro Valley election.  You are allowed to sign the petition of up to three Oro Valley candidates. And we encourage you to do so.

Positive campaigns by all candidates...
The 2020 election for these council seats was  marred by dirty tricks. The tricksters were current council members Solomon and Greene. They hired a political consulting firm. They mailed glossy "hit pieces" on candidate Bill Garner. Greene solicited the help of former police chief and former mayor candidate Danny Sharp. Sharp in a glossy mailer was in police uniform when he asserted that Garner was anti-cop. The town issued a letter to Greene to remove that picture. (link to 7-14-20), 

Wait. There's more. Solomon also went so far as to slap stickers on his campaign sign, saying that he was going to "Preserve Vistoso". This implied that that Solomon was endorsed by the group, "Preserve Vistoso". He was not. In fact, Solomon was anything but supportive.  He was one of the people who wanted to parse the entire golf course for development.

Would be "a breath of fresh air"
New candidate Mary Murphy has pledged that she is going to run a positive campaign: "I look forward to running a very positive campaign focused on ways in which I can best serve our wonderful Oro Valley community!" We know that candidate Tim Bohen will do the same. We don't have any confidence that Greene will do the same, the third announced candidate.  We suspect that he will focus his election efforts on going after Bohen, if Solomon is also on the ballot with him. We hope that that will be a failed strategy because we don't think people should be elected because they've slammed the other candidate.

Campaign Financing: "You are judged by the company you keep"
Special interest contributions have dominated campaign funding of pro-growth candidates since 2010. In 2020 we wrote Big money buys access, referring to the substantial special interest funding of the last Solomon and Greene campaign. Since then, both have voted in favor of every proposed rezoning, most of which have been rejected by the council majority.  This, as opposed to Tim Bohen's 2020 campaign which was much more modest in funding and all contributions came from residents. Will the same happen in 2024? In Bohen's case, we know it will.  We suspect Solomon,, if he runs, and Greene will do as they did then.  We have no idea of Mary Murphy's campaign financing plan. In any event, we will be watching when the first meaningful campaign finance reports come out in June.

More to follow as we learn more
Our plan is to keep you informed of any developments as they happen during this 2024 council election season. So stay tuned for more.

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Guest View-Jack Stinnett: Who’s Behind the Keep OV Strong PAC?

It's election season in Oro Valley. We’ve seen numerous political attacks on Next Door by Keep Oro Valley Strong (KOVS), unsolicited emails, postcards and even a tacky four page tabloid decrying the ethics and honesty of our current Mayor and Council.

So I ask the question – who’s behind this? Political Action Committees must report expenses and donations.  I checked the Town clerks' website.

Here are the "founding father” donors to the KOVA as reported in their 4th Quarter 2020 initial campaign finance report (pages 5 and 6):

1. Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene - Current councilmember 
2. Don Cox – Chairman 2018 KOVS; a Sharp advocate on Next Door and in Explorer letters to the Editor 
3. James Prunty - Former OVPD volunteer training coordinator; author of Next Door attacks on our "inferior" council members 
4. Terry Wolf - 2022 President Carmel Pointe HOA Board of Directors ( in Canada Hills) 
5. Phillip Wheeler – 2022 KOVS treasurer and 2022 Treasurer Carmel Pointe HOA Board of Directors ( in Canada Hills )
6. Joe Hornat - Former Town Councilmember; Voted off Council in 2018 
7. Bill Rodman - Former Town Councilmember; Voted off Council in 2020 and Current council candidate 
8. Thomas Plantz – Current Chairman of KOVS and Chairman of failed 2019 recall of Mayor Winfield and Vice Mayor Barrett 
9. Dick Johnson - Former Town Councilmember 
10. Mike Schoeppach - Former Men’s Golf Association President 

Since the initial filing, additional donations were reported in the KOVS 1st Quarter 2021 report. Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene kicked in another $100 and current Councilmember Steve Solomon contributed $250.

The majority of Keep OV Strong contributors are located in Carmel Pointe and other Canada Hills neighborhoods.

So what is the common denominator? This is only my opinion, but:

First and foremost, KOVS consists of current and replaced “pro-growth” politicians and Hiremath supporters. They were unhappy that the Hiremath council was ousted in 2018 and that they no longer run the town. They oppose Winfield’s responsible growth vision and support 75’ high and 800’ long apartments at the Oro Valley Marketplace.

The second issue is that many former country club members resent sharing their golf courses and tennis courts with the rest of us. Remember, they had exclusive access to a 18 hole course every week before the Winfield Council hired Indigo Golf and changed the town courses from a country club to a public course model.

The final straw was when the Winfield Council voted to expand "their" half percent sales tax revenue from dedicated to golf and the Community Center to support all town parks. This enabled the town to use golf savings to fund the expansion of Naranja Park, fix the golf irrigation on both courses and rebuild the tennis courts.

I fully support town residents being involved and politically active. But this group’s slime ball attacks belong in Chicago, not Oro Valley. When you are barraged with biased opinions and false information, it helps to know the source.

Vistoso Residents opine on the abandoned Vistoso Golf Course. Part 2. A Tohono O’Odham burial site and memorial.

 

Yesterday, LOVE published a speech giving by a resident during the March 17th Call to Audience regarding the abandoned Vistoso Golf Course. Today we are publishing a speech given by another resident that same evening with another take on the issue.
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"My husband and I live in the Centre Pointe neighborhood. We back up to one of the beautiful, natural desert washes surrounding the golf course. We love the view and all the critters and we don’t want to see it developed.

In the work I do, I am in contact with the large elderly population of Oro Valley. As I was chatting with one of my clients about the recent golf course situation, they mentioned that they used to be on one of the boards of the Oro Valley government at the time the golf course was being built. I’m not revealing this person’s name here but I’m willing to disclose it to the mayor and council in private.

We talked about the artifacts that were found and sent to museums. I had read about that in old news articles. The next thing surprised me. This person said there was a burial site. It’s still there. It was moved from the original location to west of the clubhouse. The information about it will be in Oro Valley government records from that time.

This is what I think will be a wonderful negotiating tool. What developer will want to buy property that could potentially be an indigenous burial ground. All of a sudden, Romspen can’t claim that the property is so overly valuable. I would think that Mr. Solomon, particularly, would have a wealth of knowledge about this (Solomon nods his head yes) since he worked with indigenous people during development of his Rancho Moore property.

We need to find this exact location from the old records. If that is not possible, call the Tohono O’Odham tribe. (Solomon shakes his head no). We also need to check to see if anything was promised to the tribe when they signed off on the burial site. For example, is Oro Valley supposed to inform them if the golf course is ever sold or developed? I imagine they would prefer open space as opposed to development.

Thank you for listening to my idea. I can envision a memorial to the tribe when this open space has been secured. I see a life-sized image of an indigenous man, woman, girl, and boy. They will be remembered by everyone who walks on the path."

Janice Friel

Oro Valley Resident

Vistoso Residents opine on the abandoned Vistoso Golf Course. Part 1. Talk of development on the 6th and 14th holes.

 

During the Call to Audience portion of the March 17th Town Council meeting, several Rancho Vistoso residents spoke about the Romspen/Vistoso Golf Course debacle. LOVE is presenting two of those speeches. The first one is below. We will publish the second one tomorrow.
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My comments are related to the former Vistoso Golf Course. My husband and I have lived on the 6th hole for almost 20 years. We, the community, are trying to respect the April 1st resolution deadline, but we continue to be frustrated with the lack of meaningful transparent updates regarding the status.

Since the golf course was abandoned, the 6th hole and fairway has been a target for partial development. We have heard rumors that there is a sitting member of council that continues to support and advocate for partial development of this area, the 6th hole and fairway, along with the 14th hole.

The Rancho Vistoso community has shown their commitment to the Town of Oro Valley and continued to attend these bi-weekly meetings in an attempt to resolve the Romspen abandonment of the golf course property. It has been 3 years in total. The Town is the only entity with the leverage and power needed to resolve this issue.

We have 3 questions:

1. What is the status of the fair market value appraisal of this property?

2. Is the Town of Oro Valley committed to move to condemnation timely if Romspen fails to negotiate a final resolution based upon fair market value?

3. Is the Town of Oro valley committed to engage the Conservation Fund in order to obtain a conservation easement and to raise the necessary financial support for this property?

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Theresa Moreau

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Editor's comment: Who is the sitting council member who is advocating for partial development on the abandoned Vistoso Golf Course? Could it be council member and developer, Steve Solomon? That would be interesting because while running for re-election last year, Solomon posted campaign signs in Rancho Vistoso containing the words, “Preserve Vistoso.”

Solomon's Attempt To Censure Bohen Is Patently Ridiculous

An innocuous comment... and an enormous overreaction 

“My concern is that the staff is seemingly able to work miracles when they would like to, but also will tell us over extended periods of time that the budget is all consuming. It just doesn’t necessarily ring completely honest to me.” 

These words were spoken by Council Member Tim Bohen at the March 3 council meeting. These words caused Council Member Mo Greene to wince; Mayor Joe Winfield to ask for an apology; and Council Member Steve Solomon to ask for censure to be added to this Wednesday night's town council agenda.  You can and should listen to the entire discussion of this which took 2:41 seconds.

On the surface, Bohen’s remarks may seem accusatory to some. But, when you dig below the surface, as we have, you find a far different story. Indeed, you find justification for why Bohen said what he did.

The rest of the story... Where was the fire?
Bohen was questioning why town staff created a timeline for reopening the Pusch Ridge Golf Course within a week of council requesting it; when the same staff had insisted at the Feburary 17 council meeting that they wouldn’t be able to do to it for a month. Council heard their plea and agreed that the timeline was not needed until this Wednesday's meeting.

Indeed, staff so rushed the timeline that they told council that it was incomplete and not fully accurate. 

What was staff motive for rushing the timetable to council when council had agreed to not hear it until this Wednesday's meeting. Why didn't staff wait the extra two weeks to get the timeline right? Where was the fire?

We too are curious about this because town staff explained an hour before Bohen's remark that they are far too busy until late summer to prepare and issue a Request For Proposal to lease the facility, something that Council Member Barrett had proffered as a resolution that night. The resolution was rejected 4-3.

Likely adding to Bohen's curiosity is the fact that staff is issuing a request for proposal to lease the town's tennis facilities.

It does seem reasonable to us to wonder why staff would rush to do one thing when they feel like it, the timeline in this instance, but not the other, the Pusch View Golf Lease Request for Proposal.

Much to do about nothing
As you listen to the three minute discussion, you find Mayor Winfield reading council Code of Conduct Policy 2. This code together with Town Council Parliamentary Rules and Procedures 13.4 (Political System) and 13.6 (Respect) are the potential basis for the censure.  We've included two panels that present these codes.  

These are behavioral codes. They are subject to judgment. There are two questions one should ask.  First: When does questioning motive, as Bohen did, become a "behavioral code violation"?  Second: If you think it is a violation, was that violation so severe as to justify censure? 

Bohen did not think so at the meeting of March 3. When asked to apologize by Mayor Winfield, Bohen said: "Mr. Mayor. I am not going to apologize. As I recall last week, staff volunteered to do this in two weeks. There was no request from the council that this needed to be done by this time.”  In other words, putting together the timeline quickly was something they chose to do because they wanted to. However, it is apparent that they were not nearly as enthusiastic to create an RFP for leasing the Pusch Ridge Golf Course.

Solomon accusing anyone of incivility is patently ridiculous

Council Member Solomon has always been the most egregious and unlikeable individual on council. We have reported his many insulting and disparaging remarks over the years. A video we included in an article from January of last year is an example.  Watch him "blow up" at Council Member Jones-Ivey.

Solomon asking that a censure discussion take place on anyone is patently ridiculous. If there is anyone who should be sanctioned by the town council it is him.

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Publisher's Note: The Mayor's authorities are detailed in town codes. The Mayor does not have the legal authority to request that a fellow council member apologize. It's in the Mayor's job description.

Pusch Ridge Golf Course To Reopen In November

November target date for golf course reopening

”We’re going to pursue restoring, reopening the [Pusch Ridge} course and the the town manager is going to provide framework about how to do that.” Council Member Steve Solomon summarized last night’s council decision regarding the Pusch Ridge Course.

The course will operate for approximate six months but will be maintained for an entire year. It is Solomon's hope that the town will commit to operate the course for the next three years and then make a determination of what to do at that time.

The town manager will come back to council with a plan in two weeks for the reopening of the facility.

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Guest View: Greene and Solomon overlooked citizen input prior to recent Town Council vote

 

Councilmembers Greene and Solomon made some questionable comments during the January 6th council discussions regarding the Kai property General Plan Amendment (GPA) at First and Tangerine.

Councilmember Solomon’s Comments
“In all the years I’ve been in Oro Valley and involved in land use issues, that’s well over 25 years, I’ve never seen a project that was so unanimously supported by all parties through the entire process.”

For the record, that “process” would include neighborhood meetings, Planning and Zoning public hearings, Town Council public hearings, and all the emails submitted by residents stating whether they were in favor of or opposed to this GPA.

Councilmember Solomon insisted that the citizens were in favor of the amendment, when, in fact, the opposite was true. (You can read many of the citizens’ comments HERE). Those in favor were the adjacent business owners and Chamber of Commerce President, Dave Perry.

Councilmember Greene’s Comments

“I haven’t been over the land use, but what I have done is listen to the careful presentations by people who are much smarter in land use and the needs of Oro Valley than I am. I think [leaving] the land vacant and hoping that some commercial person is going to suddenly come there is really neglecting what is going on with Amazon and online shopping. Even the merchants that live there and have businesses there have supported this idea. So I like to listen to the people who live there, who live around there, and let them give their voices to what we should do.”

Mr. Greene, listening to the business owners and the merchants who live in the area is not enough. As a responsible elected official, you also need to get off the golf course, read, study, learn, ask questions, verify, visit the site in question, and listen to the citizens whose lives will be impacted by YOUR decisions. Adjacent businesses owners are not necessarily Oro Valley citizens.

Greene’s statement reveals that he has no idea what his job is as a councilmember. He is an elected official and should be expected to understand land use issues. The presentations by the applicant and the Town staff are biased, and it is up to the councilmembers to separate the wheat from the chaff, know the appropriate codes, and know the relevant parts of the General Plan.

If a resident approaches you when you are out and about and asks you to explain your vote, responding that you approved it because the staff was in favor of it, or business owners were in favor of it, is not acceptable. You need to be able to explain your vote in terms of your research and how you came to your conclusion. Staff just provides a source of input, but their input should carry no more weight than a citizen.

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Mike Zinkin and Diane Peters both contributed to this Guest View.

The 2020 Election: A Tale Of Two Towns

The Oro Valley 2020 council election is official. Tim Bohen and Mo Greene are the new members of council. Steve Solomon is returning for his second full term. It is his third time on council. He was appointed to council in 2011.

The election result is an amalgamation of the total vote count
A peek behind the numbers reveals a town divided.

Greater Oro Valley 
Greater Oro Valley includes the entire town except for three precincts that are located around the community center. Greater Oro Valley has nine precincts that have 24,600 registered voters. Greater Oro Valley includes Sun City, the original incorporated section of Oro Valley, the Oracle Road Corridor, and most of the town west if La Cholla.  Greater Oro Valley is highlighted in yellow in the panel that follows.

Greater Oro Valley elected Bohen, Garner and Solomon. Solomon was a far last choice, barely gaining more votes than Rodman and Greene.

The Town of Oro Valley Municipal Golf
The other part of the town is comprised of those who live around the Oro Valley Golf and Community Center. There are 8,200 registered voters in these three precincts. They voted in overwhelming numbers for Greene, Bill Rodman and Steve Solomon. Bill Garner and Tom Bohen received few votes from these people.

Town of Oro Valley Golf supported special interest money
You would think that the municipal golf folks would have thought more broadly about who should be on council. You would think that they would consider the documented fact that the three they elected are heavily financially supported by the developer community.

These are the same developers who supported Hiremath and his majority for 8 years.

These are the same developers that the people tossed out in 2018

The rest of Oro Valley rejected this money in 2020.

But not the municipal golfers.

Apparently they want over development, more cluster homes, and more homes built in Big Wash so they can keep their "special status"
The municipal golfers got their way in 2019, by overwhelming every town council meeting. They intimidated a council that jumped through hoops to accommodate 36 holes of a golf when the obvious correct answer was 18 holes.

Not satisfied with that win, the municipal golfers tried, with Solomon's help, and failed, also with his help, to recall Mayor Winfield and Vice Mayor Barrett.

Now they went out their way to try to "pack council" with people who will pay for their lifestyle.

Perhaps we need a non binding referendum on the part of the community to settle, once and for all, what all of Oro Valley wants when it comes to municipal golf. None? 18 holes? 36 holes? We need to opine.

Guest View-Jack Stinnett: Who Benefits from the "Golf Ticket"

The golfers and golf residents benefit...
Let’s ask who benefits from the golf ticket of incumbents Solomon, and Rodman plus golfer Mo Greene? The obvious answer is the EL Conquistador Men’s Golf Association, and the adjacent property owners whose views we are subsidizing by paying the golf sales tax of $2 ½ million each year.

...HSL Properties also benefits
If we look deeper and follow the money, another picture emerges When HSL Properties purchased the Hilton resort out of bankruptcy they dumped the El Conquistador Country Club and 45 holes of golf (losing ~ $1.5 million a year) on our former Hiremath led council. A brilliant move by HSL: Stick the naive town council with the losses and still promote the El Conquistador as a destination golf resort.

HSL needs the town to keep courses in top condition to support their "golf resort vacation" narrative
Big spender golfers from flyover country are rubes, but not stupid. One look at the dated 1980 clubhouse, the tired Overlook, and they start complaining about paying for a golf resort vacation and getting a bad deal. So for the past several years HSL has been bankrolling the Hiremath council while lobbying them to fix the courses and update the clubhouse. Since 2015 ,HSL has invested tens of thousands to support friendly council members. In the 2016 council election Pina, Rodman and Soloman each received over $12,000 from HSL .

Solomon and Rodman voted to do that
So how did they vote? Incumbents Solomon, and Rodman have voted the party line, twice voting for the town to borrow $6 million to immediately fix the courses and rebuild the clubhouse. They voted against mayor Winfield’s pay as you go approach to pay for course irrigation repairs, and again voted for a $3 million bond for clubhouse repairs.

So I am voting for self funded candidates Tim Bohen and Bill Garner who will not support HSL over resident families who want playgrounds and trails and not a new clubhouse.

Jack Stinnett
Oro Valley
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Jack Stinnett is an Oro Valley resident. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served on Minesweepers and Destroyers. After his military service, Jack was employed as an engineer and plant manager in the Nuclear Power industry, a factory manager in the automotive industry, and Vice-President of a worldwide engine components business. Jack finished his career as President and CEO of Morris Material Handling in Milwaukee. He and his wife, Connie, moved to Oro Valley in 2011. Jack was a member of Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Commission from 2012-2014, serving as Chairman in 2013-2014. He enjoys woodworking, biking, and visiting his grandchildren.

Vice-Mayor Barrett and Councilmember Jones-Ivey Reveal Their Personal Experiences With Councilmember Solomon’s Uncivil Behavior

Statement from Councilmember Joyce Jones-Ivey
"The short video of Councilmember Solomon [verbally] attacking me has been circulating on social media and supporters have asked me to provide some background. First, this verbal assault was not a unique incident; rather it is representative of how Mr. Solomon speaks down to females he disagrees with or who dare to challenge his positions.

In my first meeting with Mr. Solomon at the 2018 Chamber of Commerce candidate debate, he verbally assaulted me and then candidate Melanie Barrett in front of several bystanders. It seems Mr. Solomon did not agree with our debate positions.

Council Member Jones-Ivey

In the video taken from a 2019 council meeting, we were discussing the OVPD Chief selection process when Member Solomon launched his attack to silence me. There have been numerous other situations when residents were talked down to and disrespected by Member Solomon who, in 2016, ran on civility and collaboration.

I agree that civility and collaboration is exactly what Oro Valley needs and the path to get there is to replace incumbents Rodman and Solomon with Bill Garner and Tim Bohen who will place residents first."

Statement from Vice-Mayor Melanie Barrett

Vice Mayor Barrett

"My fellow councilmember, Joyce Jones-Ivey, has shared her feelings on the video of Steve Solomon yelling at her. This is especially sad because it follows [his] theme of constantly falsely accusing other councilmembers and citizens that we don’t care about public safety.

Joyce is a long-time nurse and the wife of a long-time police officer. She and her family have spent their lives in public service, and she is a wonderful, kind, fair person whom I admire. It is inappropriate to yell at her and insinuate that others do not care about our community and their safety.

The first time I met Councilmember Solomon was at a debate, and as Councilmember Jones-Ivey mentions, he began yelling at both of us, and only stopped when a friend stepped in and offered to call security. Since then, he has regularly gone after me in council meetings and has violated the rules of order by which the council operates."

LOVE’s comment
That’s right, Steve Solomon’s behavior was so violent, that a bystander had to intervene and threaten to call security during the 2018 incident and Mayor Winfield had to threaten to have him removed from council chambers during the 2019 incident. Solomon is unfit for public office and needs to be voted out in the August 4th election.

Guest View: Diane Peters ~ Rodman-Solomon-Greene campaign postcard is a pack of lies

Town Council candidates Rodman, Solomon, and Greene recently sent out a campaign postcard where they falsely attack “The Other Guys” (Tim Bohen and Bill Garner). They also posted a picture of the postcard on their Facebook pages.

They should have called it “The Other Lies” because everything they said about Bill Garner and Tim Bohen is a lie.

Below are some examples.


• Don’t support law enforcement, first responders, or education
Bill Garner spent 20 years in emergency services including as a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, an assistant squad chief, and an Emergency Management Director. Garner also has a Master’s degree in Public Safety. Does that sound like the resume’ of someone who doesn’t support law enforcement or first responders?

Additionally, when Garner was on council in 2009, it was he and former councilmember Salette Latas who collaborated on a proposal to save 6 police officer positions that were going to be cut from the 2009-2010 police budget. You can read about it HERE.

From Bill Garner’s Facebook page:

I support our police department, as well as the public safety and emergency responders that assist our community in time of need when the call goes out. I have the knowledge and education to know what it takes to serve in this line of work and the value brought by these men and women.

Regarding education, this is a school board issue, not a town council issue. Secondly, Garner has two school-aged children. It’s nonsensical to claim that he doesn’t support education.

• Encourage policies that will likely lead to a property tax
The property tax lie is a scare tactic that they pull every election. Garner was on council from 2008-2016 and never once discussed a desire for a property tax. He has publicly stated that he is opposed to one. The fact is that the Town Council could not institute a property tax even if they wanted to. It has to be placed on the ballot for the citizens to decide. If elected, Bill Garner and Tim Bohen would not even have the power to institute a property tax.

However, Steve Solomon did vote to increase your utility tax from 2% to 4%.

• Have no history of support for neighborhood preservation
When Garner was on council (2008-2016) he (along with Councilmembers Zinkin and Burns) worked with me and my citizens’ group for 9 months during 2014-2015 to “preserve our neighborhood.” Those three council members guided my citizens’ group throughout the process of fighting a Major General Plan Amendment that, if approved, would have completely changed the character of our neighborhood by turning 200 acres of pristine desert into a “Master Planned Community."

Multiple meetings and negotiations took place between my citizens’ group and the applicant. Whenever there was an impasse, Councilmembers Garner, Zinkin, or Burns would negotiate with the applicant on our behalf.

Through 9 months of negotiations, we succeeded in removing apartments, a senior care facility, and almost 300 homes from the plan. We also obtained larger buffer zones between the new development and the existing neighborhoods. The night of the council vote, I publicly thanked Burns-Garner-Zinkin for all of their help. It’s in the PUBLIC RECORD.

Were they too lazy to fact-check or are their lies deliberate?
Either Rodman-Solomon-Greene’s fact checking skills are lacking or they are deliberately lying in order to get votes from uninformed people. Which one is it? Either way, it doesn't speak well of them.  Are these the kind of people that you want on your Town Council?

Mo Greene hides the truth
I posted the above information on Mo Greene’s Facebook page.  Rather than admit to his error and apologize for it, he deleted my comment and blocked me from further posting. I assumed he would do that in order to hide the truth, which is why I took a screenshot immediately after posting it. You can view it below. 

If you want honesty and transparency in Oro Valley government, I suggest that you join me in voting for Bill Garner and Tim Bohen.

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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 that 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.

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 6. Promises and Lies

This is the final installment in our series of articles entitled, “The Solomon Chronicles,” highlighting the abysmal record of Councilmember Steve Solomon who is running for re-election. This series was written by a LOVE contributor and contains a synopsis of previous LOVE articles plus new information.
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This article will discuss some of the lies that Steve Solomon is currently telling along with some of the lies he told when running for election in 2016.

Solomon’s golf course lie
We present this one to show you that Solomon has a history of lying. Solomon told this whopper when running for Town Council in 2016. He distributed this lie in a campaign flyer that was delivered to the homes along the town-owned golf courses in Canada Hills. At that time, he (along with Bill Rodman and Rhonda Pina) was running against incumbents Brendan Burns, Bill Garner, and Mike Zinkin. The flyer stated:

“Save your home value! The incumbents running for re-election have pledged to close and sell your golf course destroying your home value!” The flyer was “Paid for by Solomon for OV Council.”

That was an outright lie. Burns, Garner, and Zinkin had never pledged any such thing and when an Oro Valley resident asked Solomon to prove that they did, he couldn’t. He made it up. It was a complete fabrication designed to trick uninformed voters into voting for him…and they did.

Solomon’s $3 million deficit lie
Solomon actually used the adjective “whopping” in his next lie. A Freudian slip, perhaps? Because it’s another whopper of a lie. And he not only told this whopper when running for council in 2016, but he is repeating it again in the current 2020 election. He stated it during Jim Horn’s Town Hall podcast held on June 25th.

Here’s what he said during that Town Hall:

“During my time on council, I helped guide the town to financial success. From 2008-2010, the council generated a whopping $3 million dollar deficit. When I first took office in 2010, myself and the other new council members balanced the budget, eventually generating $2 million in annual surpluses.”

He also said it during the January 9, 2019 council meeting:

“…when I first came on council in 2010, we discovered that the budget that was approved by the prior council…had a $3 million deficit which they never bothered to point out or emphasize and we had to deal with it."

There was never a deficit
The Hiremath Council did not inherit a $3 million deficit in 2010 as Solomon claimed. Here’s the real story.

• First of all, it is against State law to have a deficient budget.

• The tentative, proposed budget showed a $3.1 million difference between requested spending and forecasted revenues. That’s not a deficit. A deficit only occurs when actual spending exceeds actual revenues. That never happened. This is the $3 million to which Councilmember Solomon refers. This was the Hiremath council’s budget. They did not inherit it from any previous council.

• The Council was told by the Town Manager (Jerene Watson at that time) that they needed to increase revenues or the staff was going to suffer layoffs and/or 4 day work-weeks.

• The Hiremath Council, including Steve Solomon, decided to raise those revenues by doubling your Utility Tax from 2% to 4%. Solomon doesn’t tell you that part.

Here’s another 2020 campaign lie
During the Sun City Candidate Forum held on June 30th, Steve Solomon said this during his closing statement.

“Dr. Greene, Bill Rodman’s, and my campaigns are all positive. We have not gone on the attack against our opponents. That’s something you may want to take into consideration in your evaluation.”

After implying that you shouldn’t vote for people who engage in attack ads, just 10 days later, Solomon and Rodman posted an attack ad on their Facebook pages where they attack “The Other Guys.” We assume that this same postcard will soon be arriving in your mailbox. But the biggest problem is, that once again, the accusations made against Bill Garner and Tim Bohen are all lies.

If time permits, LOVE will dissect those lies for you in an upcoming article.

The ESLO lie
In Solomon’s continuing campaign of self-promotion, during that same forum, Solomon took sole credit for creating the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance. He said,

“I’ve also put in place our environmentally sensitive land ordinance.”

He put it in place? Well, that will come as quite a surprise to all the other people who worked on that committee. Back in 2010, Solomon was just one member of the 7-member Public Advisory Committee assigned to work on ESLO. There was also a 10-member Technical Advisory Committee including people from Arizona Game & Fish, Arizona Geological Survey, and the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection to name a few.

But to hear Solomon tell it, he alone devised the plan and implemented the policy!

Campaign promises don’t matter
During the June 30, 2020 Sun City debate, when asked if there were any situations in which he would increase taxes, Solomon replied, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” But keep in mind what he said during the January 23, 2019 town council meeting:

"There is a major difference between campaigning and governing. It is really irrelevant what your campaign promises were.”

The inference is that Solomon believes that one can say whatever they wish in order to get elected, but once elected, there is no need to follow through.

If you’ve missed any of The Solomon Chronicles, the links are provided below for your convenience.

Part 1. Favoritism
Part 2. Voting Record 2016-2018
Part 3. Who funded Solomon's 2016 Town Council campaign
Part 4. Conflict of interest
Part 5. A pattern of incivility and disrespect
Part 5. A pattern of incivility and disrespect (Cont'd.)

Councilmember Steve Solomon is disruptive during the Sun City Town Hall

During the June 30, 2020 Sun City Town Hall with all 5 town council candidates present, in typical Steve Solomon fashion, he was disrespectful to the moderator and the other candidates, disruptive of the process, and refused to follow the rules.

The moderator set the rules at the beginning of the town hall:
“I will ask each candidate a unique question and that candidate will have a minute and a half to answer. After that answer, in alphabetical order by last name, the other candidates will be provided up to 45 seconds for a quick response if they so desire.”

Therefore, whenever Bohen or Garner finished their answer, the order for giving a 45 second response would be: Greene – Rodman – Solomon.

But, as usual, Solomon refused to be respectful and follow the rules. In the attached video (just over one minute in length) you will witness the following:

Solomon interrupts Bohen
Tim Bohen discusses the fact that the people who made the largest donations to incumbents Rodman and Solomon’s 2016 town council campaigns were non-residents. (LOVE previously reported that these non-residents were developers, builders, and real estate PACs).

Solomon immediately interrupts. “There you go talking about 2016. If you want to accuse me of something, I suggest you (inaudible). Are we going to allow people to accuse other candidates…"

Throughout this interruption, the moderator can be heard repeatedly saying, “Mr. Solomon…Mr. Solomon…please.” But Solomon ignores him and continues talking over him. (This is the same behavior that Solomon exhibits during town council meetings.)

Solomon interrupts Garner
The moderator then calls on Bill Garner who says, “It’s pretty rich when he [Solomon] talks about his campaign finances because not one dime came from an Oro Valley resident in 2016…"

Solomon interrupts again. “That’s false, that is a lie, he cannot make a false statement a fact.” Garner attempted to finish his turn speaking but Solomon continued interrupting. “Do you live in Marana or do you live in Oro Valley? How about you address that question because you applied for the council in Marana.”

Garner: “Please cut Mr. Solomon off Mr. Moderator.” (Garner is polite and says “please.” He is asking, not demanding.)

Solomon barks orders to the moderator
Solomon: “No, cut Mr. Garner off if he’s going to lie.” (Solomon is abrupt and demanding. He is ordering, not asking.)

Moderator: “Please follow the outline.”

Solomon: “Well, how about we do this? How about we make a pledge not to make false accusations against the candidates because that’s an outright lie.”

(Now Solomon is telling the moderator how to run the meeting. He’s trying to take over the meeting just like he tries to take over Town Council meetings).

Moderator: “Mr. Solomon, you are free in your closing statement to say whatever you would like.”

Solomon’s Diversion Tactics
Solomon tried to make an issue out of a non-issue (Bill Garner’s place of residence) in order to create a diversion and take the focus off of his special-interest campaign contributors. So to clarify, Bill Garner and his family lived in Oro Valley from 2004-2017, then briefly lived in Marana for a little over a year, returning to Oro Valley in February 2019. So yes, Bill Garner is eligible to hold office in Oro Valley.

In 2018, after the sudden passing of Marana Councilmember Carol McGorray whom Garner had known personally for many years, he applied to fill the vacancy when there was a call for applicants to fill the remainder of her term. Garner never ran for the Marana Town Council and had no plans to do so.

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 5. A pattern of incivility and disrespect (Cont’d.)

With the Town Council election on the horizon, LOVE will be presenting a series of articles entitled, “The Solomon Chronicles,” highlighting the abysmal record of Councilmember Steve Solomon who is running for re-election. This weekly series will highlight his 4-year record of incivility and his interdependent relationship with local developers. This series was written by a LOVE contributor and contains a synopsis of previous LOVE articles plus new information.

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This topic was divided into two parts. The first half was published last Wednesday. If you missed it, you can find it directly below this article. As you continue reading, keep in mind that these are some of the assertions that Steve Solomon made when he ran for Town Council in 2016.

• I am running for Town Council to bring civility, professionalism, collaboration, and positive forward momentum back to our community and Town Government. [Explorer Newspaper, June 8, 2016]

• Practicing civility and finding common ground are what I do best. [Facebook page, Solomon for Oro Valley Town Council, July 29, 2016]

Face-to-face threats
2018. During a public event in 2018, first-hand accounts indicate that Solomon yelled verbally abusive comments at two women and threatened to sue them for slander after they stated their opinion that Council votes were likely being influenced by wealthy special interest donations. He asserted that their comments equated to accusing HIM of the felony act of bribery because he had accepted donations from wealthy special interests. Of note is that no one accused him or any other council member of doing anything illegal…just unethical.

Additionally, these two women are not the only Oro Valley residents who have made this observation. Numerous residents have made the same comments in Letters to the Editor and also when speaking at Town Council meetings. Yet, not once has any Town Council member, except Steve Solomon, felt the need to retaliate by verbally accosting any of these residents or threatening them with lawsuits.

Email threat #1
2017. After Solomon voted to amend the Steam Pump Village PAD to permit an indoor storage facility, a resident emailed Solomon questioning his vote. She questioned why he voted to approve a storage facility in an area that was planned as a future dining/shopping area and walkable gathering space. (She was referring to the Oro Valley Main Streets destination dining and shopping area that was on the table at the time).

She stated that, “The only conclusion I can draw is that it had something to do with the $13,000 in campaign contributions from Diamond Ventures.”

(She was referring to the total donations that Diamond Ventures contributed to the campaigns of the Hiremath Majority-7 council, all of whom voted to amend the PAD to allow the storage facility over the protests of Oro Valley residents. $1,900 of that amount was donated to Solomon’s campaign specifically.)

Solomon then went off the rails, claiming that she had accused him of “criminal activity, of accepting a bribe.” He continued, “This is a slanderous unsupported claim. It is a well-established legal principle that such a criminal accusation against a private person or public official is not protected speech and the accuser is subject to legal action.” He stated that the situation “may result in legal action” against her.

She responded by telling him that citizens "expect to be allowed to question our elected officials without fear of retaliation and the threat of a lawsuit. After all, citizens do have the right to discuss public affairs with their elected officials.” She also informed him that he clearly did not know the legal definition of slander.

Solomon immediately backed down from his lawsuit threat.

Email threat #2
2018. Solomon accused yet another citizen of slander and threatened him with a defamation lawsuit in Pima County Superior Court that would “include a large monetary damage amount” unless he met Solomon’s demand of “a written retraction and apology,” and publicly reading that apology at the next town council meeting, and submitting a settlement “payment of $50,000” by September 7, 2018.

The resident ignored the threat and, once again, Solomon backed down.

A boy named Sue
Councilmember Solomon has threatened to sue FOUR Oro Valley residents for slander and/or defamation over a 2-year period. And these are just the ones that we know of. This earned him the nickname of “A boy named Sue.”

Solomon blows his top during a council meeting
2019. During the December 4, 2019 council meeting, Solomon attempted to take over the meeting, first interrupting Councilmember Jones-Ivey and yelling at her, then yelling over Mayor Winfield as he tried to speak. This outburst led to the mayor threatening to have him removed from council chambers. You can view the video of this incident HERE.

“Practicing civility and finding common ground are what I do best.”

UP NEXT: Although this was originally the end of our 2-part article on the topic of incivility and disrespect, Solomon’s ego is the gift that keeps on giving. So be sure to read LOVE Friday to see a video excerpt of Solomon’s disrespectful outbursts at the Sun City Candidate Forum held on June 30, 2020.

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The final installment of The Solomon Chronicles, “Promises and Lies” will be published next Wednesday

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 4. Conflict of Interest

Want to see Steve Solomon in action? Visit: realstevesolomon.com
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With the Town Council election on the horizon, LOVE will be presenting a series of articles entitled, “The Solomon Chronicles,” highlighting the abysmal record of Councilmember Steve Solomon who is running for re-election. This weekly series will highlight his 4-year record of incivility and his interdependent relationship with local developers. This series was written by a LOVE contributor and contains a synopsis of previous LOVE articles plus new information.
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Solomon had a dog in the golf course fight
As previously reported on LOVE, Councilmember Steve Solomon (via his development company, Canada Vistas, LLC) had property in escrow along the 17th and 18th holes of the Town-owned Canada golf course since at least December of 2017. His plan was to build golf-course-view condos and/or townhomes on that property. He therefore had a financial interest in what happened to those golf courses since he can’t build golf-course-view condos on property that no longer contains golf course views.

He remained in escrow on that property for all of 2018 and until at least April 2019 (the last date in which LOVE has documents stating that he was still in escrow). Why is this important? Because during all of 2018 and 2019 he consistently advocated from the dais to keep all 36 holes of golf open.

Solomon’s unethical behavior
At the June 6, 2018 council meeting, during the FY 2018/19 budget discussions, Solomon spoke on the benefits of (and voted in favor of) a $6 million bond that designated $3.8 million dollars for improvements on the golf courses…golf courses that were adjacent to his planned residential development.

Solomon voted to use public monies to improve land on which he had a financial interest
This was a clear conflict of interest. If Solomon had been honest and ethical, he would have recused himself from any votes having to do with the town-owned golf courses. Instead he voted to spend public money for his own potential gain.

A lie by omission is still a lie
At the July 18, 2018 council meeting, a resident revealed during the Call to Audience that Councilmember Solomon had a financial interest in what happened to the golf courses. Solomon responded:

“I just want to assure everyone that there was absolutely nothing that occurred that was unethical. I do not own property on the golf course.”

Solomon was lying by omission and he knew it. While he didn’t technically own any property on the golf course, he was in escrow to purchase property on the golf course. He conveniently left that part out.

The bottom line is that Solomon had a financial interest in maintaining the town-owned golf courses and he never revealed this information to the public. It was a resident who made the information public.

Desert land in foreground is the "escrow" parcel

The parcel surrounded by the 17th and 18th holes of the Canada Course

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The Solomon Chronicles: Part 5. “A Pattern of Incivility and Disrespect” will be published next Wednesday.

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 3. Who funded Solomon’s 2016 Town Council campaign?

With the Town Council election on the horizon, LOVE will be presenting a series of articles entitled, “The Solomon Chronicles,” highlighting the abysmal record of Councilmember Steve Solomon who is running for re-election. This weekly series will highlight his 4-year record of incivility and his interdependent relationship with local developers. This series was written by a LOVE contributor and contains a synopsis of previous LOVE articles plus new information.
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Solomon plays hide and seek with the voters
The following information was obtained from Solomon’s Campaign Finance Report covering the period from June 1 through August 18, 2016. Of note is that this report was due between August 19-26 and Solomon submitted it to the Town Clerk on the very last day at the very last minute…August 26th at 4:45 PM.

One can only assume that he was attempting to withhold this information from the public for as long as possible, knowing that local media would report on it and he didn’t want Oro Valley voters to know that his campaign was entirely funded by wealthy special interests.

Another indicator that he was trying to hide his donor funding came during the August 16, 2016 candidate forum when the candidates were asked how they financed their campaign. Rather than admitting that his campaign was funded by wealthy developers and builders, Solomon answered that his campaign was funded by people "who share my values."

 
Solomon’s 2016 Town Council election donations

HSL Properties                       $17,912.
Venture West                              1,000.
Peter Fasseas (Developer)         1,000.
Diamond Ventures                      1,900.
David Godlewski (SAHBA)            145.
Realtors of Arizona PAC             1,000.
SAHBA PAC                                  250.

TOTAL                                    $23,207.

Solomon received no campaign funds from Oro Valley residents

Of note is that only one contribution ($145.00) “technically” came from an Oro Valley resident, but this resident also happens to be the Director of the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association. All other donations (totaling $23,000) came from individuals who do not even live in Oro Valley!

Questions to ponder
• Why did no Oro Valley residents contribute to Steve Solomon’s campaign?
• Why were developers and builders so driven to get him elected?
• Why was Solomon so compelled to keep his campaign donors hidden from voters?

NOTE: A $5000. donation from Jim and Vicki Click was included with the HSL donations because they have a cross-donating agreement with HSL on other matters.
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The Solomon Chronicles: Part 4. “Conflict of Interest” will be published next Wednesday.

LOVE Exclusive: HSL Money Poured Into Rodman and Solomon 2016 Campaign

This is the third of a three part series on the influence of developer and contractor donations on Oro Valley politics. Our first article covered the special funding of the 2014 campaign.  Our second article discussed the special interest donations in the recall election of 2015 and in the primary election of 2018. This final article focuses on the special interest money that poured into the Rodman and Solomon candidacies in 2016. 
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The 2016 election of Bill Rodman and Steve Solomon
2016 was the only year between 2014 and 2018 in which Mayor Hiremath and his council majority were not on the ballot. There were six candidates that year. Three were incumbents. The incumbents raised a total of a few thousand dollars for that election.  Bill Rodman and Steve Solomon raised $47,600.

91% of Rodman and Solomon contributions came from special interest developers and contractors
In 2016, then candidates Bill Rodman and Steve Solomon were introduced to the big money special interests that Mayor Hiremath and his majority had solicited for the 2014 and 2015 elections.  Rodman and Solomon drank from this well of money. They took a huge gulp.

76% of Rodman and Solomon contributions were from HSL Properties
HSL Properties is the company that had so generously donated to the campaigns of Mayor Hiremath and his majority council members.

Somehow, current council members Rodman and Solomon had found the same "pot of gold" that Hiremath had uncovered in 2013; a source so rich that it literally financed all Oro Valley council majority campaigns from 2014 to 2018.

Two building related PACS further emphasized their funding financial dependence on the developer community. Rodman and Solomon each received $1,000 from the Southern Arizona Realtors PAC and $250 from the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association (SAHBA).

Rodman and Solomon virtually had no public financial support
What is also striking is the lack of general public financial support of either candidate. Solomon received $33.38 while Rodman raised $925 from the public. Seven donors were listed on his report. Only three had residences listed as Oro Valley.

Does the past behavior predict future behavior?
Is it likely that Candidates Rodman and Solomon will raise funds from the special interest community for this election? It is, if past behavior predicts future behavior. We won't know who are their contributors until they file their campaign finance reports. One report is due at the end of this month. The other is due before the August election. Even then, we're not sure that information is accurate. Our review of the election reports revealed that information is sometimes left off of these reports, information that is reported later as amended campaign election reports.

So do stay tuned on this.

We will review and report what we learn when we learn it.
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Source: The campaign financing information in these three articles was from the campaign finance reports filed by the candidates. There were about a hundred of these. A few of them were clear and concise. Many reports, especially those of Mayor Hiremath, were difficult to follow. Sometimes, the information on current contributions was in the wrong column; or the contributions called "campaign to date" were wrong. In some instances the "occupation" of the contributor was incorrect or their affiliated employer was wrong. We don't know nor did we ask if these reports are reviewed and audited by the town. But they should be audited and verified before being accepted.