BULLETIN: ELECTIONS CONSOLIDATED!

---
Governor Brewer today signed HB2826. It is now law that local elections will be consolidated with statewide elections. 

"H. B. 2826 preempts all local laws, ordinances and charter provisions that are contrary to
the consolidated election schedule and beginning in 2014, the bill will subject "any governmental
entity" and "any other district organized under state law" to the consolidated election schedule."

It is unclear how this law will impact the Oro Valley 2014 elections since these elections occur before the 2014 August primary and November State elections.  Extending the term of existing Council Members is not constitutional since they elected for not more than four years in office.
 ---

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.

Bits and Pieces

Solomon For The Incumbents

Former Oro Valley Appointed Council Member Steve Solomon was soundly defeated in the 2012 election by the minority-3.  Solomon had been appointed to council by Majority-4.  Tuesday, Solomon sent an email to his mailing list endorsing the Majority-4.
---

You Did "Request" An Early Ballot, Right?

Ballots went out yesterday. You should be getting your's very shortly assuming that you did ask for one. (see right panel)

Nearly 16,000 Independents in Pima County have requested early ballots. This is a record, acceding to the recorder's office. (Source)  This is not surprising to us given that the State of Arizona (foolishly) required no chartered cities, like Oro Valley, to mix partisan primaries with non partisan elections, like the Oro Valley Mayoral and Council elections.
---

Roseanne Roseannadana

"Its So Funny I Forgot To Laugh"

The Arizona Daily Star's uber-liberal cartoonist David Fitzpatrick likes to poke fun at Oro Valley:

"Oro Valley. 10,000 Seniors, 3 Safeways, and a speed trap. Oro Valley needs the speed trap. The ticket revenues fund the Viagra Overdose Hotline."

"Oro Valley. It’s so new. The only thing built in the last century are the residents. And they’re constantly having to repair their plumbing."

"Oro Valley. Oro is spanish for gold. Where’s the gold? All 327 Urology clinics."

And how about this knee-slapper:

"Oro Valley is a gold mine for traffic cops. The number one excuse? “I’m late for my colonoscopy.” The number two excuse? “Number two.” I’ll give the motorcycle cops credit. They’ve learned to write tickets fast. (Source)

Obviously, "Fitz" has a fixation with human plumbing!

As Roseanne Roseannadana (Gildner Rander of SNL) use to say: "It's so funny I forgot to laugh."
---
High Visibility Enforcement (HiVE) August Deployments - Oracle Road at Magee and Suffolk

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (July 28, 2014) - The Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD) will continue with its High Visibility Enforcement (HiVE) efforts during the month of August on Oracle Road at the Magee and Suffolk intersections. OVPD hopes to increase awareness and reduce collisions related to inattention, following too closely and failing to yield to other drivers. The Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) will continue to participate and support the education/enforcement efforts.

OVPD and PCSD will deploy motorcycle officers on the following dates:

• Aug. 7, 2014:   7 - 10 a.m. 
• Aug. 12, 2014: 4 - 7 p.m. 
• Aug. 19, 2014: 7 - 10 a.m. 
• Aug. 21, 2014: 4 - 7 p.m. 
• Aug. 27, 2014: 4 - 7 p.m.

Motorists are asked to be aware of the additional enforcement activity and drive safely.
(Source: Oro Valley Police Department)
---
8.62 Acres For A Cool $2.4 Million

Do you have your checkbook ready?

The Southwest Corner of Linda Vista and Oracle is for sale for $2.4 million, $356,000 per acre.  The land is across from the GFRD station. "Also can be sold with adjacent parcel of 5.51 acres located at the SW Corner of Linda Vista and Oracle Rd". (source with pictures)
---
"UPDATE: Melissa Ann Gordy sentenced for sexual exploitation of a minor

A Real Sweetheart, This One

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (July 29, 2014) - On July 28, 2014, Melissa Ann Gordy, 44 years old, was sentenced for crimes that occurred in Oro Valley beginning in March 2012. Gordy accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 40 years in prison and a lifetime of probation for the following crimes: Two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 15 (Class 2 felony); One count of sexual exploitation of a minor under fifteen in 2nd degree. (Class 3 felony)."

In 2012, "the grand jury indicted Melissa Gordy on the following charges: 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 15 (class 2 felony); child abuse (class 4 felony) and one count of evidence tampering (class 6 felony). " (Source: Oro Valley Police Department; KGUN 9)
---

Bits and Pieces

---
"The Oro Valley Police Department is proud to announce that Canyon Del Oro High School's two forensics teams took first and third place at the Crime Scene Investigators State Challenge, April 19-20, 2013.

Teams from across the state of Arizona converged in Phoenix to compete in a mock crime scene where students solved a crime by applying skills learned during classroom forensics studies. They gathered and processed evidence, conducted interviews and presented their case as if issuing the case to the county attorney for prosecution.

The Canyon Del Oro High School forensics program is sponsored by the Oro Valley Police Department School Resource Officer Program, and it receives funding from the Oro Valley Optimist Club and the Oro Valley Community Foundation."

(The Oro Valley Police Department Press Release)
---
Extra motorcycle enforcement will occur on the following days on the Oracle high accident corridor, from Magee to Suffolk:

May 1, 2013 7 - 10 a.m.
May 7, 2013 4 - 7 p.m.
May 20, 2013 4 - 7 p.m.
May 23, 2013 4 - 7 p.m.
May 29, 2013 7 - 10 a.m.
(Source:  Oro Valley Police Department press release)
---
Oro Valley's outstanding revenue bonds have been affirmed as a "AA-" rating by bond rating agency Fitch.   The Fitch press release noted that:

• Income/wealth levels as well as educational attainment metrics are well above state and national averages.
• Year-over-year unemployment levels are down, remaining below those of the Tucson metropolitan statistical area (MSA), state & U.S., comparable to historical trends.
• Management maintains a solid financial cushion despite recent draws on fund balance. Fitch views sizeable reserves as a key offset to a portion of the risk associated with operating revenues derived largely from economically sensitive revenue streams.
• Overall tax-supported debt levels are low, assisted in part by the town's practice to repay much of its debt with self-supporting water system revenues.
• the Stable Outlook reflects Fitch's expectation the town will adequately manage its growth-related needs, maintaining reserves and coverage levels well above average, comparable to historical trends.

It is opinion that Fitch is the best of the three ratings agencies, having not fallen into the trap of over rating companies and municipalities during the "go-go" housing years. An AA- rating means that the investment is of good quality but has some risk due to the economy.

---

Former teacher Melissa Ann Dalton plead guilty to one count of sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of attempted sexual conduct with a minor.  The Oro Valley Police Department arrested her a year ago. She will serve almost three years in prison. (Source)
---
This, regarding town elections being moved to coincide the state and national elections:

"Oro Valley is one of the towns that had scheduled a home rule election for the spring of 2014. Mayor Satish Hiremath said that under the new law, and without any cover from Ugenti’s cleanup bill, their best option is to hold off on the election until the fall of 2014, which means the new budget limit can’t go into effect until until fiscal year 2015.

"Hiremath was originally not against consolidated elections, but after getting a glimpse of what the consolidated elections might look like, he changed his opinion."

"He said that by holding a separate election for city issues only, voters have a chance to read up on local issues and local candidates, and to get involved with the government that affects their lives most directly. When all the elections are lumped together, he worries that people lose interest in the local issues."(Source)

Actually, we think it will make the elections partisan elections.  That's even worse that having uninformed residents vote.
---

Bits and Pieces

Beware Of What You Write
There have been some pretty outrageous comments posted by some over the years. The comments have been so outrageous that at one time we closed commenting and blocked some commenters from posting. Our latest move is that we allow commenting for one day only.

Now that the election is over, we expect things to cool down.

Its a good time to reflect on what we write when we comment.

It is the anonymous nature of commenting that promotes outrageous comments. Would people actually say some of the things they say simply if they had to sign their name to it?  We don't think so.

Anonymous commenting does not exempt the commenter from potential liability. There is a case pending in Illinois which illustrates just that.

Essentially, if cause can be shown, the courts can issue orders that compel LOVE, our blogging provider Disqus, and your internet provider to provide information on you. Ultimately, it will be your internet provider who will identify you because it is likely that you use their "IPAddress" when you use their system.

So, our advice is to never put yourself in a situation in which you make comments that are specific to an individual, alleging facts the you can not absolutely prove.

Want to know more? Read the Illinois case to learn more about the law and the process.

Long Realty Reports Oro Valley October Home Sales
"In the Oro Valley area, October 2015 active inventory was 282, an 18% decrease from October 2014. There were 57 closings in October 2015, a 2% decrease from October 2014. Year-to-date 2015 there were 680 closings, a 12% increase from year-to-date 2014. Months of Inventory was 4.9, down from 5.9 in October 2014. Median price of sold homes was $275,000 for the month of October 2015, up 15% from October 2014. The Oro Valley area had 70 new properties under contract in October 2015, up 21% from October 2014." (Long Realty Housing Report, November 2015)

No hand count of any recall election
There was no hand count of any of the Oro Valley recall elections. The Oro Valley Town Council authorized the hand count only if the county to meet four conditions.

"The [Pima County] board of supervisors had directed the elections department to conduct a hand count of one of the races in the Oro Valley recall election as well, but the race was not included because county officials said two of the town’s four requirements could not be met.

The town had asked that the county make certain results of the hand count not be used to affect the election outcome and for Pima County to pay any associated costs.

 The county agreed, but could not meet demands that full assurances were given from the Arizona Attorney General and Secretary of State offices that the county had legal authority to conduct the hand counts, and that if any lawsuits related to the audit were filed the county would be released from the legal claims."  (Source)

HB2826 Will Change When Oro Valley Elections Occur

---
There is a bill that passed the Arizona State Senate Judiciary Committee. It is HB2826.  This bill would consolidate most elections to one date in November.  For example, the next Oro Valley election, the election of 2014, would be moved the November of 2013, with those elected taking their seats in January of 2014.

Proponents of the bill argue that it will save money and increase voter participation.

"Special interest groups that enjoy advancing their agendas under the radar in off-cycle elections are likely to oppose HB 2826. But the measure is a slam-dunk for Arizonans who want to give all voters a voice in elections at every level of government," notes the Goldwater Institute.

Opponents of the bill argue that local governments should be allowed to have their elections whenever they wish.

Our take is that combining non partisan and partisan elections introduces partisanship into a local non partisan election.  This, we think, is not a good thing. Party affiliation at the local level does not provide insight into the worth of a candidate; nor does it provide insight into what the candidate believes should happen at the local level.

What's your take? Is this good or bad for Oro Valley?
---

Tucson Gets To Keep When It Votes But Oro Valley Doesn't

If Oro Valley were a "Charter City" then it could ignore many of the dictates the come down from the state capital.  It could ignore, for example, the dictate that all local elections be held at the same time that state and national elections are held.   A judge has ruled that  cities of Phoenix and Tucson, and probably all other charter cities, like Scottsdale, can hold their elections when they want.

"Judge James Marner determined that the law interferes with a matter of purely local concern: Phoenix and Tucson’s authority to determine how to conduct elections. He wrote that the state cannot require cities to conduct elections in a way that violates their charter, a legal document that establishes local governments."

The ruling, however, does not apply to towns. Town's are not chartered cities. So Oro Valley must comply for the law. This means the 2014 primary will be held in August, when many residents are away. The election will be held in November when partisan local and national elections occur.

This introduces two thing into Oro Valley's election process.  First, it introduces partisan politics into what is supposed to be a non partisan election. Second, it introduces a group of voters who are completely unknowledgeable about Oro Valley but who happen to live here into the voter's group.  These are the "other" 60% who choose not to vote in our local elections. These are voters who vote based on who last spoke with them on the way into the polls or, perhaps, a sticker given to them on the way in.  That will change our election process enormously.

There are so many reasons why Oro Valley should become a charter city.  Add: Controlling our destiny at election time as one of them.
---

Bits and Pieces-Election Final

Barrett’s election makes Oro Valley history
Melanie Barrett will become Oro Valley’s 12th mayor when she takes office in November. She is the first woman elected mayor by Oro Valley voters and only the fourth person elected directly to the office. 

Before 1998, the Town Council selected the mayor from among its members. Voters changed that system in 1998, and Paul Loomis became Oro Valley’s first directly elected mayor. Loomis served three terms. He was followed by Satish Hiremath and Joe Winfield, both of whom served two terms. Barrett now begins the next chapter in that history.

Women will hold a record number of council seats
This election also marks another milestone. When the new council is sworn in, five women will serve together on the seven-member governing body: Mayor Melanie Barrett and Councilmembers Rosa Dailey, Mary Murphy, Rhonda Piña and Elizabeth Robb. That will be the largest number of women to serve on the Town Council at one time in Oro Valley’s history. This reflects the increasingly important role women are playing in shaping our community.    

Summer Town elections produce much lower turnout
Approximately 41 percent of registered Oro Valley voters participated in this year’s election. That continues a decline that began after Arizona required municipal elections to be held on the state election calendar. Before the change took effect in 2014, Oro Valley held its primary elections in February or March and, when necessary, runoff elections in May. Turnout in the last competitive mayoral election held under the March-May schedule approached 80 percent. Since elections were moved to the summer, turnout in Oro Valley mayoral elections has averaged approximately 48 percent.

Many factors affect participation. Under Oro Valley’s former election schedule, every registered voter automatically received a ballot, regardless of party affiliation. Now, because the Town election is conducted as part of the partisan state primary, independent voters must request a ballot before they can vote in Oro Valley’s nonpartisan election. That additional step appears to contribute to lower turnout. How many of Oro Valley’s approximately 12,000 registered independent voters requested and returned a ballot this year? The answer may tell us a great deal about future municipal elections.

The campaign is over. Now comes governing
Every election sends a message. The message from this one appears to be that most Oro Valley voters are satisfied with the Town’s current direction. Barrett won the mayoral race decisively, while Dailey and Matt Wood, both of whom campaigned on continuing many of the Town’s current policies, also earned seats on the Council. Although the candidates differed on specific issues, voters generally chose experience and continuity over calls for major change. 

Campaigns naturally focus on differences. Governing requires finding common ground. We are confident that Mayor Barrett will be able to do this. Beginning in November, the new mayor and council will face important decisions involving the Town’s budget, water resources, economic development, public safety and the preservation of Oro Valley’s quality of life. 

The campaign is over. 

The work of governing begins in November.

- - -

A Quandary: Could HB 2826 Extend Terms Of Council Members?

---
In our posting Monday, we noted that the Arizona State Bill to combine local elections with statewide elections is now law.  Effectively, implementation will move the 2014 Mayor and Council elections from March to September, for the Primary, and from May to November, for the General Election. This would mean that new Council Members would not be seated until January, 2015. This is six months after date on which they are would have been seated.  This would mean that there would be six months in which only continuing members would be on Council or in which there would be three council members.

The Council would have three members seated to continue Council activities from June through December, 2014.  Would it be illegal for exiting council members to remain on Council beyond their elected term? There were elected to serve four years, not 4.5 years.

The issue is further complicated because the Oro Valley budget for 2014-2015 would be approved during this time frame, effectively adding a budget cycle to the purview of the existing Council.

Confused?  We are too.

However, this is not going to be a "simple" conversion from one voting time frame to another.   There are those who do not wish to see the current Council Members remain in office one minute past their elected time. There are also those who don't care one way or the other.

It will be interesting to watch this develop.
---

LOVE Exclusive: How Special Interests Can Corrupt Oro Valley Politicians

This is the first of a three part series on the influence of developer and contractor donations on Oro Valley politics
---
Satish Hiremath introduced big money fundraising in 2010
Satish Hiremath introduced Oro Valley to the power of money in small town elections in 2010, He funded his campaign at a level five times greater than his opponent. Hiremath raised more than $45,000:

$20,000 from personal loans, which his PAC later repaid

$13,000 from special interests contributors

$12,000 from family and individual contributors

Hiremath won the election by less that fifty votes.

2013: First time HSL donates to Hiremath campaign
Many more donation were to follow.

2012: End of Innocence
In 2012, Hiremath got a taste of developer money as Diamond Ventures entered the scene.

In 2013, HSL Properties jumped on board (panel right).

This was the beginning of the end of innocence in Oro Valley fund raising. What was once a very pleasant, peaceful community was about to become a Developer paradise. Every general plan amendment and just about every zoning change was approved by council from 2010 through 2018.

$59,300 in developer money bought the 2014 election
In 2014. Mayor Hiremath and incumbent council members Hornat, Snider and Waters practiced the big money campaign finance model. This time special interest contributors kicked in $59,300. This was a four fold increase from 2010.

2014 Donations to Hiremath Majority

The top five donors (panel left) pumped $59,300 into the campaign of the incumbents. This is 76% of all contributions from individuals.

They did this at a time when these donors had continuing business dealings with the town, dealings that required council approval.

Here's the big one....

August 2014: Hiremath extols concept of community center... HSL becomes a "community partner"
On August 7, 2014, during a 2014 candidate forum, Hiremath extolled the virtue of Oro Valley having a community center.

At that time, LOVE asked if Hiremath had an epiphany. Up to then, the only council member who had even mentioned the need for a community center was current council candidate, then council member Bill Garner.

We reported in 2013: "Council Member Bill Garner has been advocating for a community center for years. His calls have been ignored by the Majority-4. 'I've been investigating a public/private partnership that could put a community center at Steam Pump Ranch,'" 

Now, suddenly, a community center was Hiremath's idea.  According to Hiremath speaking at the forum: "I'm in dialogue with other community partners about maybe doing something of a community center." (Source: Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum) "

The HSL Community Center
The "other community partner" to whom Hiremath had referred was HSL Properties. HSL was negotiating the purchase of the El Conquistador Resort. They needed to shed the golf courses in order to make the deal financially advantageous for them. At the same time, they wanted to retain five-star resort status. This meant that they needed to be able to offer golf.  The deal they cut with the Town of Oro Valley gave them both.

What Hiremath did not say at that forum was that the "community center" was a clubhouse that served the El Conquistador Country Club, that  the country club was part of the deal and that the seller was his biggest campaign contributor. He also failed to share this salient information during LOVE's September interview with him.

The result of all of this was a 2015 Recall Election and even more special interest money. That's our story next time.
---

The Politics Of The Recall Run To The 2014 Elections

Yesterday, in our posting "Hiremath Orchestrating Zinkin Recall", we spoke of Mayor Hiremath's lead role in the Council Member Zinkin recall attempt. We identified the reason he is going after Zinkin.

However, we did not state that it is imperative that the majority and their special interest friends, the Oro Valley Police Officers Association ("OVPOA") and the development community, open Zinkin's seat for election.

The recall is not about Zinkin. Its never been about Zinkin.  The recall is about opening a council seat for election.   Zinkin's recall is a "means to that end." The end goal is to reduce the minority from 3 to 2 on the 7-member council, opening 4 seats, plus a Mayor, for election in 2014.

Its about continuing absolute control of Oro Valley.

On January 1, Thelma Grimes, editor of the local advertising circular, published her opinion on Oro Valley council matters.  The piece speaks mostly of the recall effort and of some of the assertions against Zinkin.  Grimes made one significant observation:

"On the minority side, councilmembers Brendan Burns, Mike Zinkin and Bill Garner are often a vote short of winning on issues from the budget to spending and management of the Oro Valley Police Department." 

She is a bit wrong.  The minority is always a vote short. This is because the majority-4 never break rank.

What Grimes fails to state is that it is precisely because the minority is one vote short of winning on all issues that majority have to get rid of Zinkin!  Zinkin is the most outspoken of the three minority members.

The majority are up for election in November.  If they lose just one seat to the minority view, then they minority will be the majority.  Priorities could change.  For example:

• There could be a study of police operations and the department itself could be shifted from reporting to council to reporting to the town manager.   
• There could be more stringent  enforcement of Oro Valley's sign codes. 
• There could be interpretation to the general plan as a policy statement that is to be followed, not one that is to be "worked-around".   
• There could be a revitalization of Oro Valley's investment in is social infrastructure (Have you seen Steampump Ranch lately?  Its an embarrassment.)  
• There would not be a "jump on the bandwagon" approach to economic development, an approach which puts "current market demand" above all other decision criteria. 

These are different priorities than those displayed during 4-years of council control of the majority-4. Their priority is economic development and protecting the police department.

If the majority and their special interests can get rid of Zinkin, however, then they will have a better chance of keeping the status quo. What is the status quo? As one reader shared with us:

"As tough as 2013 has been in different ways for each of us, I think it's been a tough year for Oro Valley.  Many would look at the mild surplus in the budget, and be pleased; I look at the deficit in social programs, and am disappointed.  Many would highlight the aquatics center, and be pleased.  I look at the decline in quality of service at our Library ( the transfer of which contributed in part to the dollars for the swimming pool ) and feel let down... Many would look at Securaplane and be satisfied with growth; I look at the very ordinary architecture of a very highly visible structure, and wonder what happened to our "scenic corridors". Many would note "signature" events, such as the El Tour, and be happy with the influx of tourist money.  I look at the disgraceful condition of Steam Pump Ranch and the piecemeal approach to the Naranja Town Site, and wonder "what could have been".

2014 is a year in which the owners of Oro Valley, you, will have the opportunity change the town's priories, if you wish to do so.   The loss of a valuable member of our council and a seat that today, truly does belong to the people, will make that change much more difficult to achieve.
---

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. 
---
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.
---
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.

2014 Election: Majority-4's Oro Valley's Special Interests

Five special interest groups participated in the 2010 election. These interest groups endorsed and provided funding for the Majority-4 in their 2010 election. We expect that they will participate once again.  For your reference, here is who they are:

SAHBA

SAHBA is the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. They represent 350 building industry member companies with nearly 5,000 employees.  Their mission is to advocate for public policies and develop activities and services that further the home construction industry."  David Godlweski, a contributor in 2010 to the campaigns of the Majority-4, is SAHBA's president. You may know SAHBA from the annual spring home show that they follow.

SAHBA has considerable "skin in the game" in relation to Oro Valley politics.  They seek candidates who will look favorably on the requests of their members for zoning changes or for general plan amendments.

SAHBA is in the process of endorsing candidates. Their candidate questionnaire asks questions such as:

• What do you feel is the role of home building in Oro Valley’s local economy?
• What will you do to encourage new home construction and economic development if elected to Council?
• Looking ahead, how will you measure or define success in terms of your efforts to encourage new home construction and economic development?
• What does affordable housing mean to you? 
• If elected, what will you do to create and protect affordable housing for working class families in Oro Valley?

We suspect that SAHBA will endorse candidates by early July. We suspect that they will endorse Majority-4.

Firefighers

There were a number of firefighter groups that endorsed and supported candidates in 2010.  These include: The IFFA, the Avondale Firefighters, Firefighters of AZ, United Pima Firefighters and Yuma Firefighers.  (Our Previous Report)  They supported some, if not all, of the Majority-4.  We expect them to support them again.

We have no idea why firefighters have a stake in Oro Valley elections. They have a separate board and are separate from town control.  Could it be that they are providing a reciprocal financial donation for the Oro Valley Police Officers Association?

OVPOA

The Oro Valley Police Officers Association  ("OVPOA") endorse the Majority-4 in 2010. Their stake in the 2014 election is obvious.

The OVPOA follows a specific game-plan as published in "Police Union Power, Politics, and Confrontation in the 21st Century: New Challenges, New Issues." (previous posting).  According that text, OVPOA should only endorse incumbents who score high in their previous council term.  Is there any doubt that the Majority-4 will score high?

Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce

The Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce endorsed the Majority-4 in 2010.  The Chamber changed its name in 2012.  The Chamber is prohibited by agreement with the town in lieu of receiving $30,000 per year, to participate in political activities. So, we do not expect them to endorse any candidate.

Local Advertising Circular 

The local advertising circular endorsed the Majority-4 in 2010. We believe that they will endorse them again in 2014.  The local advertising circular's stake in the game is two-fold. First, it is their need to please their advertisers, who are businesses.  Second, it is to get inside information and cooperation from each member of the Majority-4.
--
Our Conclusion

Here's what we do expect this time around.  Mayoral candidate Straney and council member candidate Bristow will seek only the support of one special interest group, you the citizens. Otherwise, they will neither seek nor will they accept endorsement of special interest groups.

Majority-4's "proven leadership" will continue to serve the special interests.

Guest View: Shirl Lamonna: Your Right To Vote For Qualified Candidates Overthrown

Voting is out cherished right
The "Right To Vote" is one of the most cherished rights of citizenship in the United States. Women in the Suffrage movement fought hard for this right. Some were arrested and placed in solitary confinement in prison. And when they went on hunger strikes to protest this unfair treatment, they were force-fed for as long as three weeks. The public was outraged and after fighting for voting rights for nearly 100 years, American women exercised their right to vote for the first time in 1920.

Oro Valley Council Candidate Lamonna

Nearly 100 years later, our fight is to ensure the security and integrity of the election process. There are many examples of attempts to steal elections throughout history. For example, 135 percent of eligible voters turned out for an 1844 election in New York and more than 5,000 fraudulent absentee ballots were overturned in the 1997 Miami mayor’s race.

Getting candidate nomination papers right matters
But even before the actual elections, there can be problems with the nomination petitions that are a requirement for a candidate to get on the ballot. In 2014, 396 challenges were filed against nomination petitions for potential City Committee candidates in Philadelphia.

Here in the Oro Valley Recall election, local resident Don Bristow filed a challenge against the nomination petitions of Douglas Burke. Burke is running for Mary Snider’s seat and I am also a candidate for that seat.

Oro Valley resident DoBristow challenged Burke's nomonation papers for good reason: The papers were not right!
Bristow was concerned with Burke’s late entry into the recall election. It simply didn’t make sense as Burke had not been involved in town politics before then. So he requested copies of Burke’s nomination petitions in order to verify the integrity of the signatures. He found a number of signatures were invalid because the people who signed did not live in Oro Valley, were not registered to vote, did not include the required date of signature or had previously signed my petitions.

Bristow also discovered that, in addition to these other errors, the backs of the petitions were entirely missing the State required affidavits. Bristow immediately consulted the Pima County Recorder’s Office and an attorney on the process to file challenges. He filed the challenge in Pima County Superior Court three days prior to the statutory deadline.

There is no dispute: Burke did not follow the filing rules
I contributed to funding this challenge of Burke’s candidacy because, based on the law and Bristow’s fact finding, Burke should not have been allowed to be on the ballot.

Both the Town and the County’s motions to dismiss the challenge were denied. Court documents state “There was no dispute that Burke’s petitions did not have any certification on the back page.” The documents further state that the Town Clerk had discovered the errors shortly after Burke submitted his petitions and left her office, but he was never notified. Burke did not dispute any facts of the case.

Ultimately, the Judge declared the challenge “moot” on the basis that it was filed too late. The Judge chose to ignore the statutory deadline. Instead, he chose to allow the election to proceed as is.

The Judge based his decision on testimony from Pima County that the election had already begun. They had already emailed 30 early ballots to military families overseas of which four had been returned. According to the County, a redo would create a great logistical nightmare!

Therefore, Burke is on the ballot despite court findings that his petitions were missing the required certification.

An invalid candidate should not be on the ballot
I believe in the purity of elections; that it is the fundamental right of every Oro Valley resident to vote and to have their vote count. Invalid candidates should never appear on a ballot regardless of who they run against.

My financial contribution to the court challenge was not with nefarious intent as some would lead you to believe. I was a citizen confronted with evidence of errors and the possibility of electoral misconduct. So I did what I felt was necessary to ensure that your right to vote for qualified candidates was not overthrown.

The fact that Burke is one of my two opponents in this race is not the point. Rather, I believe that ballots should contain only the names of candidates who follow the rules of submission for nomination petitions. Otherwise, anyone would be able to get on the ballot.

The filing rules apply to all
I followed the filing rules. So did candidates Steve Didio, Ryan Hurtung, and Pat Straney. None of us decided to ignore a submission rule because, as Burke testified, he “didn’t think it applied” to him.

There are some who will always choose to criticize those of us who do the right thing. They would prefer that we “go with the flow” or “go along to get along.” That’s why Oro Valley – in fact the entire country – is so upset with politics today. That misguided attitude leads to disenfranchised residents whose needs are never considered.

So despite the outcome, I stand by my decision to support the challenge and protect the democratic voting process in Oro Valley. I will always adhere to these standards.

I believe everyone should have a choice and a voice. Vote for honesty and transparency in the November recall election. Vote for someone who will stand up for you and work to end the divisiveness in our Town.

I am Your Choice for a Voice
---

Tonight's Council Meeting To Extend Terms of Mayor and Council

The agenda for tonight's agenda  Oro Valley Town Council meeting includes two resolutions that are the direct result of state legislation. In this case, it is legislation that requires Oro Valley and all other towns that are not charter cities to hold its local elections at the same time as state and national elections.  This introduces partisan politics into Oro Valley Elections.

Another consequence is that the term of the Mayor and Council members must be extended in order to accommodate this change.  Consent agenda Resolution No. (R)13-56 does just that by extending the length of the Mayor and Council members terms to conform.  The terms of Mayor Hiremath and Council Member Hornat, Snider and Waters will extend through November, 2014.  The terms of Council Members Burns, Snider and Zinkin will extend through November, 2016.  Based on this resolution, the official start of newly elected members will occur in December. Our guess is that this would be the first meeting in December.

The second item is on the agenda that relates to the election date change is agenda regular item 3.  It is a public hearing on Ordinance number (O)13-20. This ordinance "... requires the removal of any language prohibiting a councilmember from serving as Vice Mayor during the same year that his or her council term ends, due to both terms potentially ending around the same time.   Current town he "...code currently states that any councilmember whose term is set to expire in June cannot be appointed Vice Mayor.

The ordinance changes the town code such that "At the first regular meeting in January December of each calendar year, the Town Council shall elect one of its members as Vice-Mayor by a majority vote."  For example, Council Member Waters is the current Vice-Mayor.  He and Council Member Snider and Hornat are now eligible to be elected Vice-Mayor.

This change virtually guarantees that council members Burns, Garner and Zinkin  will not be elected Vice Mayor this year.   This is because the majority for a Council always voted lockstep and never vote in agreement with Burns, Garner and Zinkin unless it is a vote to which they all agree.

The role of Vice Mayor is not terribly important. The Vice Mayor serves as mayor in the elected mayor's absence. Other than that Vice Mayor virtually has no authority.   So, one would say, the change really doesn't have much of an impact. Nonetheless, this is just another slight to the three newest members of Council, members were elected by a strong majority of the vote.

What do you think?
---

Councilmember Steve Solomon threatens three Oro Valley women. Part 1.

Over the past couple of months, LOVE has received information about three Oro Valley women who have received threats from Oro Valley Town Councilmember Steve Solomon. Part 1 will discuss the face-to-face threats that he made to two of these women. Part 2 will discuss the email threat that he made to a third woman.

In order to protect the privacy of the two women who were physically approached and who are currently weighing their options for dealing with this situation, LOVE is only going to report on what happened and not release the names of the “victims” at this time.

Solomon vs. the First Amendment
In all three cases, Solomon launched completely uncalled for and out-of-control attacks on all three women due to these women commenting that they believe that wealthy special interest campaign contributions to the current Town Council are influencing Council decisions in favor of these special interest donors. The women have a First Amendment right to state their opinions.

The public incidents
Accounts of these incidents included Solomon acting like a maniac with his face contorted and twisted up as he yelled verbally abusive comments and threatened to sue each woman for slander. He asserted that their comments equated to accusing him of the felony act of bribery. Of note is that no one has accused him or any other council member of doing anything illegal…just unethical.

Hence, we think Solomon doth protest too much. He sure isn’t acting like an innocent person. He’s acting like an animal whose been cornered.

Evidence of developer influence
All one has to do is to look at the Campaign Finance Reports from council elections in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018 and compare it with Town Council meeting minutes to see that the wealthy developer donors have been getting all of their General Plan Amendments and rezoning requests approved despite vocal opposition from numerous well-organized residents who have repeatedly presented valid and well-researched arguments before this Council.

In every single instance, the Council sides with the developers and builders who have funded their campaigns. How can it be that the residents are wrong every. single. time? The law of averages does not support this notion.

What other conclusion can a person draw than to believe that there is a symbiotic relationship between developers and builders who need the Town Council to approve their development proposals and Town Council members who need those special interest donations in order to fund their campaigns.

Solomon puts the “mean” in demeanor
These three women are not the only Oro Valley residents who have made this observation. Numerous Oro Valley residents have made the same comments in Letters to the Editor and also when speaking at Town Council meetings over the past few years.

Not once has any Town Council member felt the need to retaliate by verbally accosting any of these residents or threatening them with lawsuits…until now…until Steve Solomon…and he has chosen to threaten only the women, despite numerous men having made the same observations. We’ll leave it up to our readers to determine why that might be.

LOVE has previously warned Oro Valley residents that Steve Solomon did not have the demeanor to be a council member as we had already witnessed his bullying behavior during his prior brief stint on council from 2010 to 2012. He hasn’t changed and his brutish and bullying behavior appears to have only gotten worse.

How have other Council members handled the same allegations?
As stated above, no other Town Council member has felt the need to retaliate by verbally accosting any of these residents or threatening them with lawsuits. Whenever the topic of special interest donations has come up in the past, the incumbents brush it off by simply stating that the accusations are not true. The only Council member who attempted to defend himself, was Councilmember Joe Hornat who stated with civility that there is nothing in it for him to cater to these special interests. While we appreciate his civility in addressing the topic, we disagree with his conclusions.

An inter-dependent relationship
LOVE will now explain exactly what’s in it for the council members.

Example: Bruce the Builder donates $10,000 to your 2014 campaign because he believes that he can count on you to represent him and his financial interests. If he’s right, Bruce the Builder will recoup that $10,000 donation many times over.

The well-financed councilmembers then vote to approve every development proposal, General Plan Amendment, and rezoning that Bruce the Builder requests over the next four years, allowing him to spread his cookie-cutter homes all over the land. Bruce the Builder’s $10,000 donation served him so well that he will now donate another $10,000 to each of the incumbents 2018 re-election campaigns. Wash, rinse, repeat.

That’s what’s in it for the council members. If they do the bidding of the wealthy special interests who funded their first campaign, those wealthy special interests will continue to fund every campaign. It’s an inter-dependent relationship.

This would explain why it’s the same wealthy members of the development community who donate substantial sums to the incumbents every election season. It’s not rocket science.

We just wonder why Steve Solomon is the only one who was so threatened by these comments that he felt it necessary to verbally assault and threaten two women (one of whom is elderly).

This is what he does best?
LOVE would like to remind our readers of some of the assertions that Steve Solomon made when he was running 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]

We’d say that Solomon needs more practice. Does verbally assaulting people and threatening them with lawsuits for engaging in their First Amendment rights sound like the actions of someone who practices civility?

Part 2 will be published later this week and will discuss the threat that Steve Solomon made in an email to another Oro Valley resident.

2018 Election In Pictures: "Sea Change"

"Sea Change"
The 2018 Oro Valley Mayoral Election was marked by a major swing in votes away from Mayor Hiremath. This downward swing was a continuation of what happened during the 2015 recall election, an election he won by a mere 400 plus votes.

From 2014, when he easily defeated his opponent, to 2018, when he was resoundingly defeated,  the vote swing away from Mayor Hiremath was more than 5,300 votes. That represents a "sea change" in the way voters perceived the Mayor.

One of the other takeaways from this chart is that Mayor Hiremath's cumulative vote margin in four elections was negative: -232 votes. Yes. Mayor Hiremath won three elections but lost the fourth by such a significant margin that it wiped out  all of his margins of previous election victories.
---

Five Key Election Factors: #5 A "Straight Up" Election

This is the first posting of our analysis of the 2018 Oro Valley Mayoral Election. There will be 5 in total, one each for the 5 factors that impacted the election
---
Factor 5: This was a "straight-up" election
The 2018 Oro Valley election was marked with excellent voter turnout, led by an energized electorate. This election was the first since 2006 where two candidates faced-off in election without any intervening factors. It was a "straight up" election. The result: challenger and now Mayor-elect Joe Winfield garnered a whopping 59% of the vote.

The past 3 Mayoral elections (2010, 2014 and 2015) were tainted for three different reasons.
May 2010
Hiremath benefited from what we believe to have been "ballot harvesting". That is the practice of bringing batches of 'voted' mail-in ballots to the polls. It is now an illegal practice.  These ballots are counted after the election. They are provisional ballots.

Recall that Hiremath defeated Mike Zinkin by 30 votes. Hiremath won only because provisional votes, those harvested and dropped at the polling places, broke almost entirely in Hiremath's favor. Strange?Were the ballots influenced in some fashion? Something was wrong, but it never was investigated.

August 2014
Hiremath benefited from a change in the timing of the election. The election was moved from February to August, per state law. Almost 4,000 fewer votes were cast in that election than in 2010. Most independent voters never received ballots. It was a partisan election. The ratio of votes cast in Hiremaths' favor, 62%, approximately mirrored the ratio of registered republicans to democrats in Oro Valley at that time.

August 2015
Hiremath benefited from voter confusion regarding Joe Winfield's withdrawal from the Mayoral race. Winfield had graciously withdrawn to allow support to coalesce around challenger Pat Straney. He withdrew after ballots were printed. Thus, his name was on the ballot. Hiremath barely earned 50% of the 14,800 mayoral votes cast.

The 2018 election was different story
This election was the first time that Hiremath faced a single candidate at a time when "ballot harvesting" was illegal! Add to this the fact that, by 2018, Oro Valley independent voters, with the help of the county recorder and substantial social media notice, actually knew they were supposed to request ballots.  They did so. The result: Mayor-Elect Joe Winfield earned 59% of record number of more than 15,000 mayoral votes cast.
--
Next up
Factor 4: You can "dress-up the pig" but it is still a pig

2015 General Plan Process "In Process"

---

All eyes are focused on this year the November elections. Yes. We agree that this year's elections are important.

For those of us who live in Oro Valley, the November 2014 election will be directly important.  This is because you will be voting on the 2015 General Plan, on three Council Member seats, and the Mayoral seat.

The General Plan is directly important to you.  It sets guidelines in place for ten years regarding how the town will be developed.   It takes considerable time and considerable input to develop and approve a general plan.  The town developed the 2005 General Plan through a combination of town Planning and Zoning leadership, council and mayoral leadership, and significant citizen input.  The plan was initially rejected by the voters. Then, later approved with changes.

The process for creating the 2015 General Plan is being developed by the town's planning staff.  Here's a brief glimpse into how the public will be included in the plan's development:

"Public outreach is a central consideration in renewing the Town Of Oro Valley General Plan. In fact, the first step entails developing a formal Public Participation Plan. Staff is currently drafting multiple proposals with various public outreach strategies and associated budgets. Public participation strategies will ultimately be reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission and approved by the Town Council before being implemented." (Source: Update From Misti Nowak, Communications Administrator, Town Of Oro Valley)

Here are some suggestions we have for the process of developing the plan.

The 2015 General Plan should be developed using a formalized, organized, published process and timetable. The plan should be created from an organization that includes committees comprised of volunteer citizens, town employees, and third parties who have a vested interest in what happens to Oro Valley. The activity should report to the town council. It's progress should be reviewed by them. They should provide updates on the status of the process on a routine basis.

The process of developing the 2015 General Plan is not yet finalized.  Feel free to communicate your thoughts on the process both here on the blog and directly to the town planning staff and town council members.
--

Bits and Pieces

Bizarre

Oro Valley State Representative Adam Kwansman made the most bizarre appeal to his colleagues this week.  In supporting a bill that would allow state single family homeowners to keep poultry at their homes, Kwansman begged fellow legislators to pass the bill because it would be good for his relationship with a girl.  Was he joking? Who knows?  (Source)
---
Oro Valley Elections: Always Rancorous

We thought you'd enjoy this old-time negative campaign add that appeared in the local advertising circular in 2004. The advertisement "names names" and "fear mongers."

"Oro Valley Candidates 2004 and the town council candidates they support are driving down the road to property taxes. By opposing commercial development in Oro Valley, they are cutting off sales tax revenue that Oro Valley needs to fund critical services."

With ads like this, it is no wonder that only a few want to run for town council or mayor.  Who would want to deliberately set themselves up for this insanity?

Fact is, the thing that will drive Oro Valley to the need for property taxes is the drastic over expansion of the town budget, an over expansion like Oro Valley is going to see in 2014-15
---