Can't We All Just Get Along?

We wonder why it is so difficult for Council Member Mike Zinkin to get answers from Town Manager Greg Caton or Police Chief Dan Sharp on even the simplest of questions.    The latest request, as Mike provided to many, involves a rather simple request to provide some detail regarding what Police overtime costs and council meeting security needs.

Mike believes that it is his responsibility to question police expenditures since the police department reports directly to the Oro Valley Town Council.    He also believes that it is his responsibility to ask questions because you elected them to do so.

It seems, however, that whenever Mike asks a simple question he gets either no response or a response that is so confusing that it makes no sense.    It also seems that it takes forever for Mike to get a response.

We don't want to bore you with the details of the latest request.   Here is a sample.  In one part of this recent request, Mike asks about police presence at Oro Valley Town council meetings.  Mike reasons that Oro Valley is alleged to be one of the safest cities in the nation.  Why, he wonders, do we have the security coverage we do when, in addition, we have the Chief or his assistant sitting on the dais at council meetings.  Aren't they part of providing security?

Rather than answering the question, Town Manager Caton  said that he could not respond to that because counsel security was a matter that should only be taken up with the full Council.   Zinkin  sought to legal counsel advise on this and found that Caton was not correct.

It really is time for simple questions to be answered in a simple manner.  Every question asked does not have a nefarious intent. The questions are being asked because, in this case, a council member believed that the information that he has been provided at a council meeting was not complete.

It is not big deal.

Provide the information. Let's move on!

"Can't we all just get along?"
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