Today, we are running a Guest View to make our readers aware of how these residents were treated disrespectfully by Council Member Steve Solomon. Below is the speech that Diane Peters gave during the Call to Audience at the March 20th Town Council meeting in which she called Solomon out for his rude behavior.
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My Call to Audience Speech
I’d like to discuss something that transpired at the last council meeting on March 20. There is one council member who has a pattern of talking down to and ridiculing citizens and even other council members. It happened again that night after the Public Hearing on the Town Centre PAD. For those who don’t know where this is, it’s the land just south of the CVS Plaza with the scenic views of rolling hills and the Catalina Mountains.
The applicant requested 82 mass graded clustered residential lots on average lot sizes of just 6000-7000 square feet, cutting into the hillsides, and building an 8 foot high wall along Oracle Road which would obstruct the views of the mountains and the rolling hills.
12 citizens spoke during the Public Hearing and 67% of them were adamantly against this proposal. Among other things, they cited how this is the most scenic corridor in Oro Valley and it’s not being planned well at all. They cited the additional traffic that would be added to the already congested Oracle Road, the 8 foot high wall obstructing our scenic view of the mountains, and the questionable reputation of the builder.
Then, in his usual condescending tone, this council member chastised the speakers who were AGAINST the proposal. He stated that the engineering firm has “well over $100,000 invested in engineering plans and designs” and that it’s easy for residents who aren’t spending this money to complain about these plans.
He then went on to ridicule residents for having the audacity to offer alternatives and for believing that we can do better. To this, he responded, “You haven’t been working on the design for a year. You’re not the professionals. I could make suggestions on this that I think would be better, but it’s not my property.”
So apparently, we're not allowed to offer suggestions if we're not the professionals and we're not allowed to offer suggestions if it's not our property. So just what is the purpose of the Public Hearings?…The Planning and Zoning Hearings?…The Neighborhood Meetings?
Perhaps this council member needs to familiarize himself with the General Plan. Chapter 5 discusses DEVELOPMENT. And it states that “new residential and commercial development will be accomplished with ABUNDANT INPUT FROM RESIDENTS.”
Regarding Oro Valley’s VISION, the General Plan states:
• Preserve the scenic beauty and environment…our desert and mountain views.
• Protect Scenic Corridors…and the distinctive visual character and visual appeal of Oro Valley.
That is exactly what those residents were fighting for that night. And yet, after listening to the well-researched arguments of the residents, this council member, who ran for Town Council on a platform of CIVILITY, responded once again with disrespect and ridicule.
We’re adults, taxpayers, veterans, parents and grandparents. Collectively, we have a wealth of knowledge and life experiences and, as such, we should be treated with respect by our elected officials.
That council member is Steve Solomon.
Solomon’s feeble response
When I finished my speech, Solomon, who usually prattles on at great length whenever he is convinced that he is right about something, barely offered any retort at all and appeared uneasy while doing so.
Solomon: “What she said was totally…(he was interrupted by the Town Attorney, but was allowed to finish his response a moment later)…Her statements are not true, inaccurate, and one-sided.”
Let’s fact-check that, shall we?
Below is the portion of Solomon’s speech at the March 6th meeting that I referenced in my speech during the Call to Audience.
“This is not a design that was put together in the last 5 minutes. People seem to forget they’ve been working on this for probably a year and probably have well over $100,000 invested in engineering plans and designs so it’s easy for somebody who’s not spending the money to sit up there, for example, one individual said, ‘Why don't they do that?’---
Do you know how complicated it is to make a design with grading and hydrology and view corridors and streets and sewers and water lines? You know, it’s not fair to…say, “Let’s change it” or the generic comment, “We can do better.” Really? You haven’t been working on the design for a year. You’re not the professionals….I could make suggestions on this that I think would be better, but it’s not my property.”
Tomorrow, LOVE will publish the speech given by Oro Valley resident, Bill Gardner, during the March 6th Public Hearing on the Town Centre PAD.
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Diane Peters has lived in Oro Valley since 2003, moving here to escape the humidity of the East Coast. She’s been involved in OV politics and development issues since 2006. In 2014, she organized a citizens group, Citizen Advocates of the Oro Valley General Plan, who over a 9-month period, successfully negotiated a controversial 200-acre development project. In her past life, she worked in medical research at various University Hospitals in New England. Her interests include reading, writing, nature photography, travel, art galleries, museums, and politics.
