Jonathan Rothschild is the current outside council to the Town of Oro Valley. He has been such for about four months. Shortly, his contract for renewal will be before council.
Rothschild is the lead negotiator for the Romspen Vistoso Preserve Deal
Rothschild has brought his legal skills to bear in moving the negotiations for the eventual creation of what will be a Vistoso Preserve. Discussions between the potential purchaser of the former Vistoso Golf Course, The Conservation Fund, and the owner, Romspen LLC, were stalled when former outside council, Gary Cohen was involved.
The “Oro ‘f…ing’ Valley” open mike incident
The “Oro ‘f…ing’ Valley” open mike incident
We were surprised to learn that Rothschild referred negatively to Oro Valley in 2019. At least, that is our interpretation of remarks he made in a public meeting while he served as Mayor of the City of Tucson. The remarks were made after a measure to annex a portion of the foothills was rejected by the Tucson City Council, 6-1. Rothschild voted to annex the portion so that a 4 story hotel could be built on land located west of Campbell Rd and north or River Rd. The request also would have increased housing density on the other side of Campbell. Annexation was necessary for the project because Pima County would not allow it. (Source [subscription required])
Obviously disappointed, Rothschild is heard on “live mike” after the hearing was completed saying, indirectly to the audience: “You guys are going to turn into Oro ‘f…ing’ Valley.” After making that remark, the person next to him pushed Rothschilds microphone away, knowing that Rothschilds remark was public. Rothschild’s reaction to that was: “I don’t give a f…” that his disparaging comment was public. We’ve embedded the video in this posting so that you can watch it yourself.
Rothschild’s comments were made a year after the Hiremath pro growth council was defeated. They were made a year after a new council that vowed to more carefully consider the role of growth in Oro Valley was installed. Now Rothschild works for these new council members. The use of the “f-word”, along with the smirk on his face, indicates to us that he has disdain for those who are careful about approving development-related land use changes.
Will Rothschild consider Vistoso residents' concerns when negotiating the Romspen deal?
Rothschild’s comments were made a year after the Hiremath pro growth council was defeated. They were made a year after a new council that vowed to more carefully consider the role of growth in Oro Valley was installed. Now Rothschild works for these new council members. The use of the “f-word”, along with the smirk on his face, indicates to us that he has disdain for those who are careful about approving development-related land use changes.
Will Rothschild consider Vistoso residents' concerns when negotiating the Romspen deal?
We wonder if he has a pro development predisposition given his disparaging remark about our community. One that he seemed completely unapologetic about when he followed his first “f-bomb” with a second one. We wonder if he will be able to be neutral in growth related initiatives if, indeed, he is predisposed to a growth solution.
