From Frustration to Action: Bohen's Fierce Advocacy For Residents

Insightful perspectives directly from the candidates 

This is the third part of our series on the Sun City Candidate Forum held on June 12. Last week, we wrote about Mo Greene's council goals. Yesterday, we featured Elizabeth Robb's thoughts. Tomorrow we feature Mary Murphy.  Today we feature Tim Bohen, in his own words.

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My first four years on council: From frustration to action
"Why did I get involved in this town when I moved here in 2015? It’s because I was frustrated by town government and in particular what I saw as the indifference and lack of engagement from council members.

As a trained engineer, I saw that a dogged approach to collecting information can give you the solutions to problems you do not think that you can get. You’ve got to define the problem properly and then you have to get all the information that is relevant to solving that problem. It shouldn’t be a solution that is worse than the problem or a solution that does not help anybody, but rather it moves you forward."

I am and will always be an advocate for Oro Valley's residents
"A lot of residents brought a lot of their work and their life experience to Oro Valley and I saw a shocking disregard for resident interest by previous councils. I felt like the only ears that they wanted to talk to were developer ears. Developers got everything they wanted. Oro Valley was never supposed to be a huge place. It’s 15 miles from I-10. We have a rural road network here. What is a rural road network? It is a mile between the major streets -- east and west, and north and south."

My goal is to ensure that our town operates with absolute fiscal responsibility
"I wanted the residents of our town to have a council member, at least one, that is extremely knowledgeable about our Town finances. I attended two of your Sun City board meetings where you guys talked about your golf course and restaurant, and the level of oversight I saw from Sun City was far superior to the level of oversight we engage in, in my opinion, for our restaurant and our golf courses. You have your golf course manager here. You're asking detailed questions every month. We have nothing like that kind of relationship in a much more expensive contract.

Even though you have a restaurant and a golf course here, you're also paying for 45 holes of golf and a restaurant down the road via the half-cent sales tax. That’s about $4 million a year. Divide $4 million a year by 50,000 people, and you're talking $80 a person. You don't realize you're paying that because you pay it in this half-cent sales tax that's attached to everything and that's why I've been such an advocate for having really good oversight over what we spend on that facility."

And I will be sure that you know what is going on
"The final thing I want to do is kind of related to the first two as a council member. I want to be informative. I want to always explain why I think what I think at the council meetings. Why do we have to rely on newspapers and news stations, who's almost never here, to tell us about what's going on in Oro Valley? I think the best source of information for what's happening at a top level are your council members. Your council members should speak freely and in a straightforward way about the financial situation of the town and why we approach things the way we do."

My goal: To make a tangible difference for you in the next four years
"I'm an engineer and naturally curious. I was never involved in local government in any way, shape, or form until I moved here. I experienced real frustrations dealing with this government, and I threw my hat into the ring in 2020. Maybe you see it on the committees for Sun City or Oro Valley. You get involved in things and you see a concrete result for yourself and the people that you represent. I find that enormously satisfying. I really love this job and I ask for the opportunity to continue doing it for four more years."

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The Battle for Oro Valley: Which Three Candidates Will Secure Your Vote?

Four candidates seek three open seats

There are four candidates for three council seats. You will be voting for them in the July 30 primary. If you are a registered independent, be  sure to order either a Republican or a Democrat Ballot or you won't be able to vote unless you go the the polls. You can order your ballot by contacting the Pima County Recorder's Office at 520-724-4330.

Vote only for those you want in office

Now that you know how to vote, you need to decide for whom you are going to vote. There are three council seats so you can cast up the three votes. You're not required to do so. You should cast a vote for only those whom you want on council. Otherwise, if you vote for a person you don't want on council, you increase the vote count threshold for those you want on council.

LOVE's "Candidate Snapshot" can help you decide

We've created a "Candidate Snapshot"which summarizes each candidate.We created the snapshot based on research and based on our discussions with three of the  candidates. 

The candidates share common ground on issues such as water conservation, public safety, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement. They differ in their approaches to revenue diversification, growth management, specific water conservation initiatives, and their methods of collaboration and engagement.

While the candidates do agree on the following...

• The importance of water conservation and sustainable management of water resources. 
• The importance of maintaining strong public safety services and ensuring that police officers are well-compensated and supported. 
• The need for fiscal responsibility, though they have different approaches to achieving it 
• The importance of community engagement and collaboration with regional authorities and state agencies.

There is some divergence in their approach

• When it comes to fiscal responsibility, Bohen wants to focus attention on improving the efficiency of town operations and better prioritization of spending, while Greene, Robb, and Murphy are open to diversifying revenue through various means. 
• When it comes to growth management, Bohen emphasizes infill development, while the others are more open to strategic growth in areas with infrastructure and preserving the town’s character. 
• Regarding water conservation, Bohen proposes direct non consumption drinking water use reduction actions, while others focus on using technology, promoting responsible usage, and water harvesting.
• In the area of collaborating with other entities, Bohen focuses on direct engagement, Greene emphasizes strategic planning and grants, Robb highlights proactive partnerships, and Murphy emphasizes regional planning and resource sharing.

Tomorrow, Sun City is holding a candidate forum. This is something they've done for years. However, we've learned that this time the forum is not really a forum and that it is not open to the public, so we're not sure whether will be able to report on it or not. If we can will let you know what we learn.

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Town Causes Ecological Disaster: Water Pipeline Installation on the Silverhawke Trail Wreaks Havoc on the Environment (Part 1)

The following information has been supplied to LOVE by Oro Valley residents Amy Eisenberg, Ph.D and John Amato. They are both devout protectors of desert tortoises and other wildlife. Dr. Eisenberg is an Associate Scholar at the Center for World Indigenous Studies at the University of Arizona and a Jane Goodall Institute grantee for Stewardship and the Preservation of Life. Mr. Amato is a visual anthropology and natural history photographer.
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Purpose of the Project
According to the Town, “The purpose of this project is to provide second source of water to Catalina Shadows subdivision and Palisades area, as well as improving water quality to Palisades and Catalina Shadow...The project started early January and is expected to complete mid-March.” A separate Town document reveals that the new pipeline is 8 inches in diameter.

Total disregard for the sanctity of nature
In late January, Dr. Eisenberg and her partner, photographer John Amato, began contacting the Town of Oro Valley (mayor, council, town manager, and the planning and zoning administrator) and American Tower Corporation (the company that’s installing the water pipeline off Labyrinth Drive and the Silverhawke Conservation Trail) informing them that, “the heavy equipment operators are smashing trees unnecessarily and workers are dumping their equipment on living vegetation” that tortoises and other native creatures depend on for sustenance. They stated that the area is being “torn apart by indiscriminate driving of the large equipment.”

Although they acknowledge that the pipeline is needed, they described the method of installation as “irresponsible and careless” and asked for some oversight someone in the town.

Councilmember Bohen was the only councilmember to respond and visit the site
According to Eisenberg and Amato, the only person from the town who responded to their pleas is Councilmember Tim Bohen who agreed to visit the site. He believes that it is the responsibility of councilmembers “to oversee the Town Staff oversight of construction projects which have a negative impact on our beautiful environment…”

After visiting the site, Bohen said it was unclear to him why “more care is not being exercised in clearing the land.” He continued, “The contractor seems unaware of the habitat value of the land. Thus, standard techniques for clearing the land may be being used when there may be better options that allow the pipe to be installed with less impact to the habitat.”

What was supposed to happen vs. what actually happened
Mr. Amato informed LOVE that he encountered a town worker in that area some months ago and inquired about the plans. The town worker explained the scope of the work and assured Mr. Amato that the town would do all they could to preserve the lives of the tortoises and other wildlife, and that residents would be kept informed of what was going on and would be allowed to have input.

Mr. Amato states that this did not happen “and now life in the area where they are working is being destroyed. Trees torn apart, dens of tortoises and snakes gone…This is how to preserve and honor life? Where is the Mayor?”

20-60 foot wide swath of wildlife habitat destroyed for an 8-inch diameter pipe
The town worker told Mr. Amato that the trench for the water pipe would be about 12 feet wide, but Amato states that much of the destruction is 20 feet wide with some areas well over 30 feet wide and up to 60 feet wide. (Remember, this is for an 8-inch diameter pipe!) He asks, “Who is going to restore this area to its native state and who will oversee the restoration?”

Dr. Eisenberg stated that “this area has been severely impacted by American Tower workers, AT&T, Meritage Homes, and now Oro Valley government.” She said that the lack of response from Oro Valley government has been “deeply disheartening.”

The Town finally responded on February 7.
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Part 2 of this story, including the Town’s response, will be published tomorrow.