Bits and Pieces

Holiday Festival of the Arts this weekend at the Oro Valley Marketplace 

Art State Arizona and the Town of Oro Valley will host the 14th Annual Holiday Festival of the Arts & Tree Lighting Celebration on December 6–7 at the Oro Valley Marketplace. The free two-day event features more than 150 artists, over 500 performers, hands-on activities for kids, festive food, and the community tree lighting at 6 p.m. Saturday. This long-running celebration has grown into one of Southern Arizona’s signature holiday weekends, drawing thousands each year. See the two day event schedule here.

 “Safest City in Arizona” and holiday scams featured in this month's Crimefighter Newsletter

The Oro Valley Police Department ("OVPD") reports that Oro Valley was ranked the #1 Safest City in Arizona earlier this year by security company SafeWise, based on the latest FBI crime statistics showing the town had the lowest violent crime rate in the state. The department credits the community’s support, strong crime-prevention programs, and the work of its officers and volunteers for maintaining the town’s safety record. See the list here.

OVPD is warning residents about a spike in holiday scams, citing a Visa report showing that criminals are using more sophisticated, AI-generated fake shopping sites, package-delivery texts, travel deals, and even bogus charities to steal personal and financial information. Residents are urged to avoid clicking unknown links, verify websites before purchasing, and confirm the legitimacy of any charity before donating. (Source)

Council continues silence on possible Copper Creek Elementary closing
Wednesday, the Oro Valley Town Council remained silent on the possible closing of Copper Creek Elementary during last week’s meeting. This was the final meeting of the year, so there will be no further opportunity for council discussion before the Amphi School District makes its decision in January. Not one council member suggested adding the matter as a future agenda item.

No residents attended the meeting to voice concern or ask for council support. Perhaps the council viewed the absence of public comment as a reason to do nothing. Still, as we and others reported last week, there are residents who are worried.

We had hoped the council would show some leadership by ensuring those residents are heard and that their concerns are communicated to the Amphi School District before its January decision. We are not alone in that view. “This should have been anticipated and we should already have engaged area residents and at least have some options for addressing this. Unfortunately, not so,” Mayoral Candidate Mark Napier wrote on our Facebook page.

"Lights On Landoran" 

The holiday display and synchronzed musical light show is back at the west intersection of Landoran and Golf View Drive. The display runs nightly through New Year’s Day—6 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It's well worth the visit.

Council Member Greene announces that he is "alive and well"

Council Member Mo Greene addressed a "social media" rumor that he was going to resign from council. Greene, speaking at the Wednesday Council meeting, quoted Mark Twain, noting that "the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Greene has every intention of completing his term.

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OVCN Gets 36-Foot Height Approval as Council Sidesteps Conflict, Overrides Commission

Town Council approved 36-foot height for new OVCN sanctuary
After a two-and-a-half-hour discussion last Wednesday, the Oro Valley Town Council approved a maximum height of 36 feet for a new sanctuary building planned by the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene (OVCN). In doing so, the Council overruled the Planning and Zoning Commission’s earlier decision, which had limited the building height to 24 feet. For comparison, the church’s existing sanctuary stands at 29 feet.

But not without "drama"
As previously reported, OVCN had requested an eight-month continuance to submit a more complete set of conceptual plans. Church representatives argued that pairing the height request with a full development plan would give the Council and the public more context—particularly regarding traffic, parking, drainage, and landscaping.

However, as Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett noted during the discussion, the Town already had sufficient information to decide the height question. “We know what the height is. We have the plans. We are not lacking information to make a decision on height,” she said, adding that the site’s context and the Planning and Zoning Commission’s findings gave the Council what it needed to act now.

After denying a continuance ...
After hearing 16 public comments—both for and against the continuance—the Council narrowly voted 4–3 to deny the delay. The motion to continue was made by Mayor Joe Winfield, who believed the additional time and planning detail would help the Council reach a better decision. Barrett’s position prevailed, and she was joined by Councilmembers Nicholson, Robb, and Jones-Ivey in voting no.

…Attention turned to the height request
With the continuance denied, the Council turned its attention to the appeal itself—specifically, whether to uphold or overrule the Planning and Zoning Commission’s denial of the height exception. The Council chose not to deliberate on whether the Commission had erred. Instead, they bypassed that issue and directly overruled the decision, granting a modified height exception.

Barrett proposed a 29-foot option
During that discussion, Vice Mayor Barrett proposed limiting the height to 29 feet—the same as the existing sanctuary. She noted that this would have been consistent with what the church had previously offered earlier in the process. Given our understanding of the situation, we have little doubt that had she remained firm, that suggestion would have passed.

But then, late in the game, Barrett took a huge “leap of faith”
However, Barrett later withdrew that suggestion and agreed to support the 36-foot height limit—but only on the condition that OVCN make a genuine effort to work with nearby residents to address their concerns. She emphasized that while she supported the increased height in this case, it came with the expectation that the church would actively engage the community and demonstrate responsiveness going forward.

“If the Town Council grants the 36 feet, you will still go through a development plan review process and work with neighbors and address any traffic concerns such as potential road widening, parking issues, etc., correct?” she asked. OVCN’s representative responded that they would be happy to do so.

However, according to individuals who oppose the height request, OVCN’s history of working with neighbors over the past four years has been anything but forthright.

Council approved 36' height
The final motion, which passed unanimously, stated:

“I move to overrule the Planning and Zoning Commission denial of the building height increase request and conditionally grant a building height increase of 36 feet maximum, including conditions one, two, and four.”

These conditions require that the new building not exceed 36 feet in height as shown in the submitted plans, that a future development plan must align with this height approval, and that the height limit excludes rooftop features like parapets or mechanical screens.

Much to the joy of Councilmember Greene who, despite clear ethicL conflict, voted and then celebrated OVCN victory
Councilmember Mo Greene is a member of OVCN. Despite this clear ethical conflict of interest, Greene did not recuse himself from the vote, nor did any councilmember raise the issue. Instead, Green voted in favor of the church’s request and, when the motion passed, applauded and raised his hand in celebration toward the audience. His reaction is captured in the panel at left.

Fortunately, Barrett spared the Planning and Zoning Commission from rehashing a height request it already rejected
The next step is for the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene to submit a development plan. That plan will first be reviewed by Town staff, then by the Planning and Zoning Commission, and finally by the Town Council.

Vice Mayor Barrett’s insistence on deciding the height now—rather than postponing the matter—ensured that the final decision rested with the Council, not the Commission, which had already reviewed and rejected the height request earlier this year.

Residents will have additional opportunities to participate during the upcoming development plan process.
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Shake Up the Council: Massive Undervoting Signaled Strong Support for Newcomers

Most voters cast only two, and not three votes
In the 2024 Oro Valley Council election, the vast majority of voters made a deliberate choice: Instead of voting for the allowed three candidates, 70% chose to vote for only two. The two candidates they overwhelmingly supported were Mary Murphy and Elizabeth Robb, who together received 4,800 more votes than incumbents Tim Bohen and Mo Greene. This gave them a significant 30% voting advantage in a four-person race. It’s likely that some voters paired Greene with Murphy or Bohen with Robb in their selections, but most decided not to cast their third vote.

Demonstrating a desire for new leadership
The clear message from voters in 2024 was: "We want fresh thinking on the council." Although incumbent Mo Greene was re-elected, it seems to be more due to the availability of an additional seat and a lack of a strong newcomer opponent rather than strong voter support. Greene received nearly 2,000 fewer votes than either of the two newcomers, suggesting that his presence on the council is more a result of circumstance than a strong voter mandate.

Golf Course stance cost Bohen the election
Greene narrowly defeated Bohen by 556 votes, with 542 of those votes coming from the three precincts around the town’s municipal golf courses. Bohen, known for his critical stance on the financial transparency of the town's golf operations, evidently lost support in these areas. However, his position didn’t gain him additional votes elsewhere in the community, indicating that most voters are indifferent to the golf course issue. This outcome highlights a key lesson from this election.

A shift in voter sentiment from the 2022 Election
The 2024 Council election results are a stark contrast to those of 2022, when voters clearly supported the continuation of the current council's direction by re-electing the three incumbents—Barrett, Nicolson, and Jones Ivey—with a 4,700-vote plurality, an 18% advantage in a six-person race. The number of ballots with less than three council votes in the 2024 election was notably higher, with 70% of voters opting not to use their third vote, compared to just 15% under-voting in 2022.

The new members will be seated on council in early November.

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Editor Note: An “undervote” occurs in an election when a voter selects fewer candidates than the number allowed for a particular race. For example, if voters are permitted to choose up to three candidates but only select one or two, those unselected slots are considered undervotes. The undervote is calculated by subtracting the total number of votes cast for all open positions from the total number of votes that could have been submitted. In our analysis, we divided that number by the number of ballots cast to determine the percent of ballots that contained less than three votes.  

Sun City Forum: The Bizarre Council Goals of Harry Greene

Insightful perspectives directly from the candidates 

At last week’s Sun City Candidate Forum, candidates shared their visions for a spot on the council. Today, we present current council member Mo Greene's thoughts. We will share the thoughts of other candidates in future weeks.

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Candidate Mo Greene's approach in his own words

"My approach to the town council job has really been tempered by these other life experiences. Being a doctor makes you see things differently. The ADA part I talked about. When I was playing tennis, seeing people who couldn't get around as well, that was an important thing."

Greene sees his approach in the creation of the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

",,,when Rompsen been pulled away from the golf course up here, the residents, like yourselves, rallied. They said, we're not going to stand for this. We're going to keep this, We're not going to have our property values destroyed. And they, and the Conservancy, and eventually the town came together to say, we're going to turn this into a park. We're going to make it something absolutely special. And so that's what's happening. And in just a few more years, we will be able to look to that as a real gem in the south. Well, I think I've babbled on about long enough, so I'm really interested in your questions and what you have to say."

Editors Note: Council Member Greene's  only role in creating the Preserve was voting in favor of it.

Greene also painted a portrait of former
Police Chief Danny Sharp and gave it to him
at a council meeting in 2020

His approach includes giving people plaques and paintings

Realizing that he was babbling, Greene, in a most bizarre move, abruptly concluded his remarks by giving a plaque to Joy Newton, the Sun City Candidate Forum panel moderator. He said: "I'd like to close my remarks with what's on this plaque. It's from Edward Everett Hale, who is a person from the Boston area. 'I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I'm not going to refuse to do the something I can do.'" He turned to Newton and added, "I present this to Joy because she's that kind of person, and I'd like to ask for your support this fall."

Editors note: It appeared to us that Greene played some role in planning this forum. As we noted, Greene presented Newton a plaque; and at the end of the meeting, with an astonished Newton looking on, Greene closed the meeting. 

Greene's two main goals for the next four years are not related to local government

"I have two long term issues that I'm interested in. One is having a rail system from here to Phoenix and on to LA. And the second is to have sustainable water for the rest of our lives.... And I'm spending a lot of time looking at the desalinization and spending a lot of time talking to my friends, actually from Israel, who have helped flourish the desert in the south area around them. And it is possible. It's very expensive. It requires a lot of energy. But the water could be brought into the CAP water system. At which point we would have water for as long as we and our grandchildren would live." 

Greene advocatess for high density use of town's remaining undeveloped land

Six percent of the town is yet to be developed. At the Forum, when asked how this land should be used, Greene noted that that land should be used for high density housing. He states the following with no justification of fact. 

"We need senior housing. They don't need necessarily or we don't necessarily need big mansions. We need places where we can live and flourish. In the meantime, after that we need some long-term care facilities or congregate living spaces. On the end of that, we need some hospices and other places where people can go as we age. We need to really be careful and thoughtful about what we do." 

Greene does not challenge or perhaps understand information given him by staff

During his four years on the council, Greene has accepted information provided by staff without question. His inability or unwillingness to challenge information he gets was clear at the forum. In answering a question about housing needs in Oro Valley, Greene quoted numbers from the internet without understanding them. "Right now in Sun City there's 407 homes for sale. The average price is $317." When questioned, he said, "Not in Sun City? I got this off the internet, so it could be wrong." Simple logic should have told him that 25% of the homes in Sun City are not for sale and that $317 was probably $317,000.

LOVE's Thoughts: Even after four years on council, Greene has no idea of what the real issues are that Oro Valley is facing...but he is a really accomplished artist!

Taken all together, Greene’s thoughts are disconnected from the issues that face Oro Valley and the need for responsible government. His approach is focused more on personal anecdotes and broad visions than on practical solutions for the town’s current challenges. His ideas, like advocating for a rail system to Phoenix and desalinization projects, fall outside the scope of local governance. Moreover, his push for high-density housing development without substantial justification raises concerns about potential influences from his developer campaign contributors. But, as you can see from the panel above and from a 2014 LOVE article, Greene is a very accomplished artist.

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The Desperate Tactics of Candidate Harry "Mo" Greene

Faced with a record of doing nothing during his four years on council, Mo Greene chooses the low road

Candidate Mo Greene has seemingly concluded that he cannot compete with candidate Tim Bohen on a straightforward basis. Both are current council members. Both are vying for a seat on council. Bohen is running on the issues.  Greene, on the other hand, has resorted to going after Bohen in a most unusual way.

Greene "plays the victim"

Greene has resorted to portraying himself as a victim, alleging to one reliable source that Bohen has threatened to kill him. This claim is ridiculous. If Bohen had indeed made such a threat, Greene would have reported it to the police immediately. Filing police reports on Bohen is a common tactic used by his compadre and current Councilmember Steve Solomon. Greene has not presented any evidence to support his accusation. And he has filed no such report.  Greene was "so afraid" of Bohen that he asked for, but did not get, police protection at last week's Sun City candidate forum.  Trust us. Greene survived nicely. Just like Bohen's supposed threat, nothing happened. It's all smoke.

...cover up four years of doing nothing on council

The core issue for Greene is his lack of accomplishments on which to campaign. During four years on the Town Council, he has achieved virtually nothing, as evidenced by the panel at right, listing his accomplishments. 

Desperate to come up with something he did, he grabs onto the work of others...

Last week, at the Sun City Candidate Forum, Greene was so desperate to demonstrate that he actually did something in his four years on council that he claimed credit for an elevator that is being added to the community center. It was not his idea. The idea came from former Oro Valley resident Jim Horne, who embarrassed the council into doing something in 2022.  Interestingly, Candidate Bill Rodman made a big deal about it during his failed campaign in 2022.

It took until March 1, 2023, for the council to act to approve an elevator. The motions needed for this were made by Vice Mayor Barrett and seconded by Council Member Nicolson.  All seven Council Members, including Bohen and Greene, voted to approve. The vote was the extent of Greene's involvement. 

The only notable action Greene took in his four years on council was to second every motion made by Councilmember Solomon.

Tomorrow: "Candidate Greene Discusses His Goal's on Council and More..."

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Guest View-Jack Stinnett: “Mo” Greene’s Shocking Ties to Developer Donations

Accused Price Fixer, HSL Properties, bas been a fixture in financing Oro Valley candidates since 2014
Since 2014, their practice has been to invest in the campaigns of development-friendly candidates. Their goal is to displace non-aligned, self-funded candidates on the council, none of whom were development-inclined. 

This approach reached a zenith in 2016 when HSL-funded council members Steve Solomon and Bill Rodman were elected to the council by outspending and defeating incumbents Mike Zinkin and Bill Garner.

The HSL strategy of financing candidate campaigns paid off for them
Since buying the El Conquistador resort in 2015, HSL Properties has developed apartments along Oracle Road. In addition, it has 500 apartments approved for their Oro Valley Marketplace development and is Oro Valley’s largest rental landlord. HSL is currently charged with price fixing rents.

Residents said "No" to developer campaign financing in 2018
Oro Valley residents voted out HSL-supported candidates in the 2018 council election and in 2022 rejected the HSL candidates once again. This occurred despite more than $81,000 of HSL-directed donations to mayoral candidate Sharp and council candidates Rodman, Hurt, and Erceg.

These donations included $32,000 from four HSL family trusts, which constitute campaign finance violations. That matter is currently being investigated by the Pima County Attorney.

Solomon and Greene, HSL-financed current council members, championed high-rise apartments for the Oro Valley Marketplace in 2022
Re-elected in 2020, council member Steve Solomon was the HSL spokesman for their proposed five and six-story apartments at the Oro Valley Marketplace. Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene, newly elected in 2020, provided the necessary second for Solomon’s pro-HSL Oro Valley Marketplace motions and voted with Solomon to approve the Town West / HSL plan for these apartments. Fortunately, the Winfield majority voted down the Solomon-Greene motion and approved two and three-story apartments at the Marketplace. These apartments will be adjacent to the Tangerine Road and Oracle Road scenic corridors.

Now, HSL funds Greene’s re-election campaign
In the first quarter of this year, HSL’s owner and employees contributed $13,050 to “Mo’s” re-election campaign [panel above right]. None of the contributors are residents of Oro Valley. The second quarter campaign finance report may show more.  Even, then, there will be a campaign finance report filed after the election. That may contain more.  For example, Greene reported an added $4,500 recived  from HSL officers and employees after the 2020 election. 

With council member Solomon’s recent announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2024, it looks as if Dr. Greene, if re-elected, will likely be the HSL spokesman on the Oro Valley Town Council. So look for HSL funded campaign ads and thousands of mailers supporting “Mo” and attacking his opponents to help re-elect their main man.
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Editor Note: No other candidate has accepted donations form the development community.

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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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Council Election Campaigns Begin (Updated January 5, 2024)

Update as of January 6

There  six people have picked up candidate packets for the election from the town clerk. They are: Harry "Mo" Greene, Mary Murphy, Tim Bohen, Elizabeth Robb, Sarah Lee-Davisson and Mike Zinkin. Zinkin has informed us that he will not seek a council seat. Greene, Murphy and Bohen are running. We have no confirmation on the status of Davisson and Robb.

Council Candidates are collecting signatures to get on the ballot
2024 Oro Valley Town Council election is underway. There are three council seats for election. These seats are held by current council members Bohen, Greene,and Solomon. Greene and Bohen have announced for reelections. There is a third candidate, Mary Murphy, a former member of the town's Board of Adjustment. 

LOVE plans to cover the election from start to finish

...as we did the when these seats were up for election in 2020. We herby offer each candidate the opportunity to used LOVE's Guest View program to introduce themselves and communicate directly with you. We will also provide links to their web sites (right column) as they become available to us.

468 Signatures required to get on the ballot
Candidates must submit at least 468 valid elector signatures in order to be on the ballot. The signatures ("nomination papers") must be submitted by April 8.  Unlike previous elections, we expect that all candidates will use online as well as in-person signature gathering. 

You can sign an online petition for a candidate, starting the process here. Online requires a valid drivers license or your entering in personal data. Once you have done this, you will be presented with a list of all candidates in the state who are seeking to get on the ballot for other elections. Scroll until you find the Oro Valley election.  You are allowed to sign the petition of up to three Oro Valley candidates. And we encourage you to do so.

Positive campaigns by all candidates...
The 2020 election for these council seats was  marred by dirty tricks. The tricksters were current council members Solomon and Greene. They hired a political consulting firm. They mailed glossy "hit pieces" on candidate Bill Garner. Greene solicited the help of former police chief and former mayor candidate Danny Sharp. Sharp in a glossy mailer was in police uniform when he asserted that Garner was anti-cop. The town issued a letter to Greene to remove that picture. (link to 7-14-20), 

Wait. There's more. Solomon also went so far as to slap stickers on his campaign sign, saying that he was going to "Preserve Vistoso". This implied that that Solomon was endorsed by the group, "Preserve Vistoso". He was not. In fact, Solomon was anything but supportive.  He was one of the people who wanted to parse the entire golf course for development.

Would be "a breath of fresh air"
New candidate Mary Murphy has pledged that she is going to run a positive campaign: "I look forward to running a very positive campaign focused on ways in which I can best serve our wonderful Oro Valley community!" We know that candidate Tim Bohen will do the same. We don't have any confidence that Greene will do the same, the third announced candidate.  We suspect that he will focus his election efforts on going after Bohen, if Solomon is also on the ballot with him. We hope that that will be a failed strategy because we don't think people should be elected because they've slammed the other candidate.

Campaign Financing: "You are judged by the company you keep"
Special interest contributions have dominated campaign funding of pro-growth candidates since 2010. In 2020 we wrote Big money buys access, referring to the substantial special interest funding of the last Solomon and Greene campaign. Since then, both have voted in favor of every proposed rezoning, most of which have been rejected by the council majority.  This, as opposed to Tim Bohen's 2020 campaign which was much more modest in funding and all contributions came from residents. Will the same happen in 2024? In Bohen's case, we know it will.  We suspect Solomon,, if he runs, and Greene will do as they did then.  We have no idea of Mary Murphy's campaign financing plan. In any event, we will be watching when the first meaningful campaign finance reports come out in June.

More to follow as we learn more
Our plan is to keep you informed of any developments as they happen during this 2024 council election season. So stay tuned for more.

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Council Appropriates $3.2 million More For Naranja Park Buildout

Council appropriated $3.2 million reserves for Naranja Park Buildout
On November 16, the Oro Valley town Council appropriated $3.2 million to “complete” the build out of Naranja park amenities. The approval is exactly what Town staff wanted and includes all of the value engineering changes town staff recommended.  In addition, the council earmarked $509,000 of development impact fees to cover the overrun.

Bond project items that will not be funded at the moment are detailed in our posting of November 16. These will be subject to “pay as you go” spending. 

Nicolson: Sports Tourism is "front and center"

One of the key areas considered by the Council was sports tourism. This concept was introduced to council by former Mayor Hiremath. Councilmembers Nicolson and Jones-Ivey want a world-class pump track that can be used for competition. They think that it will bring people from out of town who will stay in the hotels that have yet to be built. During the one hour discussion, Nicolson, focused only on the pump track. He spoke of nothing else. Clearly, Nicolson wants his pump track.

Musette Drive Connection from Tangerine

Barrett: Borrowing was a good deal when we did it

Vice mayor Barrett commented several times during the meeting to justify why borrowing money to finance the park was good idea. The town received a favorable interest rate on the $25 million in borrowing. The amount of funding to build out the amenities was estimated to be $33 million. Yes. The amount ballooned to well over $50 million, Barrett noted. 

Mayor Winfield claimed that there was no way to predict the overrun

According to Winfield, the original estimate was provided by an engineering firm. This is not the case. It was provided by a Parks Consultant. In addition, the council was advised on several occasion by Public Works Director Keesler that there were materials shortages and that costs were rapidly inflating. 

Solomon: Council ignored statistically valid survey regarding parks priorities

Councilmember Steve Solomon said the same thing that he has said every time this subject is on the agenda. His assertion is that the amenities that are being built don’t follow what people want because they don’t in any way sync with the statistically valid survey that the town did 18 months ago. No one asked for a skate park. Or a splash pad. Residents want trails. Solomon is correct. But that ship has sailed!

Bohen: Last election validates doing this

Councilmember Bohen pointed out that we had a recent election of four people. These are the same four people who proposed the bond. They were reelected. Obviously, the community felt they were doing the right thing.

Greene voted "no" but gave no reason

Councilmember Mo Greene did not vote for the measure. He did not state the reason why he voted “no” since he did not speak. Our guess is that he was caught off guard when Solomon voted in favor. Generally, Greene votes the way Solomon votes.

Winfield's "sleight-of-hand" succeeds

Mayor Winfield is giddy over the fact that Naranja Park is going to be completed. He achieved what former Mayors Paul Loomis and Satish Hiremath were not able to get done. Both Loomis and Hiremath proposed that the town issue bonds that would be paid via a secondary property tax.  Residents voted “no” on that. 

Winfield, on the other hand, circumvented the entire “property tax thing” by issuing a bond that will be serviced from the existing sales tax. A rather clever sleight-of-hand. Oh yes… Winfield and his council also abandoned the “pay as you go” funding for parks improvements. This is a policy that his council at one time affirmed and that all council’s have followed.  The reason that policy prevailed is that is unwise to borrow to fund “wants.”

The "thing in the punch bowl:" Town has no idea what it will cost to maintain Naranja Park

What is lost in all of this is what it is going to cost to maintain the new Naranja Park. Ongoing maintenance cost of the facility has never been considered by this Council  This despite the fact that town ordinances require estimating maintenance cost before committing to build any facility. That is simply smart fiscal management. It is important to know what it is going to cost to maintain a new facility because that cost is borne in future budgets.

Glossy Mailers and Flashy Ads Misstate the Facts… Add Nothing To The Conversation

Glitter ain’t gold

Glossy mailers and ads in a local advertising circular are making assertions against the incumbents running for Mayor and council. These mailers are being paid for by the “Keep OV Strong Pac”. 

A week ago Friday, resident Jack Stinnett wrote a Guest View disclosing some of those behind this PAC. They include current Council Members Mo Greene and Steve Solomon and current council candidate Bill Rodman.

One marketing company working for all

It is rather unseemly that a current Council Member and one who wants to be a Council Member would condone these ads and mailers. According to a campaign violation complaint filed by current Oro Valley Vice Mayor and Candidate Melanie Barrett, the PAC is allegedly using a third party (Campaign Associates of Southern Arizona) to collude with the campaigns of the challengers. That organization is operated by MattMann Creative, a Tucson based individual (aka Mattmannportfolio).  That entity, under the various companies, has received ten’s of thousands of dollars from the PAC and from the candidates, according to their filed campaign finance reports.

The assertions that are being made add no value to what should be a serious conversation about the future of our community.
Let’s take a look at three of them:

“You put us $52 million in debt past year”
It is true that the town issued bonds in the amount of $52 million last. year. However, $27 million was used to eliminate a liability the town owed to the State of Arizona Public Service Pension Retirment Fund. So, the net added debt incurred was $25 million. 

“You lied about the Naranja Park Bond” 

We know of no lie that any of the incumbent candidates made regarding the $25 million parks bond. They never hid its purpose. What is true is that the incumbents abandoned the town’s forever “pay as you go only” philosophy for building parks by supplementing funding for parks with these bonds. These same incumbents had previously publicly supported “pay as you go only.” Not exactly a lie….but a definitely change in position.  The bond is paid from an existing sales tax revenue source. There are no new taxes. This is Winfield’s justification for supporting the bonds.

You violated Arizona open meeting laws on several occasions

The “violation” to which the mailers refer was filed with the Pima County Attorney Office. They looked into one complaint. The county attorney made a preliminary finding of a violation without investigating the matter with the town. Town outside council Rothschild provided the facts. After reviewing these facts, the county attorney concluded that “further investigation would not be productive and further action on the complaint is not warranted.” That letter further states that “…the additional materials [provided by Rothschild] demonstrate that the Council’s use of executive session was arguably justified… and that the OVTC made good faith efforts to comply with the OML in conducting town business.” (Source: Letter From Pima  County Attorney, March 31, 2021)

We suggest that you throw the glossy mailers away and focus on what the candidates are saying

None of these assertions form the basis for an informed decision for whom to vote. We suggest that you focus on what’s real… The candidates… What they have done for the community… What they would like the future to be.

Because it is the future that matters.

The real issues need to be debated by serious candidates, not by a PAC of wolves.

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Guest View-Jack Stinnett: Who’s Behind the Keep OV Strong PAC?

It's election season in Oro Valley. We’ve seen numerous political attacks on Next Door by Keep Oro Valley Strong (KOVS), unsolicited emails, postcards and even a tacky four page tabloid decrying the ethics and honesty of our current Mayor and Council.

So I ask the question – who’s behind this? Political Action Committees must report expenses and donations.  I checked the Town clerks' website.

Here are the "founding father” donors to the KOVA as reported in their 4th Quarter 2020 initial campaign finance report (pages 5 and 6):

1. Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene - Current councilmember 
2. Don Cox – Chairman 2018 KOVS; a Sharp advocate on Next Door and in Explorer letters to the Editor 
3. James Prunty - Former OVPD volunteer training coordinator; author of Next Door attacks on our "inferior" council members 
4. Terry Wolf - 2022 President Carmel Pointe HOA Board of Directors ( in Canada Hills) 
5. Phillip Wheeler – 2022 KOVS treasurer and 2022 Treasurer Carmel Pointe HOA Board of Directors ( in Canada Hills )
6. Joe Hornat - Former Town Councilmember; Voted off Council in 2018 
7. Bill Rodman - Former Town Councilmember; Voted off Council in 2020 and Current council candidate 
8. Thomas Plantz – Current Chairman of KOVS and Chairman of failed 2019 recall of Mayor Winfield and Vice Mayor Barrett 
9. Dick Johnson - Former Town Councilmember 
10. Mike Schoeppach - Former Men’s Golf Association President 

Since the initial filing, additional donations were reported in the KOVS 1st Quarter 2021 report. Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene kicked in another $100 and current Councilmember Steve Solomon contributed $250.

The majority of Keep OV Strong contributors are located in Carmel Pointe and other Canada Hills neighborhoods.

So what is the common denominator? This is only my opinion, but:

First and foremost, KOVS consists of current and replaced “pro-growth” politicians and Hiremath supporters. They were unhappy that the Hiremath council was ousted in 2018 and that they no longer run the town. They oppose Winfield’s responsible growth vision and support 75’ high and 800’ long apartments at the Oro Valley Marketplace.

The second issue is that many former country club members resent sharing their golf courses and tennis courts with the rest of us. Remember, they had exclusive access to a 18 hole course every week before the Winfield Council hired Indigo Golf and changed the town courses from a country club to a public course model.

The final straw was when the Winfield Council voted to expand "their" half percent sales tax revenue from dedicated to golf and the Community Center to support all town parks. This enabled the town to use golf savings to fund the expansion of Naranja Park, fix the golf irrigation on both courses and rebuild the tennis courts.

I fully support town residents being involved and politically active. But this group’s slime ball attacks belong in Chicago, not Oro Valley. When you are barraged with biased opinions and false information, it helps to know the source.

Bits and Pieces

Council Member Greene identifies potential major corporate member for Oro Valley Municipal Golf 

Oro Valley Municipal Golf has four corporate members. It needs more. During last week’s council study session on the budget, Council Member Mo Greene told town park’s director Kristy Dias Trahan that the owner of Westward Look told him that he was looking for a place for the resort’s guest to play golf. After along pause (she was dumbfounded) she said that she would follow up. Here’s a “shoutout” to Council Member Greene. 

Oro Valley experiencing exceptional drought conditions…Tucson area is 10% drier

The 20 year drought continues. “The Southwest US has experienced some of the greatest changes with the decadal shift more than 10% drier” according to the national weather service. During this same time period its hotter by about 1/2 degree annually during the past thirty years. We’ve included a panel with map showing the changes in both precipitation and temperature. 

Oro Vista apartment architecture approved 

The expansion of the Oro Vista apartment complex was an administrative approval and not a zoning approval. The property was zoned long ago for apartment use, according to Town Planning and Zoning head Bayer Vella. That is why the item was on the consent agenda. 

Council Member Jones-Ivey made sure that council publicly discussed the item at last weeks’ council meeting. As it turns out, this is item is on the agenda for the approval of the architecture of the property. Council discussed the Planning and Zoning Commission’s request that the stone front of the building as it faces Lambert Lane be increased. The council rejected this. 

Mayor Winfield noted: “I think it is incredibly unfortunate that the view of the Catalinas [from Noble Hops] will be lost” once the facility is built, but the town can not do anything about that since the project was approved by a previous council. Also, the property manager, Beztak, said they would continue to investigate what may be a lack of adequate parking for the commercial property that houses Noble Hops and other establishments once the apartments are built. 

 Council approved the measures 6-0 (Council Member Solomon Absent)

Bits and Pieces

"Lets run the Pusch Ridge Course Year Round." Are you nuts?

Three members of the Oro Valley Town Council suggested that the town keep the Pusch Ridge Course open year round. This is the course they closed last year and are planning to operate from next November through April, 2022. This is course is being reopened because a handful of residents who live around it can have a green grass view, instead of desert... like the rest of us. This is a course that is going to use drinking water at cheapest rates at a time when the Western US is in the twenty-first year of drought. This is a course that has always been a money loser.

The brilliant idea came from Council Member Solomon. Then it was echoed by Council Member Greene (Solomon's bagman).  But wait. Council Member Josh Nicolson also joined in. He also thinks it's a good idea. Give us a break, boys!

Lest we remind council: You represent all the people of Oro Valley. You are not members of the board of the local country club.

Historic Preservation Commission Seeking Applicants

The Oro Valley Historic Preservation Commission, a town volunteer board, is seeking applicants. You can learn more and apply here. We've joined in on some of their meetings. They primarily focus on what is happening at Steam Pump Ranch. 

Oro Valley's single family home growth highest in 18 years

In 2020, Oro Valley experienced its most active year for new single family residences since 2003. The town issued 384 new single family residence permits in 2020. That is a 43% increase over 2019.

Town Manager Jacobs: Town still lacks tools to attract businesses

Town Manager Mary Jacobs continues to beat the drum of economic development. One of the documents she provided council at last weeks strategic plan council retreat said that Oro Valley needs more shovel-ready sites and competitively priced land in order for the town to get more primary employers. "There are approximately 188 acres of Campus Park-zoned land available in Oro Valley, and only half of the sites are over 10 acres." Seems to us that that's plenty of available sites that no one wants. Oro Valley is essentially a retirement community. See the panel at right for the 2019 stats. 

Sounds to us like the "shades of JJ Johnston." He was Oro Valley's last economic development director. He blew into Oro Valley three years ago. Worked here for two. Then he retired.  He left us with the potential of bladed desert and an eased building permit process.   But he did not leave us with more jobs gained.

Town Manager Jacobs: Town will be 'hard hit' by baby boomer generation retirement

At the same retreat a Jacobs' document stated: "With the Town's average age of 53, Oro Valley will be particularly hard hit by the retiring of the baby boomer generation in the coming decade. And as a desirable place to retire, it is not unexpected that many of those will remain in their homes rather than relocate."  We have no idea what she is saying in this paragraph.

Here is our cut. Oro Valley is already seeing major growth as baby boomers are retiring. They will flock her for the next 15 years. That will have major implications for economic development. They will not want jobs.

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Guest View: Greene and Solomon overlooked citizen input prior to recent Town Council vote

 

Councilmembers Greene and Solomon made some questionable comments during the January 6th council discussions regarding the Kai property General Plan Amendment (GPA) at First and Tangerine.

Councilmember Solomon’s Comments
“In all the years I’ve been in Oro Valley and involved in land use issues, that’s well over 25 years, I’ve never seen a project that was so unanimously supported by all parties through the entire process.”

For the record, that “process” would include neighborhood meetings, Planning and Zoning public hearings, Town Council public hearings, and all the emails submitted by residents stating whether they were in favor of or opposed to this GPA.

Councilmember Solomon insisted that the citizens were in favor of the amendment, when, in fact, the opposite was true. (You can read many of the citizens’ comments HERE). Those in favor were the adjacent business owners and Chamber of Commerce President, Dave Perry.

Councilmember Greene’s Comments

“I haven’t been over the land use, but what I have done is listen to the careful presentations by people who are much smarter in land use and the needs of Oro Valley than I am. I think [leaving] the land vacant and hoping that some commercial person is going to suddenly come there is really neglecting what is going on with Amazon and online shopping. Even the merchants that live there and have businesses there have supported this idea. So I like to listen to the people who live there, who live around there, and let them give their voices to what we should do.”

Mr. Greene, listening to the business owners and the merchants who live in the area is not enough. As a responsible elected official, you also need to get off the golf course, read, study, learn, ask questions, verify, visit the site in question, and listen to the citizens whose lives will be impacted by YOUR decisions. Adjacent businesses owners are not necessarily Oro Valley citizens.

Greene’s statement reveals that he has no idea what his job is as a councilmember. He is an elected official and should be expected to understand land use issues. The presentations by the applicant and the Town staff are biased, and it is up to the councilmembers to separate the wheat from the chaff, know the appropriate codes, and know the relevant parts of the General Plan.

If a resident approaches you when you are out and about and asks you to explain your vote, responding that you approved it because the staff was in favor of it, or business owners were in favor of it, is not acceptable. You need to be able to explain your vote in terms of your research and how you came to your conclusion. Staff just provides a source of input, but their input should carry no more weight than a citizen.

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Mike Zinkin and Diane Peters both contributed to this Guest View.

Bits and Pieces

Greene is a “rubber stamp” kind of guy
Council Member Mo Greene said that land use decisions are above his pay grade. He was charged with the task of deciding whether the land use of the Kai-Capri property should changed from commercial to residential at last week’s council meeting. 

Greene said that he has not gone over the land use. He has listened to the presentation of people who are much smarter [than he is] in land use and the needs of Oro Valley so he is going to approve the land use change. 

It’s going to be a long four years with this guy on council. 

Town employees (including cops) gets pay raise

Also at last week’s council meeting, the town council unanimously approved a 3% pay increase for all employees. This is a reinstatement of the annual wage increase the town deferred in June because of financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Town Manager Jacobs told the council that the town can afford it and that, because there are vacant positions, the increase will have no impact on the budget for the year. The increase takes effect this month. It does not include council members. The town manager will recommend another 3% increase starting in July.

Abraham: Reclaimed water rate should provide incentive for use... that is current town policy

The town's reclaimed water rate is based on the cost of providing reclaimed water. However, the cost does not include 79% of the debt service cost incurred in building the reclaimed water system. According to town water Director Peter Abraham, reclaimed water would be more expensive than potable water if the the total debt service were included in the reclaimed water rate. This would provide a disincentive if the were set at this level. Town policy is to set the reclaimed water rate at the cost of service, but not more than the potable rate. Town staff and the towns' water commission are recommending to council that this policy remain.

FYI: Reclaimed water us is about 2,000 acre feet per year. The town buys reclaimed water from the Tucson.,The town is currently using all of its reclaimed water entitlement though "...we lost eight holes of golf".

(Source), 57 minutes)

The 2020 Election: A Tale Of Two Towns

The Oro Valley 2020 council election is official. Tim Bohen and Mo Greene are the new members of council. Steve Solomon is returning for his second full term. It is his third time on council. He was appointed to council in 2011.

The election result is an amalgamation of the total vote count
A peek behind the numbers reveals a town divided.

Greater Oro Valley 
Greater Oro Valley includes the entire town except for three precincts that are located around the community center. Greater Oro Valley has nine precincts that have 24,600 registered voters. Greater Oro Valley includes Sun City, the original incorporated section of Oro Valley, the Oracle Road Corridor, and most of the town west if La Cholla.  Greater Oro Valley is highlighted in yellow in the panel that follows.

Greater Oro Valley elected Bohen, Garner and Solomon. Solomon was a far last choice, barely gaining more votes than Rodman and Greene.

The Town of Oro Valley Municipal Golf
The other part of the town is comprised of those who live around the Oro Valley Golf and Community Center. There are 8,200 registered voters in these three precincts. They voted in overwhelming numbers for Greene, Bill Rodman and Steve Solomon. Bill Garner and Tom Bohen received few votes from these people.

Town of Oro Valley Golf supported special interest money
You would think that the municipal golf folks would have thought more broadly about who should be on council. You would think that they would consider the documented fact that the three they elected are heavily financially supported by the developer community.

These are the same developers who supported Hiremath and his majority for 8 years.

These are the same developers that the people tossed out in 2018

The rest of Oro Valley rejected this money in 2020.

But not the municipal golfers.

Apparently they want over development, more cluster homes, and more homes built in Big Wash so they can keep their "special status"
The municipal golfers got their way in 2019, by overwhelming every town council meeting. They intimidated a council that jumped through hoops to accommodate 36 holes of a golf when the obvious correct answer was 18 holes.

Not satisfied with that win, the municipal golfers tried, with Solomon's help, and failed, also with his help, to recall Mayor Winfield and Vice Mayor Barrett.

Now they went out their way to try to "pack council" with people who will pay for their lifestyle.

Perhaps we need a non binding referendum on the part of the community to settle, once and for all, what all of Oro Valley wants when it comes to municipal golf. None? 18 holes? 36 holes? We need to opine.

Guest View: Diane Peters ~ Rodman-Solomon-Greene campaign postcard is a pack of lies

Town Council candidates Rodman, Solomon, and Greene recently sent out a campaign postcard where they falsely attack “The Other Guys” (Tim Bohen and Bill Garner). They also posted a picture of the postcard on their Facebook pages.

They should have called it “The Other Lies” because everything they said about Bill Garner and Tim Bohen is a lie.

Below are some examples.


• Don’t support law enforcement, first responders, or education
Bill Garner spent 20 years in emergency services including as a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, an assistant squad chief, and an Emergency Management Director. Garner also has a Master’s degree in Public Safety. Does that sound like the resume’ of someone who doesn’t support law enforcement or first responders?

Additionally, when Garner was on council in 2009, it was he and former councilmember Salette Latas who collaborated on a proposal to save 6 police officer positions that were going to be cut from the 2009-2010 police budget. You can read about it HERE.

From Bill Garner’s Facebook page:

I support our police department, as well as the public safety and emergency responders that assist our community in time of need when the call goes out. I have the knowledge and education to know what it takes to serve in this line of work and the value brought by these men and women.

Regarding education, this is a school board issue, not a town council issue. Secondly, Garner has two school-aged children. It’s nonsensical to claim that he doesn’t support education.

• Encourage policies that will likely lead to a property tax
The property tax lie is a scare tactic that they pull every election. Garner was on council from 2008-2016 and never once discussed a desire for a property tax. He has publicly stated that he is opposed to one. The fact is that the Town Council could not institute a property tax even if they wanted to. It has to be placed on the ballot for the citizens to decide. If elected, Bill Garner and Tim Bohen would not even have the power to institute a property tax.

However, Steve Solomon did vote to increase your utility tax from 2% to 4%.

• Have no history of support for neighborhood preservation
When Garner was on council (2008-2016) he (along with Councilmembers Zinkin and Burns) worked with me and my citizens’ group for 9 months during 2014-2015 to “preserve our neighborhood.” Those three council members guided my citizens’ group throughout the process of fighting a Major General Plan Amendment that, if approved, would have completely changed the character of our neighborhood by turning 200 acres of pristine desert into a “Master Planned Community."

Multiple meetings and negotiations took place between my citizens’ group and the applicant. Whenever there was an impasse, Councilmembers Garner, Zinkin, or Burns would negotiate with the applicant on our behalf.

Through 9 months of negotiations, we succeeded in removing apartments, a senior care facility, and almost 300 homes from the plan. We also obtained larger buffer zones between the new development and the existing neighborhoods. The night of the council vote, I publicly thanked Burns-Garner-Zinkin for all of their help. It’s in the PUBLIC RECORD.

Were they too lazy to fact-check or are their lies deliberate?
Either Rodman-Solomon-Greene’s fact checking skills are lacking or they are deliberately lying in order to get votes from uninformed people. Which one is it? Either way, it doesn't speak well of them.  Are these the kind of people that you want on your Town Council?

Mo Greene hides the truth
I posted the above information on Mo Greene’s Facebook page.  Rather than admit to his error and apologize for it, he deleted my comment and blocked me from further posting. I assumed he would do that in order to hide the truth, which is why I took a screenshot immediately after posting it. You can view it below. 

If you want honesty and transparency in Oro Valley government, I suggest that you join me in voting for Bill Garner and Tim Bohen.

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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 that 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.