Guest View: Council Candidate Matt Wood - Growth, Finances, and Community Character

This week each of the candidates will be speaking on their own behalf. Today’s Guest View is from Council candidate Matt Wood.
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Why I am running
A number of people have asked me why I’m running for Oro Valley Town Council. I always tell them, “What a great question.” It’s a complicated question. I’ve always been interested in local politics but never really had time to get involved. Once I retired, I realized I did have time. We love living in Oro Valley and want to see it remain basically as it is. We grew up in Oregon and saw several towns that were “really cool” turn into towns with populations exceeding 100,000 that simply grew too big. Like Arizona, we shared a border with California, and the population just spilled over into our state. Growth just for the sake of growth is not necessarily what we all want.

My view of smart growth
I’ve been involved with the OV Path Forward 10-year plan since it started, and I remember the early meetings where citizens asked for more restaurants, more retail stores and services, and less traffic. I see a lot of candidates talk about “smart growth,” and I think we all have a different definition in mind. Here’s mine: Fewer apartments and more condos and townhomes in the multifamily category. We’re better off with owners than renters.

Keeping Oro Valley’s character
We are a community of mostly single-family homes. That is one of the reasons we moved here, and I bet that is the reason most people moved to Oro Valley.

Oro Valley’s finances
Construction sales tax and builders’ fees are falling, and we need to make up for that lost revenue or we’ll have to reduce capital spending and/or current services and/or reduce staff. The Oro Valley Town Council is pursuing annexing the area around Oracle and Ina to pick up retail sales tax from established stores and the residential area around those stores. I think this is a great idea!

Relevant experience
I have been on the Rancho Vistoso HOA Board since 2021 and the President since 2023. Rancho Vistoso is around 40% of Oro Valley and has many of the same issues as the Town. We have 6,400 homes and an annual budget of $3.5 million. I’ve also served on the Town’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board from January 2020 to December 2023 and was reappointed in January 2025 and am the current Chair.

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Learn more about Matt Wood here.

2027 TMRB: Candidates Split On Whether Budget Is Prudent Planning Or Warning Sign

This is our fourth article regarding the 2027 TMRB. The first article covered revenues. The second covered spending. Yesterday, we covered personnel. Today we cover the thoughts of the candidates for Mayor and Council in this year’s election regarding this budget. We asked them: What is your reaction to the proposed budget?

Here are the responses of the two Mayoral Candidates.

Barrett is focused on making sure this budget builds toward long term fiscal sustainability
Vice Mayor Barrett is unable to reply to our question because the budget is currently under consideration by the Town Council. However, we can get some sense of her thinking on the budget from her remarks during the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget study session. Barrett focused on long term fiscal sustainability issues, including reserve levels, recurring operating costs, and capital funding as Oro Valley approaches buildout. One area she focused on in particular was maintaining the council’s long standing policy of dedicating 5% of General Fund revenues to capital needs. Barrett stated that “in a community where you don’t have lots of new things being built and as you approach build-out, that 5% becomes all the more critical.”

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Napier sees the TMRB as a warning sign
Mayoral candidate Mark Napier views the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget critically. Napier wrote: “The recommendations for 2027 include deferment or elimination of capital improvements totaling $11.6 million, $1.5 million reduction in PSPRS excess contributions, a freeze on new hiring and direction to reduce O&M costs by 0.5%. Even with these steps we still may need to tap the fund balance for an additional $1.3 million. All this will be required to simply balance the budget, as required by state law.”

Here are the responses of the five council candidates.

Dailey describes the TMRB as conservative and balanced
Council candidate Rosa Dailey described the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget as a conservative response to current economic conditions. Dailey wrote: “The Town Manager’s Recommended Budget (TMRB) for fiscal year 26/27 reflects a balanced and conservative approach that proactively anticipates and manages softening town revenues in our current economic environment and adjusts discretionary spending accordingly. The plan prioritizes and maintains current service levels and aligns spending with revised revenue expectations.”

DeSimone sees the TMRB as evidence of growing fiscal pressure

Council candidate Chris DeSimone viewed the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget critically, describing it as evidence of growing long term fiscal pressure and the need for changes in council direction and oversight. DeSimone wrote:"Since my kickoff event in January, I have been pointing out that our wonderful town has financially painted itself in a corner.  Flattening revenues and increasing costs is a sad reality of our situation. A budget that features cuts in capital improvements, cuts to the public safety pension excess contribution and dipping into the Town's reserve funds to balance the budget shows the need for a new mix of mindsets on the council and willingness to manage staff more closely."   

Herrington emphasizes long term sustainability
Council candidate Jake Herrington emphasized long term fiscal sustainability and economic development. Herrington wrote: “I believe the 2027 budget discussion should focus heavily on sustainability. Oro Valley cannot rely forever on residential growth alone to support future service demands. We need to continue strengthening and diversifying the commercial tax base, supporting redevelopment and reinvestment along key corridors such as Oracle and Ina Roads, and identifying strategic economic opportunities that will generate long-term revenue without placing unnecessary burdens on residents.”

Pina observes revenue pressure in the budget
Council candidate Rhonda Pina described the proposed budget as challenging and focused on the need for careful expense management. Pina wrote: “The proposed budget is challenging as presented by the town manager. There is acknowledgement of decreasing revenue trends and a need to manage expenses effectively.”

Wood emphasizes the budget's balancing of revenues and expenses
Council candidate Matt Wood expressed support for the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget and the Town’s annexation efforts. Wood wrote: “The Town Manager prepared a balanced budget for 2026/27 and the Council is pursuing an annexation along Ina that would bring in significant sales tax revenue. I think this is an excellent start. We need to continue to work on a long term balancing of expenses and revenues, but small incremental increases in revenue and working on reducing the sales tax leakage losses will go a long way towards fiscal stability.”

Our conclusion: Candidates differ more on urgency than the challenge of fiscal sustainability itself

Our conclusion: Candidates differ more on urgency than the challenge of fiscal sustainability itself

What appears to distinguish the candidates is less whether they believe long term fiscal sustainability is a challenge for Oro Valley and more how urgently they view that challenge and whether they see the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget as an appropriate response.

• Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett, Rosa Dailey, and Matt Wood generally view the TMRB as a prudent step toward managing long term financial sustainability as Oro Valley approaches buildout.
• Jake Herrington focuses more heavily on broader long term planning, redevelopment, and diversifying the Town’s commercial tax base to prepare for slower future revenue growth.
• Rhonda Pina feels that the budget shows immediate revenue pressures. She stops short of describing the situation as structurally unsustainable.
• Mark Napier and Chris DeSimone view the current budget much more critically, describing it as a warning sign requiring stronger corrective action and signaling changes needed in long term fiscal priorities and council direction.

Taken together, the responses suggest broad agreement that Oro Valley faces important long term financial decisions ahead, even though candidates differ on how immediate the challenge is and how the Town should respond.

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Election 2026 Update: Forum, Ballots, and Campaign Developments

Chamber Forum Set for Tonight
Tonight, the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum at the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene, located at 500 W. Calle Concordia. The event begins with a meet and greet from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by the forum. From 6:00 to approximately 7:00 p.m., council candidates will deliver opening statements, respond to questions, and provide closing remarks under a structured format. From approximately 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., mayoral candidates Barrett and Napier will follow with their forum,

Candidates Napier, DeSimone and Pina using same media company
All candidates have now filed their first quarter campaign finance reports with the Town, detailing both contributions and expenditures. A review of those reports shows that candidates Napier, DeSimone, and Pina are using the same media company, Live the Dream Media, for campaign services. DeSimone’s podcast is with that company, and he serves as its Vice President of Business Development. A review of the campaign websites of the three candidates shows each emphasizes public safety, fiscal responsibility, and maintaining core services.

The candidates tell us there is no collaboration. According to mayoral candidate Mark Napier: “I am not running as a slate with anyone. I am using Live the Dream Media because they have a good reputation in the community and I need their help with social media support. Some candidates may have similar views on issues facing the community. This is not unusual and does not reflect collaboration.”

Chair of Planning and Zoning Commission is paid consultant for DiSimone campaign
We also noted in our review of the finance reports that current Planning and Zoning Commission chair, Anna Clark, is working as a paid consultant to the DeSimone campaign, receiving about $3,500 thru March 31, according to DiSimone's campaign finance report. Clark's position as Chair expires at the end of this year.

Site posts altered images and insulting campaign messaging to demean candidates Barrett, Dailey and Wood
A facebook page that has been active since last year continues to publish content targeting certain Oro Valley candidates and current leadership. The material goes beyond criticism, using insulting suggestion's and imagery to attack individuals. Screenshots provided to LOVE show posts attributed to James Prunty that portrays candidates Barrett, Dailey and Wood in a negative light. In several instances, the content uses images of candidates taken from there websites, alters or distorts them, and overlays disparaging messages, contributing to an overall tone that is attack-oriented and never issue-focused. 

Independent voters: Make sure you get a ballot
The Pima County Recorder’s Office mailed a notice to independent voters regarding how to receive a ballot for the primary election. Normally, these voters would not receive a ballot unless they had designated a party affiliation. The notice includes a return envelope. On the form, voters must select which ballot they want (a town-only ballot is available) and indicate where the ballot should be sent if they will not be at their registered address. Ballots cannot be forwarded. The county will mail the ballot on June 24. The election date is July 21.

Meet Council Hopeful Matt Wood

In the past few weeks, LOVE has presented information about five of the six individuals who plan to seek one of the three open Town Council seats in the upcoming primary election. Each is currently gathering the more than 500 signatures required by mid-March. Today, we feature the sixth hopeful, Matt Wood.

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Meet Matt Wood

Matt Wood grew up in the Portland, Oregon area and spent 43 years working for a national cement company, relocating several times during his career to locations including Kansas City and Colorado. He holds a business degree from Oregon State University and an MBA in marketing from Portland State University. Wood and his wife, Susan, chose Southern Arizona for retirement and purchased their first home in Oro Valley in 2014, moving here full time after he retired in 2019. The couple has one daughter and two grandchildren. Wood is also an avid golfer and regularly walks the course at the Oro Valley Country Club.

Became involved in the community in service to the Rancho Vistoso community
After retiring, Wood said he wanted to give back to the community where he lives. He began by volunteering on the Rancho Vistoso Community Association finance committee and later was elected to the HOA board. Since 2020 he has served on the board of the association, which represents about 6,200 homes, serving as treasurer, vice president, and most recently president. Wood was also appointed to the town’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in 2020.

Involved in the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve effort
Wood lives near the former Vistoso golf course and became involved early in community discussions about its future. He attended meetings on proposals for the property and participated in community efforts that led to preservation of much of the land as the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve. Wood also supported the effort financially and has volunteered in restoration activities at the site. He has also served on the town’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board during discussions on projects such as the Naranja Park expansion and the preserve acquisition. In his role on the Rancho Vistoso Community Association board, he led community discussions that resulted in the removal of aging neighborhood streetlights, saving residents significant costs.

Feels confident to help the town meet future financial challenges
Wood said he decided to run this year after learning that several incumbents would not seek reelection and believing the timing created an opportunity to serve. Drawing on his experience working with the Rancho Vistoso HOA and town advisory boards, he believes Oro Valley will face financial pressures as construction-related revenues decline and the community approaches buildout. In his view, the council will need to work with residents to determine which services and priorities the community values most as future financial decisions are made.

Brings a consensus-oriented approach to decision making
Wood describes his leadership style as collaborative and focused on reaching consensus. Drawing on his experience working with HOA board members and residents, he said he prefers to gather input, evaluate options, and move toward solutions that address concerns while allowing decisions to move forward.

You can learn more about Matt and sign his petition if you wish here. 

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