Guest View: Council Candidate Rosa Dailey - An Advocate In Action For Oro Valley

This week each of the candidates will be speaking on their own behalf. Today’s Guest View is from Council candidate Rosa Dailey.
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A neighbor and advocate
For the past 20 years, I have been your neighbor and your advocate, helping to create the Aquatic Center and Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve, and speaking out against 75-foot buildings and outside investor rental homes that would negatively impact the character of our Town.

I am now running for an open seat on the Oro Valley Town Council to continue my work to represent the community we all love. For the past three years, I have been an active participant in the OV Path Forward meetings to create our next ten-year plan based on the surveys that reflect what you want to see in our community. Over the past four months of this campaign, I have met and spoken with hundreds of Oro Valley residents, and you have affirmed the community values of strong public safety, sound fiscal management, protection of our water supply and mountain views, well-maintained roads, and parks and recreation amenities that provide a good quality of life. I share those values.

A record of sound financial management
You may have heard negative comments about our Town budget during this campaign from candidates who wish to create a need for their stated expertise. Here’s what I have to say on the matter. I have attended or observed every Town Council meeting for the last four years, every budget study session, and every strategic planning meeting. The current Council, under the leadership of Mayor Joe Winfield and Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett, has done an excellent job of managing the finances of this Town. They have rectified golf losses, fully funded the police pension, built out Naranja Park, and expanded and improved our parks and recreation amenities, to name a few accomplishments. All these achievements have been attained without raising your taxes and have increased our bond rating by two points to AA+.

Prudent plans for the future
What I have observed over the years is our construction sales tax, which is roughly 4% of our budget, is declining to reflect a Town that is 95% built out. We will have moderate growth for the next decade and a strategic plan that addresses annexations of existing retail areas along Ina Road to increase our sales tax revenue. These are the tangible, prudent plans already in place by the current Council. In fact, the last eight years under the Winfield administration have been some of the most peaceful, productive, and financially sound years of the twenty years I have lived in this Town. I seek to extend that legacy, and I am proud to have earned the endorsement of Mayor Joe Winfield.

Residents are at the top
What makes Oro Valley so special is the participation of our residents. Each and every one of you holds a position at the top of the Town’s organizational chart. On July 21, you will hire your representatives, and I would be honored to work for you to continue to make this Town one of the safest and best places to live in Arizona.

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You can learn more about Rosa Dailey 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 Rosa Dailey

LOVE is presenting information about the individuals who plan to seek one of the three open Town Council seats in the upcoming primary election. Each candidate is currently gathering the more than 500 signatures by mid March. Today, we feature Rosa Dailey. 

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Rosa Dailey is a longtime resident with strong family ties

Rosa Dailey is a 20-year Oro Valley resident who moved here to assist her ailing parents. Prior to relocating, she spent eight years as an insurance adjuster and 20 years as a technical writer for companies including Random House and IBM, culminating in work supporting a Steve Jobs-backed IT group involved in the Hubble Space Telescope’s first servicing mission. After later returning to NASA’s engineering directorate, she met her husband, Chris Dailey, an aerospace computer engineer who has contributed to major NASA missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope. In Oro Valley, Dailey focused on raising her twin daughters, both University of Arizona engineering graduates, while also supporting her husband’s career and leading a medical research nonprofit following her retirement from full-time work.

Behind the scene, Dailey’s actions have produced visible results for Oro Valley 
Dailey has been active in Oro Valley for many years. Her actions have resulted in two very visible community assets: The Aquatic Center and the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve. She helped initiate the feasibility study that led to transforming the municipal pool into the Oro Valley Aquatic Center. Dailey also identified and worked with The Conservation Fund and Preserve Vistoso to turn the former Vistoso golf course into a nature preserve. Today, she remains actively involved in restoration efforts. Over the years, Dailey has assisted residents involved in rezoning efforts by offering guidance on how to get things done in Oro Valley. “I am always glad to help others in the community step up to make a difference.”

Dailey is now seeking a Town Council seat
Dailey is ready to take the next step in leadership for Oro Valley. Over the past five years, she has attended or watched regular Town Council meetings and study sessions on items such as budgets and strategic plans. Dailey has spoken at Council and neighborhood meetings to stay informed on town issues. She also participated in OV Path Forward sessions shaping the next 10-year plan and, based on community surveys on development, parks and recreation, and water sustainability, believes she has a strong understanding of resident priorities moving forward.

Plans to bring Her “Get Things Done” Approach to Council
Dailey believes that plans should lead to results. She describes her approach as collaborative and deliberative, preferring to listen, gather input, and build consensus before moving forward. Once a course of action is agreed upon, she emphasizes the importance of following through to completion. She expects to apply that same methodical style to council decisions and community issues.

Believes that Council decisions should reflect community values

According to Dailey, “The challenges that any 50-year-old community faces are always multifaceted. There are financial aspects as well as quality of life factors to consider. I think the most important considerations must reflect what our community values - public safety, the environmental stewardship of land and water, recreational amenities that meet the needs of residents of all ages, and growth that does not change the character of our special community.

You can learn more about Rosa Dailey and sign her nomination petition that will place her on the ballot here.

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