The Solomon Chronicles. Part 3. Who funded Solomon’s 2016 Town Council campaign?

With the Town Council election on the horizon, LOVE will be presenting a series of articles entitled, “The Solomon Chronicles,” highlighting the abysmal record of Councilmember Steve Solomon who is running for re-election. This weekly series will highlight his 4-year record of incivility and his interdependent relationship with local developers. This series was written by a LOVE contributor and contains a synopsis of previous LOVE articles plus new information.
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Solomon plays hide and seek with the voters
The following information was obtained from Solomon’s Campaign Finance Report covering the period from June 1 through August 18, 2016. Of note is that this report was due between August 19-26 and Solomon submitted it to the Town Clerk on the very last day at the very last minute…August 26th at 4:45 PM.

One can only assume that he was attempting to withhold this information from the public for as long as possible, knowing that local media would report on it and he didn’t want Oro Valley voters to know that his campaign was entirely funded by wealthy special interests.

Another indicator that he was trying to hide his donor funding came during the August 16, 2016 candidate forum when the candidates were asked how they financed their campaign. Rather than admitting that his campaign was funded by wealthy developers and builders, Solomon answered that his campaign was funded by people "who share my values."

 
Solomon’s 2016 Town Council election donations

HSL Properties                       $17,912.
Venture West                              1,000.
Peter Fasseas (Developer)         1,000.
Diamond Ventures                      1,900.
David Godlewski (SAHBA)            145.
Realtors of Arizona PAC             1,000.
SAHBA PAC                                  250.

TOTAL                                    $23,207.

Solomon received no campaign funds from Oro Valley residents

Of note is that only one contribution ($145.00) “technically” came from an Oro Valley resident, but this resident also happens to be the Director of the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association. All other donations (totaling $23,000) came from individuals who do not even live in Oro Valley!

Questions to ponder
• Why did no Oro Valley residents contribute to Steve Solomon’s campaign?
• Why were developers and builders so driven to get him elected?
• Why was Solomon so compelled to keep his campaign donors hidden from voters?

NOTE: A $5000. donation from Jim and Vicki Click was included with the HSL donations because they have a cross-donating agreement with HSL on other matters.
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The Solomon Chronicles: Part 4. “Conflict of Interest” will be published next Wednesday.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). Oro Valley’s Trojan Horse. Part 2.

On Monday, LOVE published a synopsis of the 19-page CEDS Report. Today we are providing a list of the 90 people whom the Town interviewed for that report.

The Usual Suspects and “Stakeholders”
The report includes “the input of over ninety (90) interviews with key leaders, executives and other officials representing business and industry, education and workforce, government and strategic economic development allies.” The report refers to these people as “stakeholders.” One wonders why no “ordinary” Oro Valley citizen was interviewed. Are the citizens not considered stakeholders in their own town?

The short list of those interviewed includes:

Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association (SAHBA), Meritage Homes, Diamond Ventures, WLB Group, Mattamy Homes, HSL Properties, Venture West, Oro Valley Hospital, Simpleview, Honeywell, Amphi Schools, Tucson Chamber of Commerce, Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, City of Tucson.

The list goes on for 3 pages and there wasn’t one ordinary Oro Valley citizen.

The point is that many of these entities have been wanting to control Oro Valley’s growth for years and now Jacobs and Johnston have opened the door for them to do just that.

Below is the complete list of individuals interviewed (along with their positions in the community). Other than for Mayor Winfield, Vice-Mayor Barrett, and Councilmembers Nicolson and Jones-Ivey, do you see anyone on this list who is interested in citizen input?

CLICK TO ENLARGE

No Comprende
What Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Johnston don’t seem to understand is that the model for retail has changed with the advent of the internet. Other than for Wal-Mart and Costco, people frequently shop online. Citizens still need local drug stores, grocery stores, hair salons, and some automotive, but look at retail in Oro Valley. All the sporting goods stores have closed – Dick’s, Big 5, Sports Authority. We need to fill all that empty retail space before we start bulldozing the desert to build more retail.

Oro Valley should be focusing on employment centers, not commercial centers. Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Johnston need to read the General Plan and listen to Citizens when they speak up. They need to stop going out on their own and pushing their own ideas…Main Streets, 36 holes of golf, and now with this CED Report, an easier way for developers to bypass citizens’ wishes.

CEDS. Clearly Egregious Destructive Scenario
Something sinister is going on here. Oro Valley was incorporated in 1974 because citizens wanted a community that was designed by citizen input…the very thing that has been removed in this document. We can only hope that the new mayor and council see through this smokescreen and keep the Trojan Horse out of Oro Valley.

2014 Election: Majority-4's Oro Valley's Special Interests

Five special interest groups participated in the 2010 election. These interest groups endorsed and provided funding for the Majority-4 in their 2010 election. We expect that they will participate once again.  For your reference, here is who they are:

SAHBA

SAHBA is the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. They represent 350 building industry member companies with nearly 5,000 employees.  Their mission is to advocate for public policies and develop activities and services that further the home construction industry."  David Godlweski, a contributor in 2010 to the campaigns of the Majority-4, is SAHBA's president. You may know SAHBA from the annual spring home show that they follow.

SAHBA has considerable "skin in the game" in relation to Oro Valley politics.  They seek candidates who will look favorably on the requests of their members for zoning changes or for general plan amendments.

SAHBA is in the process of endorsing candidates. Their candidate questionnaire asks questions such as:

• What do you feel is the role of home building in Oro Valley’s local economy?
• What will you do to encourage new home construction and economic development if elected to Council?
• Looking ahead, how will you measure or define success in terms of your efforts to encourage new home construction and economic development?
• What does affordable housing mean to you? 
• If elected, what will you do to create and protect affordable housing for working class families in Oro Valley?

We suspect that SAHBA will endorse candidates by early July. We suspect that they will endorse Majority-4.

Firefighers

There were a number of firefighter groups that endorsed and supported candidates in 2010.  These include: The IFFA, the Avondale Firefighters, Firefighters of AZ, United Pima Firefighters and Yuma Firefighers.  (Our Previous Report)  They supported some, if not all, of the Majority-4.  We expect them to support them again.

We have no idea why firefighters have a stake in Oro Valley elections. They have a separate board and are separate from town control.  Could it be that they are providing a reciprocal financial donation for the Oro Valley Police Officers Association?

OVPOA

The Oro Valley Police Officers Association  ("OVPOA") endorse the Majority-4 in 2010. Their stake in the 2014 election is obvious.

The OVPOA follows a specific game-plan as published in "Police Union Power, Politics, and Confrontation in the 21st Century: New Challenges, New Issues." (previous posting).  According that text, OVPOA should only endorse incumbents who score high in their previous council term.  Is there any doubt that the Majority-4 will score high?

Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce

The Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce endorsed the Majority-4 in 2010.  The Chamber changed its name in 2012.  The Chamber is prohibited by agreement with the town in lieu of receiving $30,000 per year, to participate in political activities. So, we do not expect them to endorse any candidate.

Local Advertising Circular 

The local advertising circular endorsed the Majority-4 in 2010. We believe that they will endorse them again in 2014.  The local advertising circular's stake in the game is two-fold. First, it is their need to please their advertisers, who are businesses.  Second, it is to get inside information and cooperation from each member of the Majority-4.
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Our Conclusion

Here's what we do expect this time around.  Mayoral candidate Straney and council member candidate Bristow will seek only the support of one special interest group, you the citizens. Otherwise, they will neither seek nor will they accept endorsement of special interest groups.

Majority-4's "proven leadership" will continue to serve the special interests.