Greene Throws In With Rodman and Solomon

Greene has no town governance experience... no involvement history
Harry "Mo" Greene is a candidate for Oro Valley Town Council. He brings extensive and commendable credentials in the medical community. He brings  credentials in the art community through the Southern Arizona Arts Council and through his own artwork.

Greene has very limited involvement in the governance of Oro Valley. He claims he was on a Naranja Park focus group at an unidentified time. He spoke at the town council special session of July 24, 2019 at the Church of the Nazarene (time stamp is at 2:09) in favor of keeping 36-holes of golf. To our knowledge he has not participated in the town's community academy.

Greene has based his candidacy on three unsupported assertions; and on one questionable decision.

Unsupported assertion 1: "Most recent council declared war on golf"
According to Greene's Explorer candidate profile, he is running because "...the most recent council decided to declare war on golf at the community golf courses." (Explorer) He asserts that the council leaders elected in 2018 declared a war on golf.  The history of the past two years refute his assertion.

There is no "war on golf"

Sponsored by "Greene for Oro Valley"

The municipal golf issue is settled. The town will operate 36-holes of golf. The town will restore the courses from revenues earned. There is a new course manager, Billy Casper Golf, who promises increased operating efficiency and improved revenues. The courses now have operating targets and financial goals. Two HOA's are going to contribute $125,000 to course operations. The is no war on golf.

Unsupported assertion 2: The Town Manager Knows Best
Greene does not plan to dig into matters. He is going to leave it to the town manager, who, according to Greene, is "far more knowledgeable" than anyone on council.

"We have a council and town manager form of government but the elected officials want to do their job and the job of the town manager, who is far more knowledgeable than they." (source)

Greene's approach contrasts sharply to the approach taken by most council members and by two candidates for council, Bill Garner and Tim Bohen. These people are prepared for meetings. They do their homework.

Greene's approach is the same as that of prior council member Lou Waters. Waters, with some other council members of the Hiremath majority council, assumed that any questioning of town staff was "meddling." That council let municipal golf limp along, lose money. It took a new council and a community involvement approach to set a winning course. To do that, the new council had to "get into the weeds."

Questionable decision
The "Greene-Rodman-Solomon" slate is a reality. Does Greene know with whom he has cast his lot?
Harry Greene is an Oro Valley political novice.  Perhaps he feels that he can not win on his own. Right from the start, Greene cast his lot with Solomon and Rodman. Greene cast his lot with Solomon and Rodman from the beginning, soliciting signatures for them at the same time he was soliciting signatures for his own candidacy

Courtesy of a LOVE reader

Greene says in his profile that he loves the beauty of Oro Valley. He says he likes "The beauty of the mountains." Does Greene know that he has cast his lot with guys who vote to blade the desert?  Guys who lived off developer money in their 2016 campaign?

Unsupported assertion 3:  Residents are trying to "destroy each other"
"So, why not retire?" Greene, 78, asks during Horn's Town Hall (time stamp 17:57). "I thought that my experience would balance out my age and perhaps I could work to try to bring the community together and have us stop trying to destroy each other and put something together that would be great for the town."

This is the third unsupported assertion Greene has made. Oro Valley residents are not trying to destroy each other. Many Oro Valley residents are active in the community. They often express disagreements on matters. Our tradition of open hearings and board involvement helps the community reach agreement.  Yes. It is a messy process. Yes. It is uncomfortable. Yes. It takes time. But it does work. Look at  the agreement reached on municipal golf.

Oro Valley residents are not trying to destroy each other. We're are just trying to make it a better place.
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On several occasions we requested to interview Greene. He told us that he was "not ready."  So, we left it up to him to contact us. We've heard nothing from him. We relied on the following sources to prepare this article: 

• “Heathers Corner" Greene Interview published on March 25, 2014
• Candidate profile of June 24 the Explorer published on June 24, 2020
• Jim Horn's Town Hall of June 25, time stamp (13:45 to 18:24)
• Mo4OroValley

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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Election Over: It’s Greene, Murphy, and Robb…Here’s Why

It's over
The election for three seats on the Oro Valley Town Council is over. There will be no November election as the vote for all candidates exceeded the threshold required for their election in July. Provisional votes are yet to be tallied; however, the result won’t change. 

Candidates Mo Greene, Mary Murphy, and Elizabeth Robb will be seated on the council in November. Council Member and candidate Tim Bohen will not. The panel on the right shows the numbers as of yesterday.

Now here’s why

This election was Greene Versus Bohen for third place
This election was always going to be a battle between Council Members Mo Greene and Tim Bohen for the third and last seat. In 2020, they were on the same ballot. Greene received 292 more votes than Bohen, securing a second-place finish. 

As of Saturday, Greene holds a 557-vote lead over Bohen, with only a handful of votes yet to be counted. Greene's lead has increased with every added tally. He gets 10% more votes than Bohen. 

Greene did nothing in four years on the council to garner support from the non golf, non community center voters but, because of his focus, he was able to cobble together enough votes to win. 

Bohen was not able to do that. He lacked the backing of any specific interest group or neighborhood. Although he made a difference by working with individuals, that approach alone is not sufficient for winning an election in Oro Valley. To secure additional votes, a candidate typically needs to align with a major cause such as pro-golf, pro-public safety, or pro-business. Bohen's focus on being pro-citizen, without aligning with any specific cause, ultimately led to his loss.

Murphy and Robb Were Likely Going to Be Elected 

Though their efforts and campaign strategies played a crucial role in securing seats for Murphy and Robb, the battle between Greene and Bohen influenced voting significantly. Murphy was a candidate supported by Greene and his supporters. Murphy would garner every vote Greene received. She did even better than that by reaching broader community support by not aligning herself with developer interests, unlike Greene. In this election, one in four Bohen voters voted for her. Robb was going to receive every vote that Bohen got. In addition, Greene and his community wanted her to win rather than Bohen. One in three Greene voters voted for her.

This is not to say they didn't earn their victory
It is merely to note that they were the beneficiaries of the Greene-Bohen competition.

We will provide a further analysis of the election once the vote by precinct numbers are released by the county. We don't expect that for a couple of weeks.
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Heathers Corner: Spoltight On Oro Valley Artist Harry Greene

There is something very special about someone who has succeeded in a career that is rooted in critical and analytical thinking yet has remained faithful and attuned to the creative aspects of his life.  This is exactly what Oro Valley resident Harry Greene has managed to do.

Greene has a long decorated career in the medical field.  He served as Battalion Surgeon-82nd Airborne Division; taught Medicine at Harvard University, The University of Massachusetts and The University of Arizona; was Executive Vice President of The Massachusetts Medical Society; and served as Publisher of the renowned New England Journal of Medicine.   It seems medicine was in his blood.   Perhaps it was, as he followed in his physician father's footsteps.

It was Greene's mother's passion for art and the fact that she "thought nothing of driving him to St. Louis (2 plus hours away from his home) to view art and to take lessons from visiting artists," as a child, that led him back to his artistic endeavors. That is where we find him today.

Greene's interest in art came from wanting to recreate the things he found beautiful in life onto and through different mediums. His primary interest has always been portraiture, as one might assume, given his background in human anatomy and science. Even through his publishing days, it was the drawings that helped bring the information to life that were his favorite aspect of the medical textbooks that he edited or co-edited and published.

Harry Greene settled in Oro Valley in 2002.  He was welcomed by the active artist community here. He has served on the GOVAC ("SAACA") Visual Arts Committee and served as Co-chair member for the Southern Arizona Arts Guild.  He is also a member of The Overton Arts Group and Portrait Institute of America.

"Natures Bounty"

I asked Mr. Greene to share an interesting experience he recalled about one of his pieces. He reflected on a restaurant in Boston. He was enjoying a lobster meal.   He noticed one of his paintings on the wall, He was not surprised because his pieces are in more that a hundred private home and business collections from coast to coast.

Greene asked the server about the painting, curious as to the kind of reception it was receiving but not giving away that he was the creator.  What happened next has to be probably the most flattering, awkward, and unexpected response an artist can receive.  The server explained that the painting was quite popular with guests; and that he, the server himself, was the artist.  He asked Mr. Greene what he thought of his work. Eventually the truth prevailed and the evening ended with a good laugh and with no hard feelings from the kind-natured true artist of the painting.

I've included an example of Harry Greene's work.  It is called "Natures Bounty." It is a portrait of a young Mexican woman named Mariah who is in the garden after just harvesting some vegetables.  The painting was done at Steam Pump Ranch. The  model is an Oro Valley resident. 

The artistry of Harry L. Greene have been seen nationwide at galleries such as Wyatt Earp Gallery, Tombstone, The Sea Breeze Gallery, Massachusetts, and J and R Gallery, Tucson. You can view current pieces at Toscana Studio and Gallery, Oro Valley. He currently teaches classes at his private studio and at  Toscana.   Please contact him through his website.
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Heather Nenadovich has lived in Oro Valley a total of five years. She has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arizona. Her husband is Canadian so she is a hockey fan by default and so are her two very clever children. When not being a mommy, she enjoys hiking in Catalina State Park, hand building pottery, and gardening. Her favorite things about living in Oro Valley are the towns recognition of art and culture, their commitment to preserving nature and the Christmas parade. (Also anything from GMG Chinese Bistro.)
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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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Guest View- Jack Stinnett: Mo Greene: The Developer’s Candidate

Developer money has been streaming into Oro Valley campaigns for at least the last 10 year

Over the past 10 years, builders, developers, and Realtor PACs have funneled donations to development-friendly council candidates. Council member Steve Solomon has been their spokesperson on the Council since 2016, advocating for higher-density developments and taller apartment structures.

That money has influenced votes

The best example of this partnership was when Town West [and silent partner HSL] proposed five and six story apartments at the Oro Valley Marketplace along the Tangerine scenic corridor. Council member Solomon made the motion that the council approve the Town West/HSL request as proposed. Newly elected Council member Greene seconded Solomon’s motion, and they both voted for the 5 and 6-story apartments.

Greene is the latest candidate to carry the developer banner forward

But alas, Solomon chose not to run for reelection in 2024. Who could the development community turn to now to advocate for their positions on rezoning requests? 

Let’s “follow the money”

Greene's 2020 Council Election: $8,000 in developer contributions 

Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene won a seat on the OV Town Council in 2020. His donations during the 2020 campaign included $4,500 from Humberto Lopez & HSL employees and $3,500 from the Realtors of Arizona and Southern Arizona Home Builders PAC 

Greene's 2024 Council Election: $25,800 in developer contributions [panel right] 
In December 2023, Councilmember Harry “Mo” Greene formed a committee for his 2024 re-election bid. Donations to Greene’s campaign as of June 30, 2024, were primarily from the development community and his golf course resident neighbors. Specific developer and PAC donations were as follows:

• $13,250 from Humberto Lopez & HSL employees and his preferred legal counsel
• $1,500 from the Realtors of AZ political action committee 
• $750 from the Southern AZ Home Builders political action committee 
• $500 from Samuel Beznos of Beztak (Apartment & Senior Living developers). 

Total developer donations through the second quarter = $16,000.  That's 62% of all the money Greene has raised.  Whose interest do you think he will represent if he is reelected. Certainly not your's. 

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The LOVE "Six Step" 2020 Election Primer

A "Six Step" Plan
You have your ballot. The future of Oro Valley is in your hands. How will you vote? If you are undecided, here's six steps to follow.

Step 1: Watch the two forum videos
There are two forum videos. Oro Valley resident Jim Horn hosted a candidate forum on June 29. Horn's forum is a "Meet and Greet" forum. Each candidate discussed their candidacy. There was no debate or cross discussion. You can watch that forum here.

The Sun City Oro Valley Government Affairs Committee hosted a forum on July 1. That forum included questions to which each candidate responded. The forum is worth watching.

Step 2: Read candidate question responses and check online sources
The Explorer sent questions to each candidate. The Explorer published their "Candidate Surveys" in their June 24th edition.

Visit online sources like Take Back Oro Valley and Oro Valley Thrives. Learn from social media. Search each candidate's name on Facebook and Nextdoor.

Step 3: Look at past behavior
"Past behavior predicts future behavior."

There is ample information in LOVE regarding the behavior and the actions of Council Members Rodman and Solomon. There is also information on the behavior and actions of former Council Member Bill Garner. Tim Bohen has posted on the pages of LOVE.

Harry Greene has never been active in Oro Valley. He is playing catchup. He play's mini-reporter in some videos on his facebook page, doing interviews to try to get up to speed on Oro Valley.  He's like a cub reporter. We published about him on LOVE so do read that.

Please do take a look at our article last Thursday regarding the "hit piece" put out by Greene, Rodman and Solomon. The mailer brings the bar of civility way down. We wonder what they would do if they were elected to council.

Step 4: Understand endorsements or "implied" endorsements
Greene, Solomon and Rodman have attached placards or stickers on their signs regarding endorsements. "Endorsed by police and fire" means that the police and fire unions have endorsed them; not the police department or the fire district. These two unions, together with the Realtors of Southern Arizona always support pro-growth candidates. They don't interview other candidates.

You will also want to be careful to not assume what appear to be endorsements on campaign signs. Solomon, for example, has a campaign sign on La Canada, north of Moore that has a “Preserve Vistoso” placard attached to it, inferring that he is supported by the organization "preservevistoso.org". Preservevistoso.org has not endorsed him. They are not allowed to endorse any candidate because of their 501c3 status.

A new endorsement this year is the golf community surrounding the Oro Valley municipal courses. This is the Canada Hills Community Association ("CHCA"). They also support the pro developer candidates. They believe that Greene "...will best represent the Canada Hills Community Association".  Which we believe is code for "protect golf at any cost." As a council member, however,  Greene is supposed to represent the best interests of the entire community and not just the place he lives.

Candidates Garner and Bohen have not sought the endorsement of any group. They have earned the endorsement of people who actually do the "heavy lifting" of Oro Valley Government. Read about that tomorrow.

Step 5: Look at their contributors
Contributors are the best indication of the leanings of a political candidate. Contributors make donations to candidates who support their views. As we wrote last week, "big" money buys access. This week, the candidates will file reports telling us who has contributed to their campaign as of June 30. There will be another report they will file before the primary that will add to that list.

• For Rodman and Solomon, LOVE looked at their 2016 campaign funding. Almost all of their money came from developers, HSL being the primary one. It's hard to imagine that they have no developer money in their 2020 campaign. We shall see.
• Greene is a first time candidate.  He stated at the Sun City forum that he has no control over who donates to his campaign. "Anyone can click the 'donate' button." What Greene did not say is that he is free to reject a donation from someone with whom he does not want has campaign associated.
• Bill Garner and Tim Bohen have told us that they have taken contributions only from local residents in small amounts.

Step 6: Vote only for candidate(s) you want to be on council
Yesterday, we wrote that you are not required to vote for anyone you don't want on council.  Casting a second or third vote for someone you really don't want on council reduces the chance that your chosen candidate(s) will win. These non votes are called undervotes. Undervotes have spelled the difference in past Oro Valley elections.

Do be judicious in your voting. No need to rush. The future of Oro Valley is in your hands.
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The county sent the ballots on July 8.  You can call (520) 724-4330) if you did not receive yours.

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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Greene Helps Make Town Staff 4% Pay Raise A Reality, Ignoring Financial Warnings...Failing To Participate In Discussion

Town Staff Gets Big Pay Increase 
This year’s budget includes a whopping 4% increase across the board for all employees. That’s the highest level ever given, in a year in which the council was warned that revenues are going to be tight in the future. 

Greene, Joyce-Ivey, Solomon and Winfield supported big increase
That increase was explicitly approved by a slim council majority at the June 19 council meeting, a meeting in which the council approved the $151.2 million fiscal 2025 Budget. Vice-Mayor Barrett had argued in favor of the historical 3% increase.  Council Members Bohen and Nicolson voiced their support for that.

Town “Spreads the Peanut Butter” when it comes to pay raises... No performance based awards...No incentive to get better
When it comes to staff pay raises, Oro Valley spreads the peanut butter! Everybody gets the same percent increase regardless of their performance. 

This contrasts with private sector practice where, as noted by Vice Mayor Barrett and Council Member Bohen, employees are paid based on their performance. As Council Member Nicolson noted at that meeting, who works in the public sector under the across-the-board pay philosophy: “I get the same raises, still same pay, not really a whole lot of incentive to improve.”

Barrett: Individual performance should be individually awarded
“I think it’s important to have some performance-based measures because I think that helps encourage our good employees, and we can help identify the employees that are most likely flight risks. That’s something that’s done regularly throughout all of the private sector and efficient places in other sectors as well,” said Vice Mayor Barrett.

Votava: No. That might make some people unhappy
Town Human Resource Director Andy Votava does not think that is a good idea: “So, in my mind, I don’t think we’re well-equipped to implement a pay-for-performance system because the danger or the hazard is that if we don’t do it well, some employees may take issue with that. Potentially, anybody can file a lawsuit, but it could lead to complaints.” 

Greene supported this massive increase in spending though he failed to even participate in the discussion

Mo Greene, who is running for reelection, claims to be fiscally responsible. However, his actions, including his decision to support this 4% across-the-board pay raise despite looming financial constraints, demonstrate the opposite. He was so disinterested in the conversation on the pay increase that he did not participate in it. Not one word!

Indeed, Greene's disregard for fiscal responsibility was evident when, at the Sun City forum, he was asked how he would demonstrate fiscal responsibility. He merely echoed Council Member Solomon's statement in a May council meeting: "We need to separate our wants from our needs." Greene then referenced something he did 20 years ago while working the New England Journal of Medicine, without citing any actions he has taken on the council in the past four years. That's because there were no examples to cite. 

Next Tuesday's election is a clear opportunity for voters to hold him accountable for his demonstrated lack of fiscal responsibility. 

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(Source: June 19, 2024 Oro Valley Town Council Meeting, Item 5)

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.

"Cease and Desist" Letter Sent To Greene, Rodman and Solomon

Cease and desist use of town seal
Last week we reported of a political mailer sent by the campaigns of Greene, Rodman and Solomon. The mailer included the photo in the panel below. It is a picture of now ex-police chief Dan Sharp in uniform with a badge that includes the town's logo.

Class One Misdemeanor
Town Legal Services Director, Tobin Sidles wrote the a "Cease and Desist-Use of Town Logo" letter to Harry Greene on July 9.

"On or around July 8, either you or one fo your agents acting on your behalf created and published a political mailer advertisement, which included a picture of the Town Seal/Logo located in it on the badge of retired Police Chief Danny Sharp...  You are hereby put on notice that the Town of Oro Valley Seal/Logo is copyrighted within the State of Arizona.

Logo included in last week's political mailer

Further, under Town Code Section 10-1-26, it is a crime... to use the Town Seal/Logo without the prior consent of the Oro Valley Town Council. This specifically includes use for election purposes. You are hereby on notice that any pictures within your control containing the Town seal/logo within them must be "fuzzed out." (Source: July 9 letter from Tobin Sidles to Harry Greene)

Not in compliance in other areas
Add this to the list of other violations regarding political signage from which Greene, Rodman and Solomon suffer. These include placards that make their signs bigger than allowed and identification labels on signs that are smaller than required.
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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.  

Murphy..Robb.. Win Big... Bohen and Greene Too Close To Call

LOVE calls it For Murphy and Robb

Newcomers Mary Murphy and Elizabeth Robb have won resounding victories for two of the three open seats on the Oro Valley Town Council.  Combined, Murphy and Robb earned 57% of total votes cast, signaling a desire of residents for new thinking on Council. 

These results are based on Pima County provided numbers as of 3am MST today. Provisional ballots have yet to be counted. Generally, there are not a lot of these and they do not change election results substantially.

Greene leads Bohen for final seat

Incumbents Tim Bohen and Mo Greene are battling for the final seat open seat on council. Greene holds a 403 vote lead over Bohen. Greene's lead is similar to the 298 vote lead he had over Bohen in the 2020 election. 

Much lower turnout than in 2020

Voters cast 41,440 votes for these seats in 2020 versus 31,700 in this election. This latter number is before perhaps 500 or so provisional ballots yet to be counted.

LOVE will provide a more detailed analysis of results when they become final.

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Greene, Rodman, Solomon Launch Disgusting Attack on Garner

Candidates Greene, Solomon, and Rodman introduce a new low to Oro Valley elections
Today's mail included an 8.5 x 11 inch glossy mailer that was paid for by the campaigns of council candidates Harry Greene, Steve Solomon, and Bill Rodman. It features Ret. Oro Valley Police Chief  Daniel Sharp.

Sharp says Garner is a threat to public safety
Sharp asserts that "Bill Garner's candidacy... is a threat to a very successful approach" to Oro Valley public safety...when on council he practiced 'wedge politics', creating conflict.."

Sharp states that Garner has "...continued to work behind the scenes to undermine the Department."  He concludes that "A vote for Bill Garner is a vote against public safety."

Saying something does not make it so
Sharp makes these outrageous assertions without providing one example.

In addition, Sharp fails to mention that in 2009 while on council, Garner and Oro Valley resident John Musolf worked with Sharp to save 8 police officer positions in the budget. Garner worked for public safety. Not against it! Their work resulted in a 7-0 police budget approval by council. (source)

Sharp's image on mailer fraudulent
The picture of Sharp in the mailer conveys the impression that Sharp is still in charge of the department and that, therefore, he represents the views of the department. It's a picture that was posted on a website in October, while he was Chief of Police. He is wearing his Chief's uniform. The badge on the uniform includes the town logo.  Sharp's signature on the mailer puts the word "Ret" after OVPD Chief of Police. Most people won't even see that.

The Oro Valley Police Department does not support this attack
We asked Oro Valley Police Chief Kara Riley if the  Department was associated in any way with this document. Riley's reply is quoted in the panel at left. Clearly, any inference that the views of Sharp reflect the views of the Department are false.

Council candidate Bill Garner rebuts Sharp's accusation
"Frankly, I was stunned by the political mailer. My campaign has had nothing but positive messaging and support towards public safety. I did not oppose the community policing model nor was it cut or modified while I served on council. I actually advocated for retaining police officers when the former chief removed them from a recommended budget in 2009.

Oro Valley has turned a new chapter in our police department leadership. I’ve met with Chief Riley and have nothing but respect for the manner in which she is running the department. I look forward to working with her."

The repulsive three
We always thought Council Member Solomon capable of low behavior. After all, he led an attempt to recall Mayor Winfield and Vice Mayor Barrett. He's ranted and raved at council meetings. He told one person at a council meeting that they should leave Oro Valley if they don't like it here.

But we never thought that Rodman or Greene would allow their campaigns to participate in something so repulsive. Nor did we ever imagine that a former police chief would allow himself to be used.

Why would anyone want Harry Greene, Steve Solomon, or Bill Rodman on council? 
They have introduced Oro Valley to the depths of depravity with this behavior.

Imagine what they will do to council.
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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.

Solomon Attacks "Big Community Survey"... Greene Agrees

Last week, we highlighted in the “Big Community Survey”. The survey results will be used by working groups as they craft the 2026 General Plan. We hope you found our three articles useful in understanding what was in the survey. Today,  we focus on the council's reaction to the survey results.
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Councilmember Solomon scotches survey results 
Last month, Town Planner Milini Simms and the town's external consultant presenting the survey results to the town council. Council member Steve Solomon criticized the conclusions, stating they are internally inconsistent. According to Solomon, the results "... contradict each other and are mutually exclusive." Solomon voiced his opinion that more rooftops would be needed to attract additional businesses like restaurants, which some survey respondents desire. This, according to Solomon, would also increase traffic. That is contrary to residents' preferences. Regarding the drinking water supply, Solomon argued it is not a pressing issue, despite residents' concerns about the long term water supply. He maintained that Oro Valley has an ample water supply, reassuring residents there is no need for worry. 

Greene Agrees… and so does Jones-Ivey


Council member Mo Greene, as usual, echoed Solomon's sentiments: '"I want to thank Councilmember Solomon for raising these issues." Joining them is Councilmember Jones-Ivey, who appears to have only skimmed the survey slides. "My Concern was pretty much ... stated by Councilmember Solomon. As I look at this I'm seeing that [residents want] no more growth, but [they] want more restaurants [and] more services .But [they] don't want any more traffic." Neither Greene nor Joyce-Ivey seemed to have fully reviewed the materials because that's not what they want.

Barrett goes to the facts to prove Solomon “wrong”


Fortunately, here's the good news: Both Vice Mayor Barrett and Councilmember Bohen thoroughly examined the materials. Using survey statistics, Barrett quickly pointed out that only a small percentage of respondents expressed a desire for more restaurants and businesses in town. In contrast, over half of the respondents prioritize environmental concerns such as preserving views. Managing town growth while ensuring water availability and environmental protection are top priorities for residents. Barrett emphasized that there are no inconsistencies in these findings.

Bohen concludes that the survey does show what the community wants

Council Member Bohen noted that the survey results are "good news." He emphasized that respondents are clearly telling the council not to dismiss survey responses. Bohen stated, "What the community wants isn't complicated. I think the message from the residents to us and also to the staff is to begin managing the town in accordance with our current reality, not where we wish to be

Still time for residents to participate
The survey process isn’t over. According to Planner Simms: “Come August and September, we're going to be asking residents to go to the website and make sure that the vision reflects what they said,”. You will be able to access those questions here.