Councilmember Steve Solomon is disruptive during the Sun City Town Hall

During the June 30, 2020 Sun City Town Hall with all 5 town council candidates present, in typical Steve Solomon fashion, he was disrespectful to the moderator and the other candidates, disruptive of the process, and refused to follow the rules.

The moderator set the rules at the beginning of the town hall:
“I will ask each candidate a unique question and that candidate will have a minute and a half to answer. After that answer, in alphabetical order by last name, the other candidates will be provided up to 45 seconds for a quick response if they so desire.”

Therefore, whenever Bohen or Garner finished their answer, the order for giving a 45 second response would be: Greene – Rodman – Solomon.

But, as usual, Solomon refused to be respectful and follow the rules. In the attached video (just over one minute in length) you will witness the following:

Solomon interrupts Bohen
Tim Bohen discusses the fact that the people who made the largest donations to incumbents Rodman and Solomon’s 2016 town council campaigns were non-residents. (LOVE previously reported that these non-residents were developers, builders, and real estate PACs).

Solomon immediately interrupts. “There you go talking about 2016. If you want to accuse me of something, I suggest you (inaudible). Are we going to allow people to accuse other candidates…"

Throughout this interruption, the moderator can be heard repeatedly saying, “Mr. Solomon…Mr. Solomon…please.” But Solomon ignores him and continues talking over him. (This is the same behavior that Solomon exhibits during town council meetings.)

Solomon interrupts Garner
The moderator then calls on Bill Garner who says, “It’s pretty rich when he [Solomon] talks about his campaign finances because not one dime came from an Oro Valley resident in 2016…"

Solomon interrupts again. “That’s false, that is a lie, he cannot make a false statement a fact.” Garner attempted to finish his turn speaking but Solomon continued interrupting. “Do you live in Marana or do you live in Oro Valley? How about you address that question because you applied for the council in Marana.”

Garner: “Please cut Mr. Solomon off Mr. Moderator.” (Garner is polite and says “please.” He is asking, not demanding.)

Solomon barks orders to the moderator
Solomon: “No, cut Mr. Garner off if he’s going to lie.” (Solomon is abrupt and demanding. He is ordering, not asking.)

Moderator: “Please follow the outline.”

Solomon: “Well, how about we do this? How about we make a pledge not to make false accusations against the candidates because that’s an outright lie.”

(Now Solomon is telling the moderator how to run the meeting. He’s trying to take over the meeting just like he tries to take over Town Council meetings).

Moderator: “Mr. Solomon, you are free in your closing statement to say whatever you would like.”

Solomon’s Diversion Tactics
Solomon tried to make an issue out of a non-issue (Bill Garner’s place of residence) in order to create a diversion and take the focus off of his special-interest campaign contributors. So to clarify, Bill Garner and his family lived in Oro Valley from 2004-2017, then briefly lived in Marana for a little over a year, returning to Oro Valley in February 2019. So yes, Bill Garner is eligible to hold office in Oro Valley.

In 2018, after the sudden passing of Marana Councilmember Carol McGorray whom Garner had known personally for many years, he applied to fill the vacancy when there was a call for applicants to fill the remainder of her term. Garner never ran for the Marana Town Council and had no plans to do so.

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 6. Promises and Lies

This is the final installment in our series of articles entitled, “The Solomon Chronicles,” highlighting the abysmal record of Councilmember Steve Solomon who is running for re-election. This series was written by a LOVE contributor and contains a synopsis of previous LOVE articles plus new information.
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This article will discuss some of the lies that Steve Solomon is currently telling along with some of the lies he told when running for election in 2016.

Solomon’s golf course lie
We present this one to show you that Solomon has a history of lying. Solomon told this whopper when running for Town Council in 2016. He distributed this lie in a campaign flyer that was delivered to the homes along the town-owned golf courses in Canada Hills. At that time, he (along with Bill Rodman and Rhonda Pina) was running against incumbents Brendan Burns, Bill Garner, and Mike Zinkin. The flyer stated:

“Save your home value! The incumbents running for re-election have pledged to close and sell your golf course destroying your home value!” The flyer was “Paid for by Solomon for OV Council.”

That was an outright lie. Burns, Garner, and Zinkin had never pledged any such thing and when an Oro Valley resident asked Solomon to prove that they did, he couldn’t. He made it up. It was a complete fabrication designed to trick uninformed voters into voting for him…and they did.

Solomon’s $3 million deficit lie
Solomon actually used the adjective “whopping” in his next lie. A Freudian slip, perhaps? Because it’s another whopper of a lie. And he not only told this whopper when running for council in 2016, but he is repeating it again in the current 2020 election. He stated it during Jim Horn’s Town Hall podcast held on June 25th.

Here’s what he said during that Town Hall:

“During my time on council, I helped guide the town to financial success. From 2008-2010, the council generated a whopping $3 million dollar deficit. When I first took office in 2010, myself and the other new council members balanced the budget, eventually generating $2 million in annual surpluses.”

He also said it during the January 9, 2019 council meeting:

“…when I first came on council in 2010, we discovered that the budget that was approved by the prior council…had a $3 million deficit which they never bothered to point out or emphasize and we had to deal with it."

There was never a deficit
The Hiremath Council did not inherit a $3 million deficit in 2010 as Solomon claimed. Here’s the real story.

• First of all, it is against State law to have a deficient budget.

• The tentative, proposed budget showed a $3.1 million difference between requested spending and forecasted revenues. That’s not a deficit. A deficit only occurs when actual spending exceeds actual revenues. That never happened. This is the $3 million to which Councilmember Solomon refers. This was the Hiremath council’s budget. They did not inherit it from any previous council.

• The Council was told by the Town Manager (Jerene Watson at that time) that they needed to increase revenues or the staff was going to suffer layoffs and/or 4 day work-weeks.

• The Hiremath Council, including Steve Solomon, decided to raise those revenues by doubling your Utility Tax from 2% to 4%. Solomon doesn’t tell you that part.

Here’s another 2020 campaign lie
During the Sun City Candidate Forum held on June 30th, Steve Solomon said this during his closing statement.

“Dr. Greene, Bill Rodman’s, and my campaigns are all positive. We have not gone on the attack against our opponents. That’s something you may want to take into consideration in your evaluation.”

After implying that you shouldn’t vote for people who engage in attack ads, just 10 days later, Solomon and Rodman posted an attack ad on their Facebook pages where they attack “The Other Guys.” We assume that this same postcard will soon be arriving in your mailbox. But the biggest problem is, that once again, the accusations made against Bill Garner and Tim Bohen are all lies.

If time permits, LOVE will dissect those lies for you in an upcoming article.

The ESLO lie
In Solomon’s continuing campaign of self-promotion, during that same forum, Solomon took sole credit for creating the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance. He said,

“I’ve also put in place our environmentally sensitive land ordinance.”

He put it in place? Well, that will come as quite a surprise to all the other people who worked on that committee. Back in 2010, Solomon was just one member of the 7-member Public Advisory Committee assigned to work on ESLO. There was also a 10-member Technical Advisory Committee including people from Arizona Game & Fish, Arizona Geological Survey, and the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection to name a few.

But to hear Solomon tell it, he alone devised the plan and implemented the policy!

Campaign promises don’t matter
During the June 30, 2020 Sun City debate, when asked if there were any situations in which he would increase taxes, Solomon replied, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” But keep in mind what he said during the January 23, 2019 town council meeting:

"There is a major difference between campaigning and governing. It is really irrelevant what your campaign promises were.”

The inference is that Solomon believes that one can say whatever they wish in order to get elected, but once elected, there is no need to follow through.

If you’ve missed any of The Solomon Chronicles, the links are provided below for your convenience.

Part 1. Favoritism
Part 2. Voting Record 2016-2018
Part 3. Who funded Solomon's 2016 Town Council campaign
Part 4. Conflict of interest
Part 5. A pattern of incivility and disrespect
Part 5. A pattern of incivility and disrespect (Cont'd.)

How Council Member Steve Solomon Lied During the January 9th Council Meeting

Item 3 on the agenda of the January 9th council meeting was “Establishing a Budget and Finance Commission and establishing the tasking and operations of said commission.”

The original Finance and Bond Commission was dissolved in 2010 during the Hiremath reign. Mayor Winfield wanted to bring it back to allow for more community involvement. He explained, “I have a strong belief in our boards and commissions and the important function they have in our community.”

Council Member Solomon paints himself into a corner
Council Member Steve Solomon tried to paint himself in a positive light, but ended up painting himself into a corner during the July 9th meeting. During the discussions, he claimed that he had nothing to do with abolishing the original Finance and Bond Commission in 2010.

Solomon claimed at the meeting: "…in the past, there was kind of a failure of this prior committee because when I first came on council in 2010, we discovered that the budget that was approved by the prior council, through whatever this bond or finance committee was, had a $3M deficit which they never bothered to point out or emphasize and we had to deal with it. After that committee was dissolved, and I wasn’t involved in the dissolution, what happened was that for the last 7 years, the town has run a surplus in the budget so I just want to make it clear that we do not have a budget problem."

Does he think that LOVE doesn’t have fact-checkers?

There are multiple problems with Solomon’s claims

• Solomon claims that a previous deficit was the fault of the prior Finance and Bond Commission. That’s nonsense. Staff has the final call on what is presented to the council. How many times did we hear from the Hiremath council that they didn’t need to get into the weeds because “we have staff and staff are the experts.” We found it curious that Finance Director, Stacey Lemos, said nothing when Solomon blamed the supposed “deficit” on the former commission members.
  
  
• There was never a deficit. The Hiremath Council did not inherit a $3 million deficit as Solomon claimed. First of all, it is against State law to have a deficient budget. The Council was told by the Town Manager (Jerene Watson at that time) that they needed to increase revenues or the staff was going to suffer layoffs and/or 4 day weeks. The Hiremath Council responded by doubling the Utility Tax from 2% to 4%.

The 2011-2012 tentative, proposed budget showed a $3.1 million difference between requested spending and forecasted revenues. That’s not a deficit. A deficit only occurs when actual spending exceeds actual revenues. That never happened. This is the $3 million to which Councilmember Solomon refers. This was the Majority-4's budget. They did not inherit it from any previous council.

• Solomon maintains that he wasn't involved in the Board’s dissolution, yet he was one of seven council members who voted unanimously to dissolve that commission.

Here’s the timeline:

June 2, 2010
Mayor Hiremath and his Majority-4 council took the oath of office. 

June 16, 2010
Steve Solomon was appointed to fill a vacancy left when Salette Latas resigned two months earlier. Solomon’s term was effective until June 6, 2012. (The Finance and Bond Commission was still active when Solomon took office.) 

December 1, 2010
The vote to dissolve the former Finance and Bond Commission took place during this council meeting. Solomon was on council and was present that night. 

Item 7A on the agenda was a “Discussion and possible action regarding the Finance and Bond Commission.” The vote was 7-0 to dissolve the commission. There was no discussion prior to the vote. Solomon did not argue against dissolving this commission and he voted to dissolve it. 

Or in Solomon’s words, “I wasn’t involved in the dissolution.”

These are more examples of why you should not trust anything that Councilmember Steve Solomon asserts. He appears to just make it up as he goes along, saying whatever paints him (or the prior Majority-4) in a positive light.

Devils, rakes, and shovels…oh my!
But wait, there’s more! During his arguments, Solomon also made the following comments:

"Now more citizen input is always nice but the devil’s in the details. So my question is…what is this group of people going to do? Are they going to go through the budget and say, ‘We’re spending too much money on parks and not enough money on planning and zoning.’ Or are they going to say, ‘Wait a minute, Parks and Rec…there’s a line item, we need 10 shovels…we want 5 rakes. Is the committee going to say, ‘No, I think rakes are better than shovels. We should buy 10 rakes and 5 shovels.'"(Well, if anyone knows about shoveling stuff, it’s Steve Solomon.)

He continued: "This is not unreasonable because this is what happens when you put a group together. So we need to be clear on what do we expect from them. Do we expect them to tell us that Parks and Rec has the wrong number of rakes and shovels? Do we expect them to tell us that the Police are getting too much money and Parks and Rec is getting too little money? Do we expect them to tell us that…we should cut out golf?...Are they going to slow the process up?...What role are these citizens going to have and are they going to have the background to contribute positively to it, which would be wonderful. We can’t just grab a group of five people and throw them into this and say, ‘Here’s the budget. Give us recommendations.’"

If Solomon had read the Council packet including the attachments, he would have known exactly what the responsibilities of the Finance Commission would be. The functions of the Commission were spelled out clearly. One needs to read the Resolution you are voting on before you vote. It appears that Solomon was too lazy to do his job and instead relied on the verbal summary from staff.

For the record, the Town Council isn’t going to just “grab a group of five people and throw them into this” and it was insulting to Mayor Winfield for Councilmember Solomon to even suggest this absurd possibility.

Supporting town documents showing that Councilmember Solomon voted to dissolve the former Finance and Bond Commission

Roll Call for 12/1/10 meeting showing that Solomon was present

Motion Carried 7-0

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 5. A pattern of incivility and disrespect (Cont’d.)

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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This topic was divided into two parts. The first half was published last Wednesday. If you missed it, you can find it directly below this article. As you continue reading, keep in mind that these are some of the assertions that Steve Solomon made when he ran for Town Council in 2016.

• I am running for Town Council to bring civility, professionalism, collaboration, and positive forward momentum back to our community and Town Government. [Explorer Newspaper, June 8, 2016]

• Practicing civility and finding common ground are what I do best. [Facebook page, Solomon for Oro Valley Town Council, July 29, 2016]

Face-to-face threats
2018. During a public event in 2018, first-hand accounts indicate that Solomon yelled verbally abusive comments at two women and threatened to sue them for slander after they stated their opinion that Council votes were likely being influenced by wealthy special interest donations. He asserted that their comments equated to accusing HIM of the felony act of bribery because he had accepted donations from wealthy special interests. Of note is that no one accused him or any other council member of doing anything illegal…just unethical.

Additionally, these two women are not the only Oro Valley residents who have made this observation. Numerous residents have made the same comments in Letters to the Editor and also when speaking at Town Council meetings. Yet, not once has any Town Council member, except Steve Solomon, felt the need to retaliate by verbally accosting any of these residents or threatening them with lawsuits.

Email threat #1
2017. After Solomon voted to amend the Steam Pump Village PAD to permit an indoor storage facility, a resident emailed Solomon questioning his vote. She questioned why he voted to approve a storage facility in an area that was planned as a future dining/shopping area and walkable gathering space. (She was referring to the Oro Valley Main Streets destination dining and shopping area that was on the table at the time).

She stated that, “The only conclusion I can draw is that it had something to do with the $13,000 in campaign contributions from Diamond Ventures.”

(She was referring to the total donations that Diamond Ventures contributed to the campaigns of the Hiremath Majority-7 council, all of whom voted to amend the PAD to allow the storage facility over the protests of Oro Valley residents. $1,900 of that amount was donated to Solomon’s campaign specifically.)

Solomon then went off the rails, claiming that she had accused him of “criminal activity, of accepting a bribe.” He continued, “This is a slanderous unsupported claim. It is a well-established legal principle that such a criminal accusation against a private person or public official is not protected speech and the accuser is subject to legal action.” He stated that the situation “may result in legal action” against her.

She responded by telling him that citizens "expect to be allowed to question our elected officials without fear of retaliation and the threat of a lawsuit. After all, citizens do have the right to discuss public affairs with their elected officials.” She also informed him that he clearly did not know the legal definition of slander.

Solomon immediately backed down from his lawsuit threat.

Email threat #2
2018. Solomon accused yet another citizen of slander and threatened him with a defamation lawsuit in Pima County Superior Court that would “include a large monetary damage amount” unless he met Solomon’s demand of “a written retraction and apology,” and publicly reading that apology at the next town council meeting, and submitting a settlement “payment of $50,000” by September 7, 2018.

The resident ignored the threat and, once again, Solomon backed down.

A boy named Sue
Councilmember Solomon has threatened to sue FOUR Oro Valley residents for slander and/or defamation over a 2-year period. And these are just the ones that we know of. This earned him the nickname of “A boy named Sue.”

Solomon blows his top during a council meeting
2019. During the December 4, 2019 council meeting, Solomon attempted to take over the meeting, first interrupting Councilmember Jones-Ivey and yelling at her, then yelling over Mayor Winfield as he tried to speak. This outburst led to the mayor threatening to have him removed from council chambers. You can view the video of this incident HERE.

“Practicing civility and finding common ground are what I do best.”

UP NEXT: Although this was originally the end of our 2-part article on the topic of incivility and disrespect, Solomon’s ego is the gift that keeps on giving. So be sure to read LOVE Friday to see a video excerpt of Solomon’s disrespectful outbursts at the Sun City Candidate Forum held on June 30, 2020.

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The final installment of The Solomon Chronicles, “Promises and Lies” will be published next Wednesday

Solomon Uses Scare Tactics

The other day, council candidate Steve Solomon dropped a "scare flyer" on the doorsteps of some. This one alleges that Burns, Garner and Zinkin have "pledged to close and sell your golf course-destroying your home value." Oh my. Tragedy to follow! What will these poor residents do?

We wouldn't be surprised to see more flyers, saying that incumbent candidates plan to "gut the police force;""take your gun rights;" kidnap and  your children and grandchildren.

Heck. Solomon will make anything up. And those who live only on "sound bites" will believe it.

The fact is: The supporters of the challengers would like you to vote from fear.

Solomon will feed you any "horse petuti" that he thinks that you will swallow!

Here's what one Oro Valley resident thinks about Solomon's behavior.
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TIRED OF THE SOLOMON FALSEHOODS? 

Four years ago, Steve Solomon ran for Council in an attempt to retain the seat that he was appointed to by the Majority-4 in 2010. Since being beaten in the 2012 primary, no one has seen hide nor hair of Mr. Solomon. He has not been present at any Council meeting, board or commission meeting, and has not volunteered for any Town project. Now, after all this time, he reappears.

Solomon is a "big developer", "big projects" guy.

On April 20, 2011, Solomon voted to rezone the property where the HSL apartments now stand in Steam Pump Village. On Dec. 7, 2011, Solomon voted to approve a Major General Plan Amendment to allow for the apartments at Linda Vista/Oracle. On April 18, 2012, Solomon voted to rezone the property to allow for the apartments at First/Oracle. On May 2, 2012, Solomon voted to approve both the conceptual site plan and architecture plan to allow for the Encantada Apartments at Steam Pump Village to be 3 stories high.

Now Mr. Solomon is trying to tell you that he will save the Police and SRO's. In fact, the current council increased the number of SRO's by a 7-0 vote, and when have the police been threatened? He’s taking credit for forming Dial-A-Ride when it was a concerted effort by citizens and multiple council members after Solomon voted to eliminate funding for Coyote Run, the town’s former transportation service for the elderly and disabled.

Now he is telling the people who live adjacent to the golf courses that, if you do not elect him, your property values are going to diminish.  (See right panel)  Next he will tell you he laid the cornerstone to the library and Town Hall.

Solomon is telling you that the incumbents have pledged to close and sell the golf course. This is absurd. The incumbents are the only candidates who have offered any alternatives to the continued losses incurred by golf. Evert incumbent has also stated publicly that they want to include the People in finding alternatives to stop the continued losses from the golf operation.

Solomon is n got going to save your property values. He has not offered one solution to stop the recurring losses from the golf course operation. His “plan” is to do nothing and thereby continue to lose more than $1,000,000 annually for at least the next 5 years. His “plan” could result in the need for a property tax because Oro Valley cannot afford five more years of these substantial losses.

Solomon was bad for Oro Valley during his 2-year tenure as an appointed Councilman. He has done nothing to help our town since his defeat in 2012. It would be a serious mistake to return Mr. Solomon to Town Council.
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The Solomon Chronicles. Part 1. Favoritism.

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 towards Oro Valley residents 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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April 5, 2017 Town Council meeting
A $17 million bond for sports fields at Naranja Park was on the agenda, however, there was no Public Hearing scheduled for this item. As you continue reading, keep in mind that Solomon was in favor of this bond.

With no Public Hearing scheduled, two residents who wanted to speak on this issue, chose to do so during the Call to Audience. Most likely, neither were aware that you are not allowed to speak during the Call to Audience regarding an item that is on the agenda.

The first person to speak (Oro Valley resident, Karen Stratman), was opposed to the $17 million bond and the secondary property tax to pay for it. She stated that if ball fields were wanted by our residents, then they should have been a priority rather than the Town purchasing 3 golf courses.

Solomon calls a Point of Order
Ms. Stratman was quickly interrupted by Councilmember Solomon who called a Point of Order, stating that she was not allowed to speak on an agenda item during the Call to Audience. Solomon addressed the Town Attorney stating that, “She specifically mentioned the bond issue that’s on the agenda.”

Although he was correct that discussing an agenda item during the Call to Audience is not allowed, it’s what happened next that revealed his true intention in stopping her speech…and it wasn’t because he’s a stickler for enforcing Parliamentary Rules.

Solomon’s True Intentions
The next person to speak (Oro Valley resident, Ben Baker) was in favor of the $17 million bond. He opened his speech by instructing the council on the best way to convince people to vote to approve the bond, including giving specific examples of how to entice residents into voting YES.

Solomon was silent. He never interrupted this speaker. He never called a Point of Order and Mr. Baker was allowed to present his entire speech unimpeded, despite speaking on the same agenda item that Solomon had just prevented Ms. Stratman from speaking on.

Why was Solomon not consistent in asking the Town Attorney to enforce the rules? One can only conclude that it was because Mr. Baker was in favor of the $17 million Naranja Park Bond (as was Councilmember Solomon) and Solomon wanted to make sure that that speaker’s voice was heard!

This is Councilmember Solomon in action. To him, Parliamentary Rules should only apply to those who disagree with him. If you agree with him, he’s just fine with suspending the rules for you. Councilmember Solomon has never understood the simple fact that he is supposed to be a councilmember for all and not just for those who agree with him.

Appointed his crony to Planning & Zoning
Solomon also voted to appoint Don Cox to the Planning & Zoning Commission despite the council receiving letters of concern from multiple residents about Cox’s repeated inappropriate and unprofessional behavior while serving past terms on P&Z. Cox had already been reprimanded twice by the Town Attorney for his inappropriate behavior and for violating the rules for Board and Commission members. (NOTE: Cox was a vocal supporter of Steve Solomon during the 2016 election and formed a PAC that endorsed Pina-Rodman-Solomon for election. Quid pro quo?)
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The Solomon Chronicles: Part 2. “Voting Record” will be published next Wednesday.

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 2. Voting Record 2016-2018

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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Today’s article presents excerpts from Councilmember Solomon’s voting record from November 2016 to April 2018 and focuses on his repeated catering to developers.

Solomon thumbed his nose at the citizens on his first night in office
November 16, 2016. Solomon was sworn into office. That very same night, he voted to approve a Major General Plan Amendment to amend the Land Use Map at Rancho Vistoso Blvd. and Vistoso Highlands Drive (17 acres) FROM Neighborhood Commercial/Office TO Medium Density Residential.

Why was this important? Solomon’s vote was noteworthy because it came just 8 days after the new 2016 General Plan had been approved by Oro Valley voters! Think about that. A plan that was 3 years in the making (September 2013 – September 2016), a plan written and approved by the people of Oro Valley to reflect OUR community values, was altered by Steve Solomon (and the rest of the former Hiremath council) during their very first meeting. On his very first night in office, Solomon’s first order of business was to thumb his nose at the citizens. This would be a harbinger of what was to come.

Apparently, all those Oro Valley voices coming together to present a clear vision of what we wanted for our town was of no value or importance to Steve Solomon.

Approved the grading of rolling hills
November 16, 2016. Yes, we’re still on the same night and he wasn’t done yet. Remember the beautiful rolling hills that were once present on the east side of First Avenue? Town Code does not allow grading of hills by more than 6 feet. Solomon voted to allow a portion of those hills to be graded down 12-15 feet to accommodate the residential development known as Sanctuary at Silverhawke.

Approved a storage facility at the historic Steam Pump Ranch
March 15, 2017. Solomon voted to allow a 107,544 square foot, 3-story storage facility containing approx. 750 storage units at the historic Steam Pump Village despite residents speaking against it during the Public Hearing. Residents pointed out that it was not consistent with the vision, guiding principles, goals and policies of the General Plan. One of those residents pointed out that even the Town Staff found that it met ONLY ONE of the 10 goals in the General Plan.

Additionally, this area was slated to be part of the Main Streets district which was to include areas for shopping and dining along the CDO wash…another reason that a 3-story storage facility was not appropriate for this area.

Tangerine North Annexation, Shannon 80, and Big Wash General Plan Amendments
December 6, 2017. Despite a huge resident turnout at this council meeting and strong vocal opposition from residents, Solomon voted to approve ALL of the following:

• Tangerine North Annexation. Solomon voted to approve a General Plan Amendment to extend the Oro Valley planning area boundary to include 302 acres currently zoned for 3.3 acre residential on the north side of Tangerine (between Coyote Crossing and Thornydale) and to give it a new designation of Master Planned Community. In other words, say goodbye to 3.3 acre minimum lot sizes.

• Shannon 80. Solomon voted to approve a General Plan Amendment to change the land use on 76 acres on the east side of Shannon Road FROM Rural low density residential TO Low density residential-1. He then voted to approve the rezoning from R1-144 to R1-36. However, due to ESLO criteria, the minimum lot size actually allowed is just 8,750 square feet! This is totally incompatible with existing homes in that area which are custom homes on lot sizes of 144,000 sf and larger (3.3 acres and up).

• Big Wash. Solomon voted to approve a General Plan Amendment to change land use and zoning designations for 108 acres of undeveloped land in a FLOODPLAIN located along Honeybee Wash and Big Wash to allow 408 homes on lot sizes of 7,200 sf lots and 5,400 sf lots on mass-graded sites.

Saguaros Viejos
April 4, 2018. Despite this parcel (west side of La Cholla between Glover and Naranja) already having been rezoned from R1-144 (144,000 sf) down to R1-20 (20,000 sf) just two years earlier, Solomon voted to approve yet another rezoning down to even smaller lots of R1-7 (7,000 sf).

This pristine desert parcel (85 acres), originally zoned for 3.3 acre rural residential lots with no mass grading, will now be built as 7,000 sf lots with mass grading and cookie-cutter 2-story homes. This is not compatible with the surrounding homes, including custom homes on 3.3 acre lots and semi-custom homes with an average lot size of 18,500 sf. Numerous residents spoke in opposition to this rezoning.

Solomon’s legacy – 588 acres of pristine desert irreparably transformed
This is just a small sample from Solomon’s first 18 months in office! It reveals that his loyalty is not to the people, but rather to wealthy land speculators and developers. For anyone who still doesn’t know this, Steve Solomon is also a developer. He is the owner of Canada Vistas, a real estate development/homebuilding business.

NOTE: Councilmember Bill Rodman who is also running for re-election also voted to approve all of the above general plan amendments and rezonings. Do you want to re-elect these two incumbents and give them another 4-year long license to continue rezoning what little land is left of our once beautiful Oro Valley desert landscape?

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The Solomon Chronicles: Part 3. “Who funded Solomon’s 2016 Town Council campaign?” will be published next Wednesday.

Guest View-Robert Peters: What You Need To Know About Steve Solomon

Town Council challenger, Steve Solomon, claims that one of the reasons he’s running for council is to bring “civility” back to our community and town government. If that were truly his goal, he would have run against Mayor Hiremath in last year’s recall election since Hiremath has been the instigator of all the incivility on council for the past six years. Furthermore, it’s laughable that Solomon would be running on a platform of civility when the record shows that his past history on council from 2010-2012 was hardly one of graciousness and manners.

For those who aren’t aware, Solomon was never elected by the citizens. He was appointed by Hiremath-Hornat-Waters-Snider to fill a vacancy and there are valid reasons why voters unceremoniously dumped Solomon the first chance they got. In 2012, voters chose instead to elect Mike Zinkin and Brendan Burns and to re-elect Bill Garner.

Why were the voters turned off of Solomon?
Arrogant and Condescending Leadership Style
Upon taking office in June 2010, it didn’t take long for Solomon to irritate the citizens with his boastful habit of telling everyone how smart and right he always was. Solomon’s penchant for lecturing ad nauseum and taking credit for others’ work came to a head during one council meeting when, to everyone’s surprise, Council member Gillaspie had had enough of it and put Solomon in his place. You know you’re an arrogant bully when the always civil and well-mannered Barry Gillaspie has had all he can take of you.

Solomon’s arrogant style was also directed at citizens who dared to disagree with him. His idea of civility is to ridicule citizens. During one council meeting, a senior citizen asked for clarification on ambiguous passages in the sign code. Solomon responded with his usual lecturing and then insulted the speaker by stating, “I can’t even address half of those comments. They’re so far out there.”

At another council meeting, when this citizen presented statistics from the National Real Estate Association on the lack of positive results from the use of Open House signs, Solomon rudely interrupted the citizen and yelled, “I don’t believe you!”

Penchant for approving high-density developments
Are you one of the many citizens who are frustrated with all the high-density apartment buildings that have been built on Oracle Road over the past few years and are continuing to be built as you read this?

Steve Solomon voted to approve all of them.

That should come as no surprise since Solomon is a homebuilder who admitted in a recent newspaper article to having a life-long passion for construction and development.

Stacking the deck
Chances are good that Solomon’s entry into the race is Mayor Hiremath’s handiwork, a man who knows how to stack a deck. The Majority-4’s appointment of Solomon in 2010 resulted in them having a super-majority on council for the next two years. Hiremath would like to recreate this super-majority. In doing so, not only will he continue to have control over items requiring a minimum of 4 votes, but he will once again have control over items requiring 5 votes as well, such as Major General Plan Amendments, also known as major developments coming to a neighborhood near you.

If you want to have any civility at all on the Oro Valley Town Council and if you want to protect what’s left of Oro Valley’s scenic views, I urge you to re-elect Mike Zinkin, Bill Garner, and Brendan Burns.

Robert Peters
Oro Valley Resident
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Robert Peters is an Army veteran who served in Germany and South Korea. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Russian and Eastern European Studies and a Master’s degree in Business Management. He’s been employed by Raytheon Missile Systems since 2004. He’s been active in dog rescue organizations for the past 20 years. He’s also an avid reader and history buff who has traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Europe and Russia. A former hippie, he attended the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Upstate New York.

Council Member Solomon: Campaign Promises Don't Matter

Disagreeable
Two more years of listening to Council Member Solomon are going to be hard for Oro Valley residents. Solomon is simply disagreeable. He is insulting. How disagreeable? How insulting? Watch last week's council meeting and listen to his remarks as he discusses appointments to the five Oro Valley commissions. But, if you don't have time to do that, this is LOVE's recap. We have transcribed his comments. You be the judge.

Council Member Solomon: Campaign Promises Don't Matter
"There is a major difference between campaigning and governing. It is really irrelevant what your campaign promises were. As council members, we're here to do what is in the best interest to the town of Oro Valley." The inference is that Solomon believes that one can say as they wish in order to be elected. There is, in his mind, no need to follow through.

Council Member Solomon: Board and Commission term limits will result in poor decisions
In December, the council voted to return term limits to its boards and commissions. Term limits were removed under Hiremath.

Solomon lectured council on his philosophy of organizational success.

"Any organization that would expel its most experienced people in favor of 'new blood' that is unexperienced and maybe not nearly as qualified, surely will not survive. And, if they do survive, the services which they have provided to their customers, in our case our citizens, are going to be greatly diminished. Unfortunately now, a poor policy that was passed in December is being used to justify even more poor decisions."

Council Member Solomon: The Council "wiped out" the Storm Water Utility Commission
"That decision in December, wiped out our Storm Water Utility Commission. Two people were dismissed simply because these people were on their third term. These were experts in the field. Stormwater Utility is not a very glamorous position. It is a very highly technical board that has to provide very solid technical input."

Council Member Solomon: Experience matters more than community involvement
"It doesn't matter what the qualifications are because we promised new blood. That's what we are going to do. That's not the way to govern. I'm sorry. This is not in the best interest of the town of Oro Valley or its residents. And that needs to be noted: That this council seems to be set on making decisions, not based on the residents interest, but simply on a campaign pledge of new blood." Apparently, Solomon does not subscribe to the concept that what is best for the residents is what is best for the Town Of Oro Valley.

(Source: Town meeting video, minutes 45:35 to 47:05)

Council Member Solomon accuses Winfield of giving a "pep talk"
Later in the meeting, after Mayor Winfield discussed the results to date of increasing community involvement, Solomon insulted Winfield: "That was a very nice general discussion... but now let's get down to specifics again instead of this general, high level pep talk." This occurred after Solomon attempted to interrupt Winfield's comments.

Council Member Solomon accuses new members of possible open meeting law violation
After insulting Winfield, Solomon stated that he felt that the council majority had already made the decision to not reappoint Hitt prior to the meeting; and that this concerned him because of open meeting laws. "You have your four votes. It seems that you had your four votes before this meeting which is of concern because of open meeting laws." (Video: 56:44)

LOVE's closing thought
We do not envy the job that Mayor Winfield and the members of council face. Increasing community involvement is just one of these jobs. There are so many others. Having Solomon on the council is going to be yet another challenge because he simply does not have the ability to understand and respectfully discuss viewpoints that differ from his.

Council Member Solomon: A Financial Conflict Of Interest (Part 2)

Yesterday we presented evidence that Council Member Solomon may well have a financial interest in a property known as Parcel 9B. This parcel lies between the 17th and 18th holes of the Canada golf course. Today we posit: Shouldn't he recuse himself for all voting matters regarding the town owned golf courses?
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Solomon’s unethical behavior
We have already seen how Council Member Solomon will vote concerning Oro Valley's town owned golf courses.   Solomon voted to use public funds to improve lands on which he has a financial interest at the June 6, 2018 council meeting, This occurred during the FY 2018/19 budget discussions.

At that time, Steve Solomon spoke on the benefits of a bond that designated $3.8 million dollars to go towards improvements on the golf properties. He not only spoke in favor of the bond, he also voted in favor of the budget that included the bond.

A lie by omission is still a lie
At the July 18, 2018 council meeting, after it was revealed during the Call to Audience that Council Member Solomon had a financial interest in what happens to the golf courses, Solomon responded:

“I just want to assure everyone that there was absolutely nothing that occurred that was unethical. I do not own property on the golf course…”

Solomon lied by omission. While he didn’t technically own any property on the golf course, he was in escrow to purchase property on the golf course. He conveniently left that part out.

It's a question of ethics, morals, and the public trust
Council Member Solomon has a clear conflict of interest when it comes to what happens regarding the town owned golf courses. Solomon should recuse himself from any votes having to do with these facilities.

However, we doubt this will happen.

Our sources inform us that Solomon may have received legal advice on this issue advising him to withdraw from escrow prior to the vote, then vote to continue all 36 holes of golf, then reopen escrow. If he chooses this route, the fact would still remain that he voted in his own best interest. This may not be illegal, but it is gaming the system for his own benefit. It's unethical and a violation of the public trust.

If Solomon does not recuse himself immediately, then Mayor Winfield should ask the town attorney to provide legal counsel on whether Solomon's pending ownership of property 9B presents a conflict of interest to Solomon in regards to being able to assess golf course options; and to advise the Mayor on actions the town should take if such is the case.

Councilmember Solomon's unethical (and possibly illegal) actions being investigated by the AG's office, Special Investigations Division

Councilmember Steve Solomon now has a financial interest in maintaining the town-owned golf courses.
A few months ago, LOVE was made aware that Councilmember Solomon (through his development company, Canada Vistas LLC) had purchased property along the golf courses in Canada Hills on which he plans to build condominiums and/or townhomes. This means that he now has a financial interest in what happens to those golf courses.

We held off on reporting on this while we waited to see how Solomon would proceed when it came time to vote on FY 2018/19 budget; a budget that included $3.8 million dollars to be directed to improvements on the golf courses…golf courses adjacent to his new property.

Would Solomon do the honorable thing and recuse himself from any votes involving taxpayer money being directed towards the golf courses? Or would he speak in favor of the bond, and then vote in favor of the budget that included the $3.8 million for the golf course improvements?

During the June 6, 2018 budget vote, Solomon gave us the answer we’d been expecting. Solomon’s unethical behavior and possible conflict of interest were exposed by Mike Zinkin during last night’s council meeting during the Call to Audience. Below is Mike’s speech:

Mike Zinkin’s Call to Audience Speech
On May 16, 2018 I came before you regarding a rude communication between one of your Councilmen and a resident of the community. I requested that you require said Councilman to apologize. You failed to do so, sending a message to the citizens that you find his appalling behavior acceptable.

Tonight I come forward with an issue that is potentially illegal, and certainly unethical.

On his required financial disclosure statement, Councilman Solomon states that he and his wife control a business called Canada Vistas LLC. (Statement attached). On January 4, 2018, Mr. Solomon communicated with the controlling HOA of Canada Hills informing them of his purchase of property on the Canada Course and his desire to meet with both the Master HOA and the sub-HOA’s to discuss design and approval requirements. (Email attached).

On January 26, 2018, there was a communication confirming that this property was in escrow and it also mentioned development possibilities. (Email attached.)

On June 29, 2018, Mr. Solomon replied to a question that he indeed still owned the property and that it was in the early stages of development. (Email attached.)

Here’s where it gets interesting. A few weeks prior to the June 29th communication previously mentioned, at the June 6, 2018 Council meeting, during the FY 2018/19 budget discussions, Mr. Solomon spoke on the benefits of a bond, a bond that designated $3.8 million dollars to go towards improvements on the golf properties. The very same properties in which this Councilman has a financial interest. Mr. Solomon not only spoke in favor of this bond, he also voted in favor of the budget that included the subject bond.

Mr. Solomon could very well have rescued himself from this discussion and the vote. The budget and the bond would have still passed. However, he did not recuse himself.

This behavior could very well be in violation of ARS 38 501-511, Conflict of Interest. This is because Mr. Solomon voted to use public monies to improve lands on which he has a financial interest.

I will let the County Attorney and Attorney General rule on the legal aspects of his behavior. Regardless of their positions on the legality, his behavior demonstrates the highest form of unethical behavior.

I am asking that you censure Councilman Solomon for this behavior, and even ask for his resignation. This type of unethical behavior should not be tolerated in government, certainly not Oro Valley.

I will be sending each of you an email communication, complete with the evidence I have uncovered. It will also be sent to the media. If you again choose to do nothing, you will be sending yet another message to the voters that you condone his inappropriate, and in this case, unethical behavior.

[Click on each document to enlarge]

The Solomon Chronicles. Part 4. Conflict of Interest

Want to see Steve Solomon in action? Visit: realstevesolomon.com
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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 had a dog in the golf course fight
As previously reported on LOVE, Councilmember Steve Solomon (via his development company, Canada Vistas, LLC) had property in escrow along the 17th and 18th holes of the Town-owned Canada golf course since at least December of 2017. His plan was to build golf-course-view condos and/or townhomes on that property. He therefore had a financial interest in what happened to those golf courses since he can’t build golf-course-view condos on property that no longer contains golf course views.

He remained in escrow on that property for all of 2018 and until at least April 2019 (the last date in which LOVE has documents stating that he was still in escrow). Why is this important? Because during all of 2018 and 2019 he consistently advocated from the dais to keep all 36 holes of golf open.

Solomon’s unethical behavior
At the June 6, 2018 council meeting, during the FY 2018/19 budget discussions, Solomon spoke on the benefits of (and voted in favor of) a $6 million bond that designated $3.8 million dollars for improvements on the golf courses…golf courses that were adjacent to his planned residential development.

Solomon voted to use public monies to improve land on which he had a financial interest
This was a clear conflict of interest. If Solomon had been honest and ethical, he would have recused himself from any votes having to do with the town-owned golf courses. Instead he voted to spend public money for his own potential gain.

A lie by omission is still a lie
At the July 18, 2018 council meeting, a resident revealed during the Call to Audience that Councilmember Solomon had a financial interest in what happened to the golf courses. Solomon responded:

“I just want to assure everyone that there was absolutely nothing that occurred that was unethical. I do not own property on the golf course.”

Solomon was lying by omission and he knew it. While he didn’t technically own any property on the golf course, he was in escrow to purchase property on the golf course. He conveniently left that part out.

The bottom line is that Solomon had a financial interest in maintaining the town-owned golf courses and he never revealed this information to the public. It was a resident who made the information public.

Desert land in foreground is the "escrow" parcel

The parcel surrounded by the 17th and 18th holes of the Canada Course

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The Solomon Chronicles: Part 5. “A Pattern of Incivility and Disrespect” will be published next Wednesday.

Does Council Member Solomon Have a Conflict of Interest? (Part 1)

Does Council Member Solomon have a conflict of interest in the Golf Decision?
In July 2018, LOVE reported that since at least December of 2017, Council Member Steve Solomon, via his development company, Canada Vistas, LLC, was in escrow to purchase property along the 17th and 18th holes of the Town-owned Canada golf course.

This property is known as Parcel 9B.  Zoning could allow condos or townhomes on this property.

Council Member Solomon has a financial interest in what happens to the Town-owned golf courses
Council Member Solomon can’t offer golf-course-view condos on property that no longer contains golf course views.

We ask: Could this be why Council Member Solomon has remained in escrow on this property since late 2017?  Has he been waiting for a town council decision on the golf courses?

The Canada Course will either remain a golf course or become a linear park. As a Council Member, Solomon will vote on this, isn't he therefore conflicted? Because of necessity, he will be considering the financial impact of any option on his potential purchase and development of 9B.

Council Member Solomon in July of 2017: Must maintain "open natural desert" 
At the July 12, 2017 Golf Courses Study Session when the town council was discussing the possibility of closing one or all of the golf courses, Council Member Solomon said:

“We have to be very sensitive to what happens to the areas that we no longer use as golf courses, because you’ve got homes backing up to these areas…We have an obligation to maintain, at minimum, an open natural desert setting for those homes.”

However, since being in escrow to purchase land along the golf course, Solomon has been advocating solely for retaining all 36 holes of golf. There is no more talk from Solomon of returning it to a natural desert environment.

Timeline and Paper Trail
LOVE has obtained email exchanges that took place in December 2017 between employees of Northwest Management Company. This was the management company for the Canada Hills Villages HOA at that time. These emails contain the following information:

• Dec. 18, 2017: “The board has asked me to find out who is purchasing the 9B piece of land owned by HSL. I know A.F. Sterling backed out but there is talk now that it is being purchased again. Can you tell me who the purchaser is?”
• Dec. 22, 2017: “We did receive the demand for the 9B parcel of land. I did speak to the title company and they did give me the contact information for the buyer. He is a licensed realtor. His name is Steve Solomon from Canada Vista Homes, LLC.”

LOVE has also obtained emails from 2018 regarding this property.

• January 4, 2018: Solomon communicated with the controlling HOA of Canada Hills informing them of his purchase of property on the Canada Course and his desire to meet with both the Master HOA and the sub-HOA’s to discuss design and approval requirements
• January 26, 2018: “I just wanted to touch base and follow up with you regarding Canada Vistas and Village 9B. It was interesting to learn from Steve that they have the property in escrow.” This email also discusses development possibilities including 40 condo units in ten 3-story buildings that would sell in the $300,000 range and 26 two-story townhomes that would sell in the $400-500,000 range.
• June 29, 2018: Solomon replied to a question that he indeed still owned the property and that it was in the early stages of development.
• LOVE is also aware of a Canada Hills HOA meeting in April 2019 where the management company specifically mentioned that “Steve’s property” is still in escrow.

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Tomorrow in Part 2: Council Member Solomon claims that there is no conflict

Vistoso Residents Want Solomon and The Group Preserve Vistoso Barred From Town's Vistoso Land Negotiations

Residents want Solomon to recuse himself...

Residents of Rancho Vistoso have asked the Oro Valley Town Council to remove Council Member Steve Solomon from any discussions regarding the town's potential purchase of the former Vistoso Golf land from owner Romspen LLC. As LOVE reported in November, the council has authorized the town manager and town council to negotiate with Romspen to purchase the property. 

...because Solomon has been involved in previous discussions with Romspen, the landowner, that would have resulted in development of some of the property

Rancho Vistoso residents are seeking Solomon's recusal from discussions because Solomon, starting in March, inserted himself into activities with the group Preserve Vistoso , activities that could have resulted in residential development of some of the property. These residents, like many in Rancho Vistoso, want no development of the property. Rather, they want the property to become a natural preserve.

Council Member Solomon's activities with Romspen and the group Preserve Vistoso continued at least until the council meeting of November 18. At that meeting, Solomon put forth a motion that would have the town join with a small "working group" he had formed with Romspen's representative to, as he put it, "quickly resolve" the purchase. The working group was to also include Preserve Vistoso and the Vistoso Community Association ("VCA") to, supposedly, represent the residents. 

Residents vehemently rejected Solomon's proposal at the November council meeting. Now, they are fearful that any Solomon involvement could result in a "deal" that would see some of the property developed; in particular, a six acre plot on the far east side of the golf course. This would disadvantage residents living in that area.

Residents: The group Preserve Vistoso and the Vistoso Community Association should not be involved

These residents assert that only the town can represent the interests of all residents. The group Preserve Vistoso represents only some members of the community. In addition, only a small part of the land is under the auspices of the Vistoso Community Association  ("VCA"),  the governing master homeowners association. 187 of the 208 acres of the former golf course are under town control. Thus, it is up to the town to take the lead role in resolving this land's use. And the town has acted to do just that.

The residents believe that the group Preserve Vistoso has not been operating for the benefit of all. They point to a questionnaire that the group sent out that asked respondents whether it was agreeable that a six acre plot mentioned previously be developed (Panel Right). 

The group Preserve Vistoso asked this question in mid July during the time when they were soliciting donations for The Conservation Fund (TCF).  This was at a time when The Conservation Fund ("TCF") was negotiating a land purchase at Fair Market Value with Romspen. TCF will only purchase the land if the land will have no development. They will place the land in a Conservation Trust, protecting the land in perpetuity. 

Residents: The actions of Council Member Solomon and the group Preserve Vistoso may have interfered with the negotiations between TCF and Romspen

We have been told by residents that Council Member Solomon has been in contact from time to time with Peter Oelbaum, managing director of Romspen. Solomon is a sitting Oro Valley Town Council member.  Romspen sought an active general plan amendment that would result in significant property development. This is an amendment that Solomon would be opining upon. Perhaps his involvement held out some hope to Romspen that development was possible.

Then, in July, the group Preserve Vistoso sent out the questionnaire on development of the six acre parcel.  Perhaps, this reinforced Romspen's impression that the community might be amenable to development of some of the property. 

Taken in this light, it makes sense that Romspen rejected the TCF offer. TCF can only offer fair market value for conservation land. Land that can be used for residential development would be far more valuable. Thus, it would be wise for Romspen to reject the offer and see if a better deal would be forthcoming.

Solomon has denied personal benefit from his involvement

Council Member Solomon, in the November council meeting, stated that he had no personal interest in the transaction. He stated that he has been acting on behalf of his constituents.

The group Preserve Vistoso asserts that it has always operated to ensure that the Vistoso property remains open space

Please read our November 24th posting regarding Preserve Vistoso's explanation of their activities. In it, they provide an explanation of their activities which, they assert, are to create a permanent conservation easement on the property.

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Tomorrow and Wednesday we will post two email communications sent to council by residents. These emails substantiate and provide further detail regarding the assertions in this article.

Guest View: Diane Peters ~ Councilmember Solomon violates the rules at the October 2nd and October 16th Town Council Meetings. Part 1.

Councilmember Solomon violates Attorney-Client privilege
During the “Council Reports” part of the October 2, 2016 Town Council Meeting, Councilmember Solomon read a privileged communication between the town attorney and the mayor and council.

Town Attorney Cohen explained the different types of Attorney-Client Privilege during the October 16th council meeting, when Mayor Winfield waived his attorney-client privilege in order to release private information.

“The lawyer has certain privileges with the body that only the body can waive. From time to time, the lawyer has confidential communication with individuals that are one-on-one. What we’re talking about here is a one-on-one communication with the mayor only, limited to an issue for the mayor that he has now instructed me to publicly disclose. This is not a “body” privilege. This is a one-on-one confidence.”

In the case of Mayor Winfield, it was a one-on-one confidence, therefore, he was the only one who needed to waive the attorney-client privilege in order for the communication to be made public.

In the case of Councilmember Solomon, however, the letter he read from the dais was a private communication between the town attorney and the entire council (the body). Therefore, the entire council needed to waive the attorney-client privilege before Councilmember Solomon could make it public. But that was not the case. The entire council had not waived the attorney-client privilege.

How I discovered this violation
I submitted a Public Records Request to obtain a copy of the letter. The Town responded that they could not release it due to attorney-client privilege. I responded that I thought the attorney-client privilege had been waived when Solomon read the letter publicly. The Town responded that the memo was addressed to the entire council and therefore the privilege had to be waived by the entire council and that Solomon made “a mistake” in releasing the content of that memo.

Solomon’s legal mistake is particularly amusing because during the October 16th council meeting, he professed to knowing more about the law than the town attorney. Read about that in Part 2. tomorrow.

Solomon doesn’t follow his own orders
When Councilmember Solomon was called out publicly at a prior meeting for having a conflict of interest regarding the golf course issue due to his being involved in a real estate deal to purchase property along the Canada Course, he denied it and said only, “I do not own property on the golf course.” He never admitted to being in escrow to purchase that property. He never admitted to planning to build condos and townhomes along that golf course.

With that in mind, it seems fitting to quote Solomon’s own words from the October 16th council meeting during his lecture on amending the council liaison appointments.

Solomon: “Be upfront about it. Be honest about it for once, what you’re doing. Don’t sit there and go through a whole charade of why this is happening.”

Perhaps Solomon should stop lecturing others on what he himself refuses to do.

Part 2, “Councilmember Solomon violates Town Council Parliamentary Rules” will be published tomorrow.

Guest View- John Musolf: Election Shenanigans By Mayor Hirmath Favor Steve "The Trashman" Solomon

At the March 7, 2012 Regular Town Council Meeting about 2 minutes and 20 seconds into the video, Councilwoman Mary Snider made a Council Report alerting the public that a celebration of the Town Transit Coyote Run and Regional Transit Authority Intergovernmental Agreement would be held at Fry’s on Lambert and La Canada on March 9, 2012.

Mayor Satish Hiremath took this opportunity to comment that signs stating that Councilman Steve Solomon tried to “Kill Coyote Run” were totally incorrect. Mr. Solomon tried to save the transit operation.

Really Mr. Mayor! Let’s look at the written facts.

Prior to a Town Study Session on February 23, 2011 study, Transit Services Administrator Aimee Ramsey was asked to review the Transit Operations budget options for FY2011/2012. 

Staff was asked to bring forward service options for the FY 2011/12 budget. The options proposed are:

• Option A - No change

• Option B - Keep operating Sun Shuttle and Eliminate Coyote Run

• Option C - Eliminate Coyote Run and the RTA will subcontract the Sun Shuttle operation

• Option D - Negotiate with the RTA to give more financial support to Coyote Run

• Option E - Further reduce Coyote Run and Operate Sun Shuttle.

Councilman Solomon was present at that meeting.

At the April 20, 2011 Regular Town Council Meeting, Item 3, there was a discussion and possible action regarding disposition of the development and infrastructure services department transit services division.

A motion was made by Council Member Waters and seconded by Council Member Hornat to direct staff to move forward with Option C (Eliminate Coyote Run) as discussed on February 23, 2011 and begin the processes necessary to discontinue the Transit Services Division.

Council Member Garner stated that he would vote against the motion.

Council Member Solomon asked Council Member Garner how the Council was going to cut money out of the budget if he was going to vote against cost reductions.

                   

Motion carried 6-1 with Councilman Solomon supporting elimination of Coyote Run and Council Member Garner opposed.

Mr. Mayor!!!!! Sounds to me like Councilman Solomon initially voted to “Kill Coyote Run”!

The June 1, 2011 Regular Town Council Meeting, Item 2 was a required public meeting to approve Resolution 11-37 authorizing and approving the elimination of the town of Oro Valley development and infrastructure services department transit services Coyote Run Service.

Over 100 citizens packed the meeting including many ADA (disabled) riders. There was a huge outcry against elimination of Coyote Run. 

A surprise motion was made by Council Member Garner and seconded by Councilmember Gillaspie to maintain Coyote Run service as is and to direct the funding to come from the Bed Tax fund for FY2011/2012.

At this point, Council Member Solomon flipped and said that Coyote Run should be funded for an additional year to allow more time to work with the RTA on integrating the transportation services.

Mayor Hiremath (also a Vice-president of RTA and Chairman of the RTA Transit Working Group)) was the only vote against using the Bed Tax. BIAS? Mayor Hiremath subsequently appointed a sub-committee of two councilmen, Steve Solomon and Lou Waters, to identify Coyote Run alternatives. This information was never immediately made public until a Town Council Special Session on June 29, 2011. Ever wonder how Solomon and Waters were chosen for the sub-committee? Let’s look at the next Regular Town Council Meeting on June 15, 2011 and Special Session Council Meeting on June 28, 2011.

At the Regular Council Town Council Meeting June 15, 2011, Item 6, Councilmember Solomon had requested that the vote on the Coyote Run service be returned to the Council agenda for reconsideration and Council Member Waters had seconded this request.

Council Member Garner felt that reconsideration of Coyote Run equated to going back to square one.  He stated that a safety net was in place and funding was identified to continue the beta testing for the betterment of the services to the citizens.

A motion was made by Council Member Solomon and seconded by Councilmember Waters for reconsideration of the June 1, 2011 denial of Resolution No. (R)11-37 authorizing and approving the elimination of the Town of Oro Valley Development and Infrastructure Services Department Transit Services Division Coyote Run Service.

The motion carried, 5-2 with Council Member Garner and Council Member Gillaspie opposed.

At a June 29, 2011 Special Session Town Council Meeting, Item 3, there was a discussion and possible action regarding the formation of a Council work group for the examination of the Coyote Run transit system.

Solomon had made a motion on June 15, 2011 to reconsider the June 1, 2011 denial of Resolution No. (R)11-37 and was seconded by Council Member Waters. Now we know why these two councilmen were appointed by Mayor Satish Hiremath to the sub-committee. Now we know how our town council really works behind closed doors.

A motion was made by Mayor Hiremath and seconded by Council Member Hornat to appoint Council Member Waters and Council Member Solomon to the sub-committee to work on the examination of the Coyote Transit System. 

Council Member Garner asked if it would be prudent to have Council Member Gillaspie present before the vote.

Council Member Solomon called the question.

MOTION carried, 4-1 with Council Member Garner opposed.