Your District 4 office has spearheaded several state legislative initiatives this session that significantly affect our region, our communities, our safety, and potentially our lives. It is noteworthy that while in the (super) minority on the Board of Supervisors politically, we have been able to garner unanimous support for these very important...
I could hear it all the way down here in my office downtown. The collective sigh of relief from many of us in the community now that the RTA Next election is over. No one is breathing easier than the supporters of the RTA Next measures, and those now serving on the RTA Board of Directors, especially since both propositions passed decisively. As...
Have you ever found yourself fantasizing about how you would spend the money if you won one of those mega-lotteries? Of course, we all have. Especially when there are breathtaking media announcements detailing the amount of money to be won. As usually happens, however, someone reminds us that, if we do win, what the tax liabilities on those...
An on-going topic of interest to our community has been the long-awaited development of what is now known as Vail Crossings. Your District 4 Office recently met with a Bourn Companies development team member to learn more about the status of the project as part of our effort to monitor development activities in our Southeast Region. The location...
As we ring in the New Year, I’m taking this opportunity to partner with Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy to call your attention to the upcoming Special Election. We’re both residents of Pima County, who also happen to be elected public officials, and we have more than a professional interest in seeing the RTA Next plan pass with your approval in March...
As we have had the first snow on Mt. Lemmon and are finally enjoying sweater weather in the Valley, media types of all forms, armed with their pens, keyboards, and voices are asking their readers and listeners, “What are you thankful for this holiday season?” Well, we’re no different. Our response is that we have so much to be thankful for in our...
It seems we can’t go a day without reading or hearing the term, “affordable housing”. Unfortunately, like so many topics, those words really don’t describe the term in practice. I believe when most of us think of affordable housing, we envision a young person or couple starting out on career and family paths, scrimping, and saving to move out...
We have been drowning in violence. It seems to be everywhere and all the time. I think of the horror of the murders of the Minnesota state legislator and her husband by someone disguised as a police officer, knocking at their door. I think of the young Ukrainian woman sitting alone after work on a railcar in Charlotte, stabbed to death while going...
As you know, we heard your concerns and this year your District 4 office led initiatives to address both the increasing danger of wildfires and the cost and availability of homeowners insurance. We are proud to report that our request to create a Pima County Wildfire Danger Mitigation Plan (WDMP) has “made progress in advancing (the WDMP)...
No slowdown in activity for the Board of Supervisors this summer. Typically, there’s a lull until after Labor Day, but this has been a sizzling season for issues of importance to the Greater Vail area. First, it was Project Blue, the proposed data center complex located just north of the Pima County Fairgrounds. The Board narrowly approved the...
