By Article Author
During the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting on October 1st, after a 4 – 1 vote, the Community Law Enforcement Partnership Commission was disbanded, dissolved, dismantled, and otherwise de-commissioned. This is good news for Pima County.
As I have stated on numerous occasions, in this publication and at other public venues and interviews, CLEPC has been a negative, divisive, and destructive element in our community. Its original purpose, as you may recall, was to review and to deliberate upon certain aspects of the Operation Stonegarden Grant in order for funds to be received by the Pima County Sheriff’s department. This mission was never followed or achieved. Instead, CLEPC meetings devolved and digressed into rampages with illegitimate mischaracterizations and attacks upon our law enforcement communities in general, and our sheriff and deputies in particular. Each time certain members stood on their falsely placed soapboxes to rant about misbehavior by agents of law, requests were made of those same members to provide proof of such conduct – not some anecdotal nonsense – of these anti-law enforcement charges of questionable or even illegal activities by policing officials and entities. Not once was any valid and irrefutable evidence of illicit law-enforcement behavior or incidents ever brought forth. Yet, meeting after meeting, such irresponsible claims were made, so much so that I instructed my three CLEPC appointees (Steve Borozan, Terry Parrish, and Kevin McNichols) to stop attending the commissions meetings.
Ultimately, after such egregious actions and misstatements by certain commission members, along with CLEPC’s inability even to muster a meeting quorum, the board of supervisors decided that enough, as they say, was enough.
In its place, I’m pleased to observe, Sheriff Napier is building his own community advisory group called the Sheriff’s Citizens Advisory Committee. He will make the membership appointments, control its agenda, gather public opinion and ideas and best of all, his SCAC will have no connections to, control from, or oversight by the board of supervisors. And that’s how it should be.
It is interesting to note that several CLEPC members have now shifted their focus to organizing and promoting Proposition 205 – turning Tucson into “Sanctuary City” status. Based on these folk’s positions, statements, and actions while on CLEPC, their intimate involvement and dedication to passing Proposition 205 should come a no surprise.
Another piece of great news I have to announce is the construction of a joint Tucson Police Department/Pima County Sheriff’s Department substation facility that will be located on county property along the north side of Mary Ann Cleveland Way, just east of Empire High School. This project is a direct result of cooperation between TPD and PCSD, the City of Tucson, Pima County, and our area’s residents with all four entities. This is a shining example of the good things we can accomplish when we all work together. The much-needed substation will be fast-tracked, bolstering a police/deputy presence and response, and deliver additional safety and crime protection. There are great cost savings to the taxpayers, as land acquisition costs will be non-existent and the law-enforcement agencies will have shared spaces such as office, meeting and training rooms, parking, and detention facilities. This new substation is further recognition of the growth and importance of our Vail – Corona de Tucson southeast region.
Finally, it appears that there will be a larger than usual surplus in the county’s general fund unreserved ending account. Much of this additional money will be added to road repair which should give our district up to $2 million more than originally anticipated and budgeted for. We will be monitoring this development, while working closely with Pima County Transportation Advisory Committee and the Southeast Regional Council to make sure the roads that really need repair, get the monies to make it happen. As always, our District 4 office will continue to work diligently to see to it that our Vail – Corona de Tucson – Southeast Region receive our fair and rightful share.
