A South Tucson resident is spearheading efforts to recall Mayor Ildefonso Green and three members of the City Council β Rufino Cantu, Robert Larribas and Carlos Romo, citing a litany of problems from cuts in fire personnel, a possible tax increase and the firing of the police chief.
Green dismisses the recall efforts, saying they are just sour grapes and a waste of time β his term expires next spring β which is the earliest the city could hold a recall election.
Leading the recall effort is Rita Rogers, a failed write-in council candidate with close ties to the owner of the former Spanish Trail Motel, Dennis Luttrell.
Luttrell rents out the old hotel rooms in the Spanish Trail as apartments, although it has become an eyesore as it has declined over the last two decades.
The city has recently voiced concerns about the former hotelβs sign, now a shell of its former self.
City officials are concerned that the sign has become a hazard and could topple over into busy traffic on the frontage road along Interstate 10.
Rogers has been openly critical of Green and the council majority in recent months, arguing it made mistakes in its attempts to balance the budget.
In the last few months, the council reduced its payments into the pension system, cut firefighter positions and zeroed out its reserve funds to address an anticipated $650,000 budget shortfall.
Rogers blames Green for the firing of former Police Chief Michael Ford after the two openly clashed at a council meeting.
The mayor does not have the power to fire employees, although Fordβs contract was not renewed by City Manager Sixto Molina a day after the contentious council meeting.
Green said former Mayor Paul Diaz, who lost his seat in 2015, is helping the recall effort to remove Green.
Two years ago, while Diaz was mayor, he attempted to recall Green, who was then a council member.
But the attempt was quashed because of a technical issue with the collected signatures.
Diaz was also recalled and lost the recall election in May 2015.
The political animosity between Green and Diaz dates to 2014, when the two fought over the possibility of a residential drug-treatment facility opening across the street from Mission View Elementary School.
Diaz supported the facility, which the city eventually stopped from opening.
Rogers has led a group of residents and landlords opposed to an increase in the cityβs rental tax.
Facing dwindling sales tax revenue, the council has twice explored increasing the rental tax to balance the budget.
But under pressure from local landlords, it has refused to put the issue to the voters.
Rogers will need to get a minimum of 60 signatures from registered voters in South Tucson for each of the four city leaders targeted by the recall effort, with a deadline of Dec. 15 to trigger a recall election.
