On Aug. 30, Oro Valley voters will be voting to fill three seats on the Town Council, choosing between three challengers and three incumbents.
Brendan Burns and Mike Zinkin are both seeking re-election, each finishing first terms. Bill Garner, the longest-serving Town Council member, was elected in 2008.
Challengers Rhonda Pina, Bill Rodman and Steve Solomon have been campaigning together, citing similar goals for the town. Pina works in the banking industry, and Rodman and Solomon are retired.
Solomon was appointed to the council in June 2010, but lost the seat in the 2012 election.
Golf course losses
In December 2014, the Town Council voted 4-3 in favor of buying the El Conquistador Country Club for $1 million. The deal included a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for renovations to turn the club into a community center that is open to the public. The purchase agreement included a golf course, tennis facilities and the restaurant inside the club.
Currently, the operations include the community center, which houses the restaurant, and the golf course, which operates separately.
In January, the Star reported the town was getting ready to write off $1.95 million in losses for the Troon-managed operations, but had only budgeted for $1.5 million.
The Star asked all six candidates about their plans for how to handle the growing losses of the golf course, community center and restaurant, and what their priorities would be if elected.
Burns: “What’s clear is that something needs to be done, since we’ve already lost nearly $3 million to date. My solution is to take a portion of the $2.1 million in sales tax revenue and bond for enough capital to make the improvements to the fitness portion of the community center.
“This is both fiscally conservative and will best serve the interests of the residents and our members. I also propose creating a country club subcommittee that can specifically study the issue and provide alternative and possible solutions to the Town Council. “
Garner: “My focus has always been and continues to be the separation of the (golf course and community center) operations. The whole operation in general isn’t losing money.
“What’s losing money is the restaurant, which was never in the equation when the purchase happened. Why should the government be in the business of trying to compete against private-sector employment? Either it needs to get leased out or completely shuttered.”
Pina: “I’d like to do whatever is possible to try to make the venues a success, so we move forward trying to figure out opportunities to make that happen, and I think that includes having a cohesive council to work together, along with the staff and interested parties. The goal would be to see if we can continue to keep the operations running. If we have to make adjustments later on, we’ll look at those options when the time comes.”
Rodman: “It’s no secret the golf course has challenges, however, Troon is one of the best in the business. Our job going forward is not to sell it and not pull the plug too early. Our job going forward as a council is to provide the oversight necessary to make sure that we’re analyzing it properly and that the staff and Troon are making the type of decisions that will ultimately make it work.
“Initially it was a five-year plan and it wasn’t intended to make money during that period of time, so all of this uproar about trying to make a decision now is probably premature.”
Solomon: “These facilities have a separate dedicated funding source ensuring their operations do not affect the town budget or other services. I believe it is the Town Council’s responsibility to ensure that it will be successful and provide excellent services to our residents.
“These recreational facilities are an asset for our town and residents, and will play an important role in our economic development efforts to attract high paying professional jobs to Oro Valley.”
Zinkin: ”We need to do something to curtail the losses on the golf course. There’s options we’ve brought up, such as leasing the golf course and maybe going to the extent of closing the golf course, but they haven’t been listened to.
“There are council members who say this is a five-year project, but I don’t know that we can sustain five years of losses like this. The community center is a whole separate issue, since the restaurant is losing $220,000 as of the first 10 months of the fiscal year.
“Something has to be done about that. Hilton couldn’t make that restaurant work. Sheraton couldn’t make that restaurant work. We either need to contract that restaurant out ... or we close it.”
Top priority if elected
Burns: ”I want Oro Valley to be a town of excellence that offers arts, cultural and recreational activities for all demographics, from children to retirees. I also want to fight to keep Oro Valley’s open space, scenic views, natural paths and our night skies that make Oro Valley truly a unique place to live.”
Garner: “I’ll continue to do exactly what I’ve been doing for the last eight years for the citizens, which is be a fiscal steward of the town’s money, and that touches multiple areas. If you’re going to do innovative things as a community, you’ve got to have the ability both financially, as well as the wherewithal to plan it, and not have multiple projects going on. What I’m finding now is that the town has too many projects and too many irons in the fire.”
Pina: “What I think is important is obviously looking at keeping our public-safety resources intact and continuing that support, because I think that’s an economic driver to the town of Oro Valley. I also believe in keeping oversight of the budget so that it continues to be sustainable and providing the core services, as well as looking at ways to satisfy a growing and diverse community.
“I feel relationships are important, not only locally with our stakeholders and our residents, but relationships with other municipalities, because we do depend on regionalism.”
Rodman: “I’m hoping to have more of a functional council. Oro Valley has so much going for it that it’s almost embarrassing to be at some of the council meetings because of some of the dysfunction, especially around issues with finances, the police force and certainly the community center.
“I think I can add the ability to problem-solve together, and hopefully move Oro Valley forward on a smoother course.”
Solomon: “The incumbents seeking re-election have created a very divisive environment, negatively affecting the town and its residents. While serving on council in 2010-2012, I was able to work collaboratively with diverse groups and individuals, often with different goals, to bring about great benefits and cost-savings for our community, such as the formation of our Dial-A-Ride service and new smart- growth initiatives.
“I will once again work to reduce costs without reducing services and increase our economic base, particularly in the bio and high-tech fields.”
Zinkin: “I’m going to continue to be responsible to the citizens. I’m not going to be responsible to special interests. I won’t be taking money to campaign from any special-interest groups or PACs. I will make my decisions based on the general plan.
“I will continue to do what I’ve done the last four years, which means I’ll continue to take heat from people who disagree with me, and they’re going to call me names and say I’m creating a hostile work environment, none of which has gone anywhere. I will continue to work for the citizens.
“They’re the only people I will be ultimately responsible to.”
