The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Jane Evans
Anyone paying attention to the state of the City of Tucson shouldn’t be surprised that voters resoundingly defeated a sales tax increase.
Those of us who voted no didn’t do it because we don’t want more police officers or firefighters. We do want both.
I can say without a doubt that I truly want more officers and first responders. I voted no because there is way too much waste in the city.
This Mayor and Council seem to have an agenda, and they act as though they really don’t care what we, the residents, want.
There are many, many places where people see waste, but I will just name those places I am familiar with in Ward 3.
Councilman Dahl proposed and granted twice ARPA grants for an organization named the Poverello House. For those unfamiliar with the Poverello House, it is an organization founded by a Jesuit Monk. This project was started to give homeless men a “day off” from the trials of homelessness. The Poverello House doesn’t try to find homes for these men. They haven’t offered services to these men for drug or alcohol addiction. They give them a shower, food, laundry facilities and TV time. For this, they were twice granted $250,000 of our federal tax dollars, a total of half a million dollars.
This money could have been granted to a well-established organization that tries to end homelessness. It could have been used to create a space for homeless to pitch a tent, have a shower, do their laundry. But instead, Councilman Dahl and the rest of the mayor and Council decided unanimously to give this group money which they have used to buy and renovate a house right in the middle of a low-income neighborhood. Every single neighbor directly affected by this house sent a letter or called Ward 3, a total of 11 neighbors, not one single neighbor was contacted by Ward 3 after their concern was voiced. Now that neighborhood suffers the consequences of the Mayor and Council’s bad judgment.
Ward 3 is insisting that La Madera Park, in the middle of the La Madera neighborhood, have a splash pad installed. The neighborhood association is not in favor of the splash pad. They are concerned about the water consumption. They are concerned about the homeless coming to use the splash pad to wash their clothes. The neighborhood would like to have renovation of the existing bathrooms, improvements to an existing picnic ramada, trees planted and a walking path around the park. They’ve been told no water for trees if you don’t have the splash pad.
The splash pad installed at the Birdman Center in Ward 3 has to be locked because homeless took over the space to do their laundry. Do we really need to do this to another neighborhood in Tucson?
Why would we vote for an increase in sales tax when the Mayor and Council received such a large pay increase? Their salary is now much higher than the majority of their constituents’ wages. We expect more from them, not less. Councilperson Santa Cruz was quoted in the paper when asked about the possible large pay increase before that election. She responded, let’s try it and see what happens. She had the chance at that moment to say, we should make a wage in line with what our constituents. It would have only been fair to all of us.
I am not a lone neighbor complaining about representation from our Ward 3 councilman. Ask neighbors from Coronado Heights, Amphi, Campus Farms, Mountain First, Hedrick Acres and La Madera neighborhoods.
These were some of the reasons I voted no on 414. I am sure many others have their own reasons.
Our city is deteriorating around us. Our Blacklidge Bike Boulevard slated to happen three years ago is still a dream. What happened to the money? Did a new administrator get hired? Did a new department with a fancy environmental name get created? You, Mayor and Council are failing the residents of Tucson, and that is why your new revenue stream was voted down by a huge margin.
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