The Tucson Tea Party sent out a questionnaire to all of the Tucson City Council candidates in an effort to help TTP members familiarize themselves with the candidates and get ready for the vote in the upcoming City of Tucson elections.
All 7 of the City of Tucson candidates received these questions by confirmed, certified, mail. Only 4 candidates wanted to earn your vote by responding and explaining their positions. We were surprised and dismayed that three candidates ignored our request for answers to important questions centered on how they would handle your tax dollars. If you live in any of these contested wards, keep in mind that not everyone is working to earn all of their constituency’s support and votes. Over the past 3 years the members of the Tucson Tea Party have offered candidates from all parties an honest and respectful forum to share their message with our membership. By not responding, Shirley Scott, Paul Cunningham, and Jonathon Rothschild, have sent the message to our members that they do not need your votes. We applaud those candidates who submitted answers.
We would like to share the candidate answers with you.
Here is a list of the candidates in each race.
MAYOR
Democrat: Jonathan Rothschild (Did not respond)
Republican: Rick Grinnell
Green Party: Mary DeCamp
WARD 2 CITY ELECTIONS
Democrat: Paul Cunningham (Did not respond)
Republican: Jennifer Rawson
WARD 4 CITY ELECTIONS
Democrat: Shirley Scott (Did not respond)
Republican: Tyler Vogt
Question 1: During your upcoming term in office, will you propose, vote for or publicly endorse increases to taxes and/or fees for city residents?
Grinnell: No
DeCamp: It depends on the details. There is not enough information to offer a blanket answer. Let me turn this question around: Do you enjoy the benefits of a working sewer system and police department and are you willing to pay for those services? We will need to all work together to find the best solutions that serve all segments of our population well. I pledge to keep an open-door policy, listen to all diverse voices, and be fiscally responsible with the taxpayers’ dollars. As a third-party candidate, I feel I can work with both Democrats and Republicans to accomplish this goal.
Rawson: I will look for efficiencies first. Water fees and bus fares must keep up with expenses. I will do everything in my power to keep from increasing fees, fines and taxes.
Vogt: No, I will not support tax increases. Spending will be cut to match revenue.
Question 2: What do you view as the three most pressing concerns that you will tackle, should you be elected? How will you address these concerns?
Grinnell: A. The economy – create careers and job opportunities.
B. Restore public trust, fiscal discipline and accountability to city government.
C. Improve core services to our citizens, including public safety, transportation, parks.
A1. Within the first 100 days, I will: Host an economic strategy session with the business and social communities in order to identify who’s doing what, and what strengths , identify their strengths, and share a unified approach to regional economic stability.
Identify 100 local employers that want to expand and help them accomplish this. Identify and recruit another 100 new employers that are compatible and will complement existing local businesses. And we can do this keeping in mind the integrity of our neighborhoods and appreciation of our environment.
Help struggling businesses retain their employees, stay in business, with initiatives, beginning with reducing our utility tax to the pre-2010 budget.
Identify, reduce, or remove, the overburdening regulations that impede the process of expanding or starting new businesses. Remove duplication of services and shorten the time line involved in launching new enterprises.
Work with Rio Nuevo to restore the TCC to a first class Convention Center that will attract other large-scale events like the Gem Show.
Work with the tourism industry to expand our efforts in securing more group and personal tourism to our region. This could include the Southern Arizona Golf Trail.
Develop further communications with the State Legislature in Phoenix to strengthen a positive relationship with our city.
Identify local business that can utilize resources available to us through the Arizona Commerce Department, that can help us provide additional support for employer and business expansions.
Strengthen relationships with our neighbors to the south in Sonora, Mexico who bring in $1.3 Billion a year in revenue to Southern Arizona.
Maximize and leverage long-term resources in the region through annexation by first making the City of Tucson a successful and attractive model for neighboring communities.
B1. Restore public trust, fiscal discipline, and accountability, in city government. The position of mayor has a voice and the responsibility of leadership. Restore pride in our city.
Challenge the City Council to make decisions based on sound business principles and to maximize the resources and operation of a $1.3 billion budget.
Review city operations, department by department, to identify expenses, costs savings, and opportunities for better management practices.
Present a fiscally responsible budget that provides adequately-funded services to ensure our citizens’ safety, including budgeting for 10% more officers in the field, the reinstatement of mental health court, and a fully staffed prosecution, courts, and probation department.
Identify ways to increase productivity in each department, starting with Tucson Water and Solid Waste Management.
Regain and earn the confidence of the men and women who work for this great city, respect their efforts, and insist on integrity and discipline by management.
C1.Provide first class core services to our citizens: public safety, transportation, parks.
Build a strong business community that will generate resources to adequately fund core services:
Build infrastructure and pave our streets.
Maintain and expand our parks.
Fund arts and social programs that enhance our culture.
Present a fiscally responsible budget that prioritizes our citizens’ safety, including budgeting for 2.1(per 1000 residents) officers in the field, the reinstatement of mental health court and a fully staffed prosecution, courts, and probation department.
DeCamp: Economic viability – Introduce Community Conservation Centers in each of the 131 registered neighborhood associations. We’ll transform Tucson’s vacant properties, underemployed workers, and some of the private capital funding currently invested in the precarious stock market to serve as vibrant, productive local resources. We will transform empty commercial real estate properties to provide physical space for micro businesses, to provide space for community-based policing, and to devote office space for non-profits to operate. We can transform negatives to positives without relying on big business or on big government to get the job done.
Transportation – Reduce wear & tear on streets to eliminate potholes before they form, by promoting higher usage of public transportation and switching from single-occupancy vehicle use to alternate forms like bicycles, pedicabs, golf carts, pedestrian traffic, etc.
Energy conservation – Retrofit our buildings to save on energy consumption, improve the quality of life for building inhabitants, enhance property values, upgrade the skill base of trades people, via inter-generational transfer of knowledge, employ local trades people , & reduce utility bills.
Rawson: We have not funded core services first. Neighborhood associations are not funded in the charter. Neither light abatement, low income water, or housing are core services. All of the citizens of Tucson need police and fire protection, roads and parks. These are my top issues. Going to a zero based budget will show what all of our tax funds are being spent on.
Vogt: Prioritize spending and cut excess to meet revenue. Remove restrictive regulations to allow businesses to start up quickly with reduced cost. Focus on road maintenance.
Question 3: What will you do to increase the city tax base, by bringing new, private sector jobs to the City of Tucson?
Grinnell: See Grinnell A1 answer above
DeCamp: What we need is a systemic and comprehensive plan that can build economic viability and resiliency in the face of rapidly changing times. Instead of trying to bring more jobs TO Tucson, as we have always tried in the past, my plan is to grow jobs WITHIN Tucson – jobs that cannot be off shored and that provide needed goods and services for local people.
Rawson: We need to lower taxes and fees, and promote a change in attitude to “how can I help”, instead of “how can I get more money or prevent you from starting a business or developing your property”.
Vogt: Removing the restrictive regulations that make it hard to do business will set the stage for bringing jobs back to Tucson. This will complement the AZ legislature’s initiative to provide incentives for job growth.
Question 4: What single part of the City of Tucson’s government, other than Parkwise, is most in need of a “top to bottom” audit? Why?
Grinnell: Development Services as this is the first stop to expanding and developing new businesses. This must be at maximum performance so we can reduce duplications of inspections and the time needed to get this process completed.
DeCamp: The City Attorney’s office.They are the entity that engages the legal system and some of the decisions made on behalf of the City have been disastrous.
Rawson: Development Services, as there are surpluses in impact fees. If we have any funds being collected there should be a double check system to account for all funds.
Vogt: I believe the water department is the next in line for a performance audit.
Question 5: What part of the City of Tucson’s government can be described as being “the most efficient and effective” city department.
Grinnell: The City Clerk’s Office.
DeCamp: The City’s Budget & Internal Audit Department under the direction of Marie T. Nemerguth, CPA.
Rawson: I have received a great deal of help from the Clerk’s office. I do think we need to streamline the rules for campaign finance.
Vogt: Based on the City of Tucson’s collaborative auditing, Police and Fire have maintained the most effective performance with the multiple cuts they’ve been subjected to recently.
Question 6: What will you specifically do, if elected, to improve the cities balance sheet?
Grinnell: Challenge the City Council to make decisions based on sound business principles, eliminate waste and duplication of services, and maximize the resources, including public-private partnerships. Present a fiscally responsible budget that fully funds core services and set aside a 10-15 % general fund reserve.
Decamp: Lead the nation in small business creation since that is the source of 80-85% of a community’s economic viability. This generates additional tax income, benefits our small business owners, lures outside tourists to come check out our successes, and enriches the day-to-day lives of citizens.
Rawson: As Steve before me, I would not take a city car. I would also be sure to keep the operation of the ward 2 office under budget.
Vogt: I will push for cuts in secondary services to ensure the current structural deficit of $9.5 million is corrected and a balanced budget is achieved for the next fiscal year.
Question 7: What will you do, if elected, to improve efficiency in city government?
Grinnell: Review city operations department by department to identify expenses, costs savings, and opportunities for better management practices, and insist upon integrity and discipline by management.
DeCamp: Provide clear parameters for all administrative departments, institute qualitative and quantitative benchmarks to measure performance, insist on accountability, and ferret out cronyism and corruption across all levels and all sectors of City government.
Rawson: I will be at meetings of the departments to look for ways to operate more economically.
Vogt: I will insist on regular reports from management that demonstrate cost and schedule performance and request that proposals to increase efficiency and productivity be included in annual budget requests.
Question 8: Optional (For entertainment purposes only): What movie title best describes the City of Tucson’s financial health?
DeCamp: “Night of the Living Dead”
Rawson: Hijacked? The Good the Bad and the Ugly
