While they would not want to do anything to jeopardize the city they love, former South Tucson Mayor Paul Diaz and former City Manager and State senator Luis Gonzales question why the City has refused to turn over emails written by City staffers regarding the Pasadera zoning case.
The Arizona Daily Star was advised by the City’s Attorney that the City was denying its request for the emails, “Because the case is and remains very sensitive.” The City Attorney Edward Matchett, according to the Star, claimed that the “issues being litigated or release of documents that are connected to the litigation or may be brought into the litigation are not advised while the litigation proceeds.”
However Diaz and Gonzales, who came under fire for trying to restore transparency to the City, say the public has a right to know. They recognize that the financially strapped City’s skeleton crew are overwhelmed with daily chores, but they believe that since the Star’s original former reporter on the matter, Carli Brousseau , put out some many inaccuracies and relied on rumors, the public would benefit from any clarity the emails could provide.
As reporter Joe Ferguson notes in his article on the subject, the Arizona Daily Star is seeking emails written by Dias, Gonzales, Zoning Administrator Joel Gastelum, former City Manager Benny Young, who has since gone to work for Pima County, and representatives from Pasadera related to a zoning fight.
“Pasadera claims the city reversed their zoning decision related to the facility, after initially offering assurances that they would allow the health network to reopen the facility,” writes Ferguson.
It is unclear why Pasadera wants Diaz’s and Gonzales’ emails due to the fact that the zoning is set by ordinance and administered by the Department of Planning and Zoning Department with the help of the Commission.
Many question whether Pasadera did the requisite due diligence. When Pasadera and the Children Home, began talking, they should have done a lot of investigation as how they were permitted to operate, according to experts. Those same experts question why Pasadera went beyond the time limit to seek Grandfather status.
Ferguson cites Phoenix attorney Dan Barr, who as a media law expert said Matchett is blocking access to public documents. According to Ferguson, Barr does not believe that the conversations about a zoning issue are unlikely to be ground-breaking.
Diaz and Gonzales agree.
More than likely than not, if anyone has a reason to withhold information it is current City Councilmember Idelfonso Green and his brother, Raul Green. It was Raul Green that crafted the narrative that Gonzales and Diaz were working with Pasadera “to bring in drug addicts and prostitutes.”
“In the end, transparency is the best recipe in this case as long as the litigation is not compromised,” stated Gonzales.