We have seen the inner workings of Pima County government through emails obtained through the FOIA request by the Arizona Daily Independent. In the emails, we have seen a shadow government where decisions are being made to benefit the select few while keeping the public in the dark.
It has been uncovered that our tax dollars, instead of being spent to provide core services, are being spent to transcribe radio interviews by a member of the Board of Supervisors who doesn’t go along to get along. County employees are being tasked with documenting every word spoken by Supervisor Ally Miller on radio interviews.
County resources are used to counter any contrary thought or opinion. The County’s Communications Department’s staff have written responses to letters to the editor that County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry signs as his own. In one egregious case, Mark Evans, the County’s Communications Director, penned a letter to the editor for a campaign contributor to Supervisor Sharon Bronson.
Only now are we beginning to see why the budget of the Communications Department has grown to its current massive level.
Additionally, road projects that failed at the ballot box are still being given life.
Those currently in power strategize using the County’s email system to attempt to influence upcoming elections.
The business of the County is being done away from the light of day.
One needs look no further than the World View deal to learn what happens when there is no openness in the process of governing. The World View deal was put together quickly and quietly without reaching out to key stakeholders such as the Tucson International Airport and Southwest Airlines and without giving additional companies a chance to bid on the work to be done.
Now, a court has determined there is merit to legal challenges brought forth by the Goldwater Institute on the World View deal. The County must work transparently and openly in making all decisions; otherwise, the Board of Supervisors cannot be representing the will of the people, if they show no interest in learning what we want and expect.
Based on what has been discovered in the emails from the FOIA request, an average citizen would come to the conclusion that:
• Those in power want to stay there
• When they leave office for any reason, they want to pick their own replacement
• The power brokers will support candidates with either party to keep the status quo
• Those in power will use every tool at their disposal to achieve their goals – even at the expense of the taxpayers
There is no reasonable public good that the behavior outlined above serves. The vast majority of tax payers would not approve of their tax dollars being spent for the outlined purposes, and we can all identify other places our tax dollars should be spent.
The County can’t find enough money to provide our core services, but has no problem spending our tax dollars to benefit the select few and to keep the machine well oiled. A well-oiled machine that works against the needs and desires of the taxpayers, which is paid for by the taxpayers.
The only way to change what we have today is to show those currently in power that we have had enough and demand something better – we deserve it!
John Backer is a candidate for Pima County Supervisor District 4.