Bronson Wilting From Heat – You Can Help Turn It Up

It may just be coincidence that two days after I filed a formal complaint with Pima County Board of Supervisor’s Chair Sharon Bronson charging that I, and others, have been “adversely affected” by the county administrator and his staff violating, ignoring, misinterpreting or reinterpreting BOS Resolution 2007-343 opposing any Avra Valley route for the proposed Interstate 11, Bronson announced that she was stepping down as Chair.  An election will be held at the January 16 Supervisor’s meeting.

Bronson said she was “tired of herding cats” and would finish out her term as supervisor.  Whether this means we may now be heard instead of herded remains to be seen, and readers can help.

The complaint is based on the language of the Pima County Regulatory Bill of Rights, in line with State law.  A copy of the formal Complaint was published in the January 3 Arizona Daily Independent, https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2018/01/03/pima-county-challenged-over-adverse-effects-of-i-11-on-avra-valley-residents.

In the short time since then a number of readers have asked how they can sign on to the Complaint.  With the approval of the Avra Valley Coalition organizers below is a single-page Complaint that any Pima County resident can submit.  Please note that it must be dated, as they have 15 business days to respond, and must have a legible name and address.

With Bronson’s departure as Chair, it can copied, personalized, and be snail-mailed or faxes to:

Julie Castañeda, Clerk                                                FAX: 520-222-0448

130 W. Congress Street

Tucson, AZ 85701                                         

There is no email address for the Clerk.

I would appreciate readers letting me know that they have submitted a Complaint: albertlannon@powerc.net.

Thank you, and thanks to ADI.

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DATE

Julie Castañeda, Clerk

Pima County Board of Supervisors

130 W. Congress Street

Tucson, AZ 85701                                                                  

RE: Pima County Regulatory Bill of Rights Complaint

Dear Ms. Castañeda:

This is a Complaint pursuant to the Pima County Regulatory Bill of Rights wherein I have been adversely affected by statements and actions from the county administrator and his staff of general applicability that implement, interpret or prescribe law or policy in violation of county policy contained in Resolution 2007-343.  The Chair of the Board of Supervisors under whose direction the county administrator works, is the appropriate equivalent of “department Director” to whom this Complaint is directed.

Resolution 2007-343 “opposes the construction of any new highways in or around the County that have the stated purpose of bypassing the existing Interstate 10 as it is believed that the environmental, historic, archaeological, and urban form impacts could not be adequately mitigated.”

For at least five years the county administrator and his staff have pursued a new highway, Interstate 11, through the Avra Valley – specifically discussed as worthy of protection on BOS 2007-343 —  in violation of adopted county policy without required notice, public discussion, or vote of the Supervisors.  That has adversely affected me through mis-use of my tax dollars and by, in effect, declaring that the county administrator’s office is above the law.  Using county property of any kind for other than official or assigned duties is expressly forbidden by Pima County Personnel Policy Rules of Conduct.

I have been adversely affected by the county administrator’s continuing violations of 2007-343 in that the current Arizona Dept. of Transportation’s I-11 Tier One Environmental Impact Study has narrowed its I-11 choices to just two, the Avra Valley alignment or the existing I-10 corridor.  Should that Avra Valley route become the recommended alternative, I will be further adversely affected by air, noise and light pollution in the Avra Valley, as well as having to make up revenue losses due to declines in tourism.

Visitors to Saguaro Park, the Desert Museum, Tucson Mountain Park. Kitt Peak and Ironwood National Monument, including myself, will be adversely affected by an interstate highway literally in their front yard.  Property values would drop, adversely affecting homeowners in the Avra Valley.  Those with COPD or other medical conditions will be adversely affected by such a highway.  Wildlife movement will be impeded and the goals of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan put at risk.  That adversely affects the values of Pima County residents, including myself.

I am further adversely affected by the county administrator and his office continuing to champion the Sonoran Corridor, formerly shown on maps from his office as part of I-11, despite the voters having rejected that bypass in the 2015 Bond Election.  Disregarding the will of the voters adversely affects democracy itself, and tells me why bother voting?

An acceptable remedy for my Complaint would be for the Board of Supervisors to publicly rebuke the county administrator and his staff, and restating publicly and to the ADOT I-11 Study Team, Pima County’s official opposition to an Avra Valley Interstate 11.  I look forward to a response within the statutory 15 business days.

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About Albert Vetere Lannon 103 Articles
Albert grew up in the slums of New York, and moved to San Francisco when he was 21. He became a union official and labor educator after obtaining his high school GED in 1989 and earning three degrees at San Francisco State University – BA, Labor Studies; BA, Interdisciplinary Creative Arts; MA, History. He has published two books of history, Second String Red, a scholarly biography of my communist father (Lexington, 1999), and Fight or Be Slaves, a history of the Oakland-East Bay labor movement (University Press of America, 2000). Albert has published stories, poetry, essays and reviews in a variety of “little” magazines over the years. Albert retired to Tucson in 2001. He has won awards from the Arizona State Poetry Society and Society of Southwestern Authors.