Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath began discussion of the acquisition of the El Conquistador County Club with a bizarre rant that included references to children being killed in Pakistan while he demanded that the public not offer emotional arguments against the controversial proposal during the Call to the Audience portion of last night’s Town Council meeting.
The Council voted 4-3 to purchase the property. It was very clear that the council members had made up their minds prior to the meeting.
Prior to the vote and after Hiremath’s rant, the public had an opportunity to address their concerns with the council, but not before teenage students serving on the council’s Youth Advisory Board were trotted out to perform on cue. After the students dutifully delivered their words of support, Hiremath advised them that it was time for them to go home and finish their homework. The display and use of students disturbed many viewing the melodrama.
As far as melodrama goes, Oro Valley resident John Elliwood told Hiremath that it was the mayor himself, who was playing on emotions and “abject fear.” Ellinwood accused Hiremath of generating fear by advising residents who live near the golf course that if the Town doesn’t not buy the course it will likely “go brown.”
Whether the town bought the property or not, Troon, a top-rated golf course management firm, is taking over the management of the course on Thursday.
Council member Mary Snider, who also serves an advisory board member of the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding sat quietly as Hiremath and Council member Joe Hornat bullied fellow council members.
However, council member Brendan Burns stood up for the public, he told Hiremath, “You can’t do private deals on a handshake and turn around and tax the people for it.”
Hiremath called on council member Joe Hornat to back his play. Hornat said if in the future the deal didn’t work out the town could “sell, lease or let the course go brown,” negating the very claims that Hiremath and other supporters made to the property owners near the course that they needed to buy the course so it wouldn’t go brown.
Former news anchor and current Councilman Lou Waters, gave what many considered the best performance of the evening when he played the role of a hipster in an old man’s body. When addressing the issue of contributions made by the seller of the property, Humberto Lopez, to his campaign, Water said, “I don’t even know this dude.”
Much of the opposition to the project came from those who do know Lopez and are aware of failure to pay taxes on a crumbling hotel he owns in downtown Tucson.
The town will pay $1 million to Lopez’s company, over three years for El Conquistador Country Club. The town is expected to make about $5.5 million in renovations over five years.
The town will raise sales tax rate to 2.5 percent from 2 percent, which will impact the large retirement community living on fixed incomes.
Sun City Oro Valley board of directors’ member, Steve Knapp, said it was wrong to “to present the El Con purchase to the citizens with an unreasonably short notice, a lack of transparency, and a vote in less than 15 days.”