The theme of last night’s Pima County Board of Supervisors District 4 debate became “honor.” The word seemed to creep into every answer to nearly every question to the point of absurdity. Leaving one exasperated observer to say, “The honorable thing to do would be for Ray to register as the Democrat he is, and run against Sean in the General Election.”
Incumbent, Ray Carroll, and challenger, Sean Collins, faced off before a large crowd at the Cottonwood Elementary School auditorium. Carroll’s environmentalist anti-Rosemont mine base was frequently rowdy, forcing morning radio personality, Garret Lewis of KNST AM 790/97.1 FM, to issue a warning to them to maintain decorum or be removed.
Experience mattered in the debate Carroll, who has been a County Supervisor for nearly 15 years, had his pat answers well rehearsed. During his opponent’s time to answer questions, Carroll smiled broadly to his supporters in the crowd, and at times seemed to mock Collins as Collins spoke.
Collins, a small business owner and political new comer stumbled over his answers initially, but seemed to grow more confident as the evening wore on.
Pima County was hard hit in the recession; having some of the highest foreclosure and unemployment rates in the country, as a result much of the night’s discussion focused on the lack of gainful employment, high property taxes, and the deteriorating infrastructure.
Pima County residents pay the highest taxes in the state of Arizona. The state is recovering at a remarkable pace, being the 8th fastest recovering economy in the country. However, its anti-business reputation has prevented Pima County from experiencing that same level of growth.
Arizona grew 69,000 in the last three years, Maricopa had 45,000 of them, and Pima County had 800 of them.
Jobs are on most people’s minds and seemed to be the foundation of many of questions and most of the answers.
Rosemont Copper Mine has become a symbol for the County’s anti-business environment. Collins is a staunch and vocal supporter of the mine, while Carroll admitted last night that he has fully supported the expenditure of about $150,000 in taxpayer monies to oppose it.
The mine, which is expected to employ hundreds of people in higher wage jobs, is opposed by environmentalist across Pima County District 1. They are loyal followers of Supervisor Carroll.
Pima County government has a reputation for being extremely secretive. The lack of transparency has been a source great public discontent. The large public relations department works to keep the public at bay and in the dark.
When asked about transparency and accountability, Carroll told the crowd that the budget was readily available on the website, “if you know where to look, and I know where to look.” Carroll did not divulge the “place to look” to the audience.
Collins said the first thing he would do to increase transparency would be to schedule the meetings at a reasonable hour, “in the evenings, when the public can attend.”
When asked about their support or opposition to proposition 200, which required voters to show identification, Carroll denied opposing the ID requirement. Collins then produced a flier which advertised Carroll’s involvement in a march with former Governor Janet Napolitano in opposition to the voting requirement. Carroll then explained that he was merely a “surrogate” for John McCain in the Proposition 200 opposition.
When Carroll told the crowd that unlike his opponent, he did and would have a good attendance record. He pointed to a request to resign due to non-attendance issued to Collins by a board on which he served. In response, Collins lifted his cane.
The Air Force veteran uses a cane as a result of an injury he sustained while saving the life of a woman. The heavy set pregnant women was trapped in a burning vehicle. Collins, a witness to the accident, broke a vertebrate as he pulled the woman from the vehicle. He was named the American Red Cross Military Hero of the Year in 2000.
Check back Monday for details of the debate
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