The Tucson City Council, this week voted to deny a request for a liquor license by Walmart. The refusal has caused community leaders to ask by what criteria does the City base its decision to create the winners and losers in the local economy.
Tucson businessman, and member of the Rio Nuevo Board, Alberto Moore, is joined by other business people who question the right and wisdom of the Council to stand in the way of legal tax generating enterprises. They argue that the City is clearly arbitrary in its decision making and reckless in its rejection of tax dollars.
The arbitrary claim is based on the fact that while the Council rejected Walmart’s request, a mere few hundred feet away in the same mall, Target, another big box store enjoys the privilege to sell alcohol.
“The City may have the power to pick the winners in local business, but do they have the right,’ asks Moore. It seems to me that if a business wants to bring clean legal jobs to the sixth poorest region in the country we should be welcoming them with open arms instead of doing everything we can to stand in their way.”
The newly reconstructed Rio Nuevo District Board was tasked with the redevelopment of downtown Tucson. The Rio Nuevo TIF District runs all the way down the Broadway corridor from Park Place Mall to west of 1-10, and includes El Con Mall. TIF district funds are collected by the State are sent back to Tucson to facilitate private development.
“Here we are trying to spur growth and help private businesses create jobs, and the City is doing everything to thwart revenues,” says Moore. “It makes no sense. This is a decision made by the liberal elite in retaliation for Walmart’s success.”
Walmart’s request will go to the Arizona State Liquor Board, which may or may not accept the City’s recommendation.
Moore says that it is likely the City will attempt to run up the legal fees for Walmart while City’s Attorney is paid for by taxpayers as they did when Rio Nuevo sued the City for its land and money grabs amounting to nearly $230 mil in misspent funds.
Neighbors have fought the Walmart due to their insistence that it attracts “undesirable” people as opposed to the more “desirable” people who shop at Target. One marketing expert said of the situation, “Although it is likely that both the people who shop at Target and Walmart are members of the 99% and virtually none are members of the 1%; Target has done a far better job of convincing the public that their Chinese made products are superior to Walmart’s Chinese made products and create a far more socially justice universe.”
Business leaders say the City is either crying wolf about being broke, or lying. “They don’t have money to fix the streets, pension funding is in jeopardy and don’t have the University to help fund the streetcar,” said one small business owner who had hoped to expand. “Now they are rejecting revenue? They are holding back real honest business which would have financially supported their government programs.”