Seeing Through the Smokescreen
If the El Con purchase was such a great deal, why aren’t the incumbents highlighting it as a major accomplishment on their campaign websites? This is another indicator of their “information repackaging.” They simply ignore the parts that do not fit into their false narrative of, “Look at all the wonderful things we’ve done for you!”
Hiremath’s Website ~ Sleight of Hand
Hiremath’s website mentions the El Con purchase only to claim that it wasn’t a backroom deal and to claim that “public input was gathered.” In addition, his website initially stated, “…we provided three hearings for the public to express a variety of views pertaining to the acquisition of the El Conquistador Country Club and the half cent sales tax…”
I asked him to provide the dates/times/places of these supposed three public hearings. He never responded. Instead…abracadabra…he altered the wording on his website to say, “everything was discussed in an open public forum.”
Hornat’s Website ~ Golf courses? What Golf Courses?
Hornat states only that he, “Approved purchase for new community and recreation center.” While he gets points for admitting that he approved the purchase, he lists it as the very last item at the bottom of the page and he omits any mention of the golf courses.
Waters’ Website ~ Have I told you about my career at CNN?
Waters doesn’t mention the El Con purchase at all. The big crowned jewel in his five years on council and he neglects to mention it.
Instead he talks about his career at CNN. Apparently that’s all he can talk about since he finds a way to work it into every conversation. (“Do you know who I am? I’m a world-renowned journalist!”) He has opened with his CNN story at every candidate debate (going back to his first run for council in 2010.) He mentioned it again during the Special Meeting last week to vote on a hand-count audit. He compared the current election integrity issue to the “good old days” when he was at CNN and he covered the story on the “hanging chads.”
Snider’s Website ~ It’s a Freudian thing
Snider’s website is the most revealing of all. While discussing her other accomplishments, she proudly speaks in the first-person with, “I established…I supported…I instituted…I resisted…” But when she gets to the El Con purchase, she ditches the first-person singular and speaks in the narrative, simply stating the sequence of events.
She states that a former country club is being renovated into a community and recreation center and that a half-cent sales tax was instituted to fund the renovations and operating expenses. Notice how she omits that she voted to approve both the deal and the sales tax increase. What happened to her first-person, “I supported…” Perhaps she’s trying to distance herself from the deal now that the actual golf revenues and losses are nowhere near the rosy projections.
Diane Peters
Oro Valley, AZ
Related articles:
El Conquistador Golf Acquisition Is Oro Valley’s Money Pit
Oro Valley Golf Course Purchase Not Paying Off
Report Shows Oro Valley El Conquistador Purchase “Was A Disaster”