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 Still Crazy After All These Years... By Jim Nintzel MAYOR GEORGE Miller raised the issue of sanity during last week's state-of-the-city speech. While he conceded Tucson has poverty, crime and traffic problems, Miller's address focused almost entirely on Tucson's water policy, which has been stalled since 1995, when voters passed the Water Consumer Protection Act banning direct delivery of CAP water. "The direction we've had to go because of the requirements of 1995's Proposition 200 is insane," Miller told a Chamber of Commerce crowd in a packed grand ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel.
The idea that the people of Tucson would throw a monkeywrench in the works by refusing to swallow CAP water seems absolutely rational by comparison. MILLER USED HIS speech to reassure the audience that CAP water is "safe" and "appealing." He asked audience members to join a "volunteer water speaker's board." Members will take part in an education campaign to encourage the people of Tucson to accept direct delivery of CAP water. The speech was the latest step in Tucson Water's public-relations campaign. The city-owned utility is desperate to improve its image, which was shattered when brown CAP water began blowing up pipes in 1993 and 1994. Tucson Water is in a bind: The utility's management--undoubtedly influenced by the Growth Lobby--believes the only responsible plan is to deliver CAP water to homes, but the Water Consumer Protection Act makes that impossible. And since the utility hopes the law will eventually evaporate, it has no plans to attempt an expensive experiment with streambed recharge in the central well field. Since a slim majority of Council members--Miller, Democrats Shirley Scott and Janet Marcus, and Republican Fred Ronstadt--agree with that sentiment, the result is a stalled water policy. But three of those four Council members--Miller, Scott and Marcus--are up for re-election this year, which means water will again, for the third election cycle in a row, dominate the debate.
Juliani says the group is close to reaching the 10,800 signatures necessary to get the initiative on this November's ballot, but they are continuing to collect signatures in hopes of turning in 20,000 to 25,000. Miller said in his speech that the Pure Water Coalition frightened Tucsonans into passing the Water Consumer Protection Act with outrageous claims. "I can't emphasize this enough," Miller said. "The 1995 initiative that was passed with the backing of Bob Beaudry and his backers was passed with fear. Fear was the main inducement to the people voting as they voted." But His Honor showed he wasn't above playing the fear card himself. Miller warned the crowd that, unless Tucsonans accept CAP water in their homes, they'll see increased subsidence, a crippled economy, and a shutdown of the development of homes and businesses. Miller hoped his comments would dampen enthusiasm for the Pure Water Coalition's new initiative. But the group enjoys public support--less than two years ago, on the 1997 ballot, a developer-backed initiative that would have repealed the Water Consumer Protection Act was rejected by 60 percent of the voters--a larger majority than voted for the original Water Consumer Protection Act in 1995. THE SPEECH MAY well have been Miller's last state-of-the-city address. Currently serving the final year of his second term, Miller has said he'll announce whether he'll seek re-election in April. If Miller does run, he's sure to face tough opposition in the Democratic primary. Among the potential challengers: former Ward 6 Councilwoman Molly McKasson, current Ward 5 Councilman Steve Leal and Pima County Supervisor Raul Grijalva. Other Democratic names that float in political conversations include state Sen. Ruth Solomon, former Councilman Bruce Wheeler and attorney Larry Hecker. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, former Hughes executive Bob Walkup has formed an exploratory campaign. Miller's political capital is clearly running low. In last year's state-of-the-city address, he unveiled his plan to establish a ward-only election system in Tucson. (Under the City Charter, Council members now run in their wards in the primary, but citywide in the general election.) After the Council balked at placing the proposal on the 1998 ballot, Miller vowed an initiative campaign to put the question to voters. But that effort failed as well; on the same day Miller made this year's state-of-the-city speech, headlines in both papers revealed the only result of the ward-only campaign was a criminal indictment for perjury on the part on a petition-passer.
Will Miller have better luck this year? That's up to Tucson voters,
who'll have their say in November.
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Miller's right when he says water policy is insane, but he's
missed the root cause. When you get right down to it, it's insane
to allow mines and farms to pump high-quality groundwater, while
asking citizens in the urban area to drink salty Colorado River
brine. It's insane that the owners of golf courses can pump all
the drinking water they want on their links, until the customers
of Tucson Water agree to pay for pricey pipelines to carry effluent.
It's insane that we continue to encourage growth in a water-scarce
desert, so that more people can land lousy telemarketing jobs.
To increase the pressure on the Council, the same citizens who
passed the Water Consumers Protection Act are collecting signatures
for an initiative that would strengthen the act. Jerry Juliani,
a leader of the Pure Water Coalition, says the new initiative
would force the city to recharge water in the central well field
and extend the life of the Water Consumer Protection Act, which
was originally scheduled to go back before voters five years after
its passage in 1995. The new law would also withhold the pay of
Council members until they complied with the Water Consumer Protection
Act.
