Although the City Council has abandoned a plan to turn over El Rio Golf Course to Grand Canyon University, the GCU debacle highlighted the contempt Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and council members Regina Romero, Paul Cunningham, Karin Uhlich and Shirley Scott have for the westside—only council members Richard Fimbres and Steve Kozachik stood with the westside. The promise of high-paying jobs was a cruel hoax. If these really existed, the city wouldn’t be hiding the GCU-related economic-impact analyses we requested.
Attempting to divide us into camps of “golfers” versus “neighborhood people,” Romero got one person to attack El Rio golfers at a City Council meeting on the basis that “golf is a rich man’s sport.”
If she were in touch with the westside, Romero would know that golfing demographics have changed and “golfers” and “neighborhood people” are often the same people. The Latin-American Golf Association and the Mexican American Golf Association are based at El Rio. Many El Rio golfers grew up inor live in Barrio Hollywood.
Some marched, as kids, with the El Rio Coalition in 1970. Barrio Hollywood’s American Legion Cocio-Estrada Post 59 recently hosted a tournament at El Rio. The El Rio Women’s Golf Association members are neither men nor rich. Nor are the children in the First Tee program at El Rio.
This attack on working-class men and women, children and veterans who play golf underlies the real agenda regarding El Rio, which is to do to the westside what was done to the downtown barrios in the 1960s: destroy its historical memory, gentrify it and thus destroy its cultural-political viability and activism. To achieve that, the symbol of that activism, El Rio, must be destroyed.
The 1970 El Rio for the People movement was a defining moment in the political evolution of the westside. Over many months, entire families marched and picketed in the summer heat and driving rain, and we were beaten and arrested. Those empowered westsiders declared they would no longer tolerate lies and broken promises from politicians who only came around at election time. Thus, the very term “El Rio” contains potent historical memory and immense symbolic value and emotional power. Going to the golf course or the neighborhood center, or just driving by these, evokes a strong sense of pride and ownership. But what is a symbol of proud achievement for westsiders represents a threat to Tucson’s political establishment.
Grand Canyon University, via TREO (Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc.), was a vehicle to destroy El Rio and its historical memory and the political activism it represents. Had they succeeded, TREO members and/or their friends would have made big bucks from the destruction of El Rio. And the politicos would be rid of a powerful political symbol and awash in TREO-GCU campaign contributions.
TREO is an outfit that charges $25,000 to be a member and $50,000 to be on the Chairman’s Circle board of directors. Here’s how TREO CEO Joe Snell described the $50,000 Chairman’s Circle in a 2011 Arizona Daily Star article:
“Over the years, what I’ve realized are big players, CEOs of companies, we charge $50,000,” Snell said of the circle. “They can’t make board meetings or are in New York all the time, you know, living the lives that none of us do. But they want to have a say in shaping economic policy.”
So, TREO is made up of rich people who spend their time outside of Tucson “living the lives that none of us do.”
In 2011 TREO received $520,000 from the city. We don’t have current figures because TREO and the city refuse to release records regarding their relationship. Whether or not TREO receives city funds, TREO acts as the city’s agent. That makes TREO’s records regarding city matters public and subject to A.R.S. 39-121, which mandates that public records be open to the public. Rothschild, as mayor, is a member of the $50,000 TREO Chairman’s Circle, which makes his TREO business city business, which in turn makes it our business.
The El Rio Coalition-II has sued for those records. We’ll soon know why Rothschild, Romero, Cunningham, Uhlich and Scott—and their rich, out-of-town TREO collaborators—are fighting fiercely to hide their dealings regarding El Rio.
This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2013.
Sal Baldenegro articulates well the important historical perspective of why the fight to save over 100 acres of public green space is so important. The Mayor put the sale of El Rio on the agenda on Monday for the council to vote on Tuesday, hoping to rush this deal through before the public knew what was happening, but the Barrio Hollywood Neighborhood Association and concerned citizens like Sal, the golfers, Tucson Clean and Beautiful, and about a dozen other neighborhood association residents rose up and killed this bad deal. We must make sure that our public land is taken off the auction block for good. Now the question is: what is the city trying to hide by refusing to release public documents?
another example of the people that represent us NOT representing us and not even knowing the “heart” of the city.
Excellent light shed on this debacle. I can’t wait to see what is revealed when the public records are released. Karen has truely been a disappointment. Thank you Richard and Steve, who by the way, are privy to much of the “hidden” agenda voted against what is turning out to be political suicide for the Ward 1 office and Mayor.
So this golf course must be maintained in perpetuity as a symbol of a political movement? Ludicrous
Does Salomón think if you assert something passionately enough, you don’t need to provide evidence?
Among the many claims being made here is this whopper: “Grand Canyon University, via TREO (Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc.), was a vehicle to destroy El Rio and its historical memory and the political activism it represents.
If this sinister speculation were really so, the situation would be a genuine scandal. And I don’t doubt that Mr. Baldenegro really believes it. There are probably dozens of people on the west side that imagine similarly sinister forces behind the recent El Rio proposal. But if he’s intent on persuading a crowd larger than his circle of friends, he’s going to need to put some evidence behind his claims.
How does Salomón know “Romero got one person to attack El Rio golfers at a City Council meeting…?” Because he states this as a fact. He says “the real agenda” behind the GCU proposal “is to do to the westside what was done to the downtown barrios in the 1960s.” If he’s so confident about this theory, where are the facts to support it? (Lemme guess, the Big Bad City of Tucson is hiding them all?)
And who, anyway, appointed Salomón spokesman of the “West Side?” Last I checked, thousands of people live on the west side. Most of those who voted in the last election, voted for Mayor Rothschild and Council Member Romero. And most probably would be happy to again.
Why not release those records detailing the relationship between TREO and the City of Tucson?
Closed door, “self-appointed clique” decision-making style politics and politicians have got to go!
I thought that the El Rio for the People movement fought to create a community center. I did not know they also fought to maintain the golf course??? Let’s face it, the author and his father will always hate Regina and anyone even closely associated with Raul Grijalva.
What does this have to do with Raul Grijalva? He’s too busy getting drunk right now and so he’s chosen not to be a part of this issue. We are asking for public records from the City of Tucson, as City residents and taxpayers. That is the issue here.
Sal and his wonderful family have been around Tucson for a long time. They are well respected in our community and beyond. I can say the same for Raul and Regina; Jonathan wants to improve our city but was wrong in this case. @ Steve, you need to show a little bit of respect for your elders or weren’t you taught that as a child? We all know that politicians are human and make mistakes, as we sometimes do our selves. Maybe we can find another location for the GCU campus that’s acceptable to them. This shouldn’t be a dead issue for the City of Tucson and as a “Progressive” lot we need to do not only what is right but also what needs to be done.
It should be concerning to all constituents within city limits that the Mayor and Council operated regarding this plan in a manner that usurps the tenets of democracy: it was driven by mostly one person (that we know of), it trampled on community input, it was false and misleading (some golf courses being preferred), it tried to pit groups against others (lip service to community cohesion), it patently continues to falsely state that GCU will bring many jobs to our sector (they bring in their own people), and no mention that there is an attempt at the State Legislature that GCU will get a tax-exempt status while slurping up all kinds of city services that we have to absorb. It is further insultive that the very site offered up for sacrifice is the very symbol of what makes Tucson the dynamic community that it is: a strong, proud collective of leaders who stand up for what is right, and that is what the Baldenegros are all about! It was extremely disrespectful of Romero and others to treat as expendable a community that is strongly Mexican American.
What exactly are Mayor Rothchild and Regina Romero hiding? We already know they have been dealing with this issue for one year. Romero admitted this much to the AZ Daily Star. Why the secrecy? Why not release these public records and let the voters, the taxpayers of Tucson decide if our elected officials are serving our interests of if they need to be removed from office? Very simple math here folks. We want to review the public records, that’s all. What is the City Council hiding?
It was an executive session item, so no public discussion could take place. It was placed before the deadline for agenda items by Rothschild. Fimbres and Kozachik voted no, it wasn’t unanimous. If people paid attention, the mentioned negotiations, which means more likely an offer was made – which would be a term sheet. By whom is the question? When was it made? Who discussed this and when? I hope when the public records are revealed, it will show the fraud and waste involved, as well as the deception by those on the City Council who voted for this.