Republican Sean Collins lit into Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll at yesterday’s Pima County Republican Club luncheon.
Collins, who hopes to unseat Carroll in the Aug. 28 GOP primary in District 4, had a long list of complaints about Pima County government in general and Carroll in particular.
Among Collins’ gripes: Carroll had been registered as a Democrat in the 1990s before switching to the Republican Party. Carroll has led opposition to the Rosemont Mine. He hasn’t done enough to create jobs. He doesn’t work hard enough and ignores Republican voters except during election season. He hasn’t fixed enough potholes and has supported putting water stations in the desert to help migrant border crossers who are dying of thirst. He has supported the purchase of open space and has hamstrung developers with too many impact fees.
“The incumbent, my opponent, has been there for 15-plus years and he’s too comfortable in his chair, folks,” said Collins, a retired Air Force veteran who owns a Dairy Queen in Vail.
As Collins (who was followed as a speaker Tuesday by Rosemont Mine CEO Rod Pace) ran through his indictment, Carroll sat among the crowd at a table, a smile regularly crossing his face. He didn’t address the crowd that had assembled for lunch in the back room of El Parador restaurant, although he’s scheduled to be a speaker at the weekly event next month.
But Carroll tells The Weekly he’s been a conservative voice in his representation of District 4, which stretches from the Tanque Verde Valley to Green Valley.
“I’ve got the credentials of a fiscal conservative,” says Carroll, who points to his repeated opposition to a proposed countywide sales tax and his regular votes against County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry’s budgets.
“I’ve led the district on other conservative issues,” Carroll adds. “I’m pro-gun. I’m a devout Catholic who’s pro-life, from conception to natural death.”
But Carroll’s record has left some members of Tuesday crowd unhappy with him.
Rebecca Spann, who considered running against Carroll herself, complained that Carroll “votes like a Democrat. … He votes with them more times than he doesn’t.”
“He’s such an intimidating person, Ray is,” Spann added. “I told him, ‘Ray, you need to move on. You need to go write your book or do something else. You’ve been here too long.’ And that was three years ago.”
Other luncheon guests were supportive of Carroll.
Linda Barber, who headed up Evan Mecham’s Southern Arizona gubernatorial office in the late ’80s and served as chairwoman of the Pima County Republican Party from 1988 to 1992, said that she wasn’t taking sides in the race.
But she added that she believed Carroll was a loyal Republican and that Collin’s charges were “not always, 100 percent true.”
“I have to say this about Ray Carroll,” Barber said. “He has always been supportive of this Republican Party and whenever the party has a function, he’s there. … And I think Ray has really held the line on taxes. He’s been the last man standing against the county sales tax that they’ve pushed forward a few times.”
Barber disagrees with Carroll’s opposition to the Rosemont Mine, but says she thinks it’s the first time she’s seen him agree with Huckelberry.
Dick Dale, a local doctor who unsuccessfully ran for the Arizona Legislature in 2004, said that he found Collins to be “a little negative.”
“I like Ray because I’ve known him a long time,” Dale said. “You know, he put so many miles on his truck every year … I think he does talk to his constituents.”
This article appears in Jul 19-25, 2012.
Did Collins say what Ray Carroll has failed to do to create jobs? Did Collins happen to say what he, Collins, might do instead to create jobs?
Is Collins a Tea Partier?
It comes as no surprise that would be a Dairy Queen in District 4…
Collins and his supporters were out waving signs at the corner of Tanque verde and Grant/Kolb. Some of the signs said “Say No to red light cameras”.
Oops
Collins has not yet learned that taking money from Augusta, and voicing support for the doomed Rosemont Mine project means defeat for a campaign.
Ray Carroll has understood the project since day one. This is only one of the many reasons he deserves to be reelected.
Ray Carroll has done alot for District 4 and the “Johnny come lately” Dairy Queen mogol seems a little bit bewildered. Like saying the HURF funds were not taken from us, and that he would be able to fix the roads. And that Rosemont Copper would be a boom for tourism. 18 wheelers every 15 minutes on a two lane Scenic Highway? That is amazing somebody would want that for their contituants in the Vail/US83 corridor to deal with. The people who live out there do NOT want the area destroyed. Go Ray.
Ahhhh I see all the Save the Scenic Santa Rita people have already commented. SHOCKER! Ray Carroll’s days are numbered. The guys is a democrat, votes with the Democrats and is one of the many dity politicians in this town. Collins is a hard working, highly educated and honorable man who has shown he won’t back down or give in to the status quo. Adios Ray, time to head back to the South Side of Chicago
The guys is a democrat and is one of the many dity politicians? Well, your spelling really shows you are a very astute writer there mister aznative58. Probably going to get a six figure job at Rosemont.
An honorable man would not take money from Augusta/Rosemont. An honorable man would thoroughly research both sides of this very important issue.
Calling Rosemont a boom to tourism shows a total lack of knowledge.
Ray Carroll is a vanishing breed, a representative for whom we can all vote with pride. He’s a conservative who can work with others, providing an effective political minority voice in Pima County.
Sean Collins? He couldn’t even get along with fellow members of his own Rotary when they had the misfortune of electing him to office. His only apparent qualification is his willingness to serve as a shill for Rosemont. If by some sad quirk he were nominated and elected he would only continue making a fool of himself and disgracing thinking conservatives.
Ray Carroll is a conservative who works for the good of his district and the entire county. Voters from all points of the political spectrum should, I think, make it a point to give him our vote and keep him at work.
I live in District 1, so Nancy Young Wright will definitely get my vote for that District. As a registered Democrat, I would vote for Ray Carroll anytime if I lived in District 4. He’s obviously a person who is able to see the forest for the trees and not just become a Tea Party nut.
Thanks George for bringing up Mr. Collin’s past history in Vail politics. Ask some of the folks who work at the Dairy Queen and get a candid feel for how he supervises. He may be a peach of a guy, but it seems he has issues when it comes to playing well with others. He backed the Rosemont horse 100%, so we shall soon see how popular their spin game is with the voters. There is more to Dist 4 supervisor than the mining issue by the way, and buying into the HURF conspiracy theory is scary.
Collins is a stand up guy and everyone knows Ray is dirty. How did all of you Democrat Save the Scenic Santa Rita’s people feel about Ray now saying he will support Rosemont on Jon Justice today? He talks out of one side of his mouth, then changes when he is in front of a different crowd. You keep saying Collins is bank rolled by Rosemont and that is an obvious lie too. I checked his financials….he hardly received money from Rosemont while Sugar Ray received tons of money from Don Diamond and Jim Click, proving he is too entrenched in this town. Rosemont or not, Carroll’s days are numbered. His votes to buy open land, failure to fix our roads, campaigning for Dupnik and votes for water in the desert will not save him in this Primary. No one will come out in support of him, not the media nor the politicians…they don’t want to be associated with a dirty guy with so many secrets in his closet.
We need more politicians like Ray. Honest, moderate, old school Republicans. I too live in District 1, and will vote for Nancy Young Wright, but Ray is as god as they get. Keep up the good work.
I have researched Mr. Sean Collins and find his background is in opposition to the comments he now makes during his campaign. His largest plank in his platform is there is too much government spending and too many government handouts. He complains that five of the biggest six employers in Pima County are government and there is too many federal handouts and programs giving money to the citizens.
I had a communication with Mr. Collins and asked him several questions;
1 did you retire from the United States Air Force and now have government retirement?
2 did you file bankruptcy?
3 did you go over budget on your Dairy Queen?
4 did you take a special loan from the United States government for veterans?
5 did your Dairy Queen cost approximately $600,000?
6 are you taking donations from Rosemont copper?
The answer to all six of the questions is yes, this seems a rather strange background for someone who claims to be fiscally conservative and concerned about the people in our district.
He was chastised by the Pima County Treas. for making false statements about his opponent. When confronted with the truth he had to take it off his website but the interesting part was his associate Randy Graf left it on his website for quite a while, even after Randy Graf was told that it was untrue and it should be removed. I know this because I am one of several people who sent e-mail to both Randy Graf and Sean Collins.
This is one of the dirtiest campaign seasons I have ever seen, and this gentleman, using the word lightly, is using some of Rosemont’s tricks to try to win the election.
He asked me where I had gotten this information and I told him most of it was off of his own website. Research out his comments, research out this past, research out his financial ability and then let me know if you want to let him have control of the Pima County budget.
I had started on this and just have to add a comment that I know I’m not much of a businessman but I do not believe I ever would invest $600,000 in a Dairy Queen in Vail Arizona. I thought the mantra was location location location. How do you spend $600,000 on a Dairy Queen? Even in that he went over budget and could not meet the budget on building a Dairy Queen. Then he has the audacity to complain about the Board of Supervisors trying to run an organization that is now over $1 billion a year. I know we need to clean up the County and the city finances but Lord above, dowe do it with someone who can’t even budget a Dairy Queen?
azroberth: thanks for the enlighting comments about the financial dealings and background of the Dist 4 candidate who thinks he is supervisor material.
azroberth: You are NOT a business person. $600,000 is peanuts when it comes to starting a business. As for Sean Collins, Mr. Collins is honorable, ethical and understands how budget are created. My sacred vote belongs to Sean Collins. Especially after I discovered that Ray Carroll marched with Janet Napolitano against Prop 200 on October 24, 2004 at Our Mother of Sorrows Parrish. Prop 200 simply required proof of eligibility before registering to VOTE.
Azroberth AKA ROBERT HARRIS – you act like Collins has hidden information and he has been nothing but forthcoming on everything regarding his finances -even releasing information from his finances from almost 20 years ago. You should consider asking Ray Carroll about all he has lied about….he has quite a hidden past…..and for a 15 year incumbent to NOT be able to run on his Conservative Record should also tell you Mr. Carroll is not a true Republican. Marched (then lied) with Napolitano against the Voter ID Law, spends tons of our money putting water in the desert, votes with the Democrats to spend our money and continously threatens, intimidates, even uses extortion tactics in his position. The truth will soon be known….
PS-have you seen this video of Ray Carroll that has been all over the Internet. It just about sums it all up….vote this guy out!
http://youtu.be/3xm0POwy2Og
Like I posted in the last post about Ray Carroll when he first announced that he would be RINOing again for District 4 which is majority Republican and Conservative! (RINO = Republican In Name Only)! Here is the same post I write and not a single bit has changed from my view after see the debate:
Ray Carroll is Corrupt! Carroll has also been part of the Pima County Superior Court on going gender discrimination and child trafficking! Carroll basically in a townhall meeting told residents of Vail to go “screw yourself” after residents expressed and plead for him to address emergency and endangerment issue during flooded roads for access to emergency. And it also looks like he used school district money from vusd to pay for colossal cave road by presented a false claim on a safety assessment! Basically used money that could have retained teachers that got let go in 2013! Carroll is a con-artist, a liar and thief! Carroll has never been seen speaking up on behalf of his residents and miller has been seen going to the capital and contacting appropriate support to address concerns by resident. Carroll is little to NO hand on or involvement with his residents in District 4!