- A map shows Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller’s home (in black) just around the corner from the repvaving project on Oasis Road that she picked over staff recommendations to pave major arterials elsewhere in District 1.
When four members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted this week to move an estimated $800,000 in road-repair funding from District 1 to District 4 earlier this week, District 1 Supervisor Ally Miller was outraged.
Miller said the other supervisors were targeting her because she has relentlessly been dogging them as corrupt big spenders who are mismanaging the county.
But Supervisor Ramon Valadez says political differences on the relative value of budget items—such as support for the county’s southside University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus (formerly Kino Hospital), programs to help Mission Manor Elementary School students attend a special science and math program at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and spending on the Hughes Access Road to support Raytheon, Tucson International Airport and other potential high-tech companies—do not equal mismanagement.
“When you disagree on public policy, that doesn’t mean it’s mismanagement,” Valadez told The Range yesterday. “That means there’s a disagreement.”
Valadez says the Miller opened the door to losing the District 1 road dollars by ignoring staff recommendations regarding how the money could be spent. When the Democrats on the board voted to include $5 million in road-repair dollars, they did it with a caveat that “it has to go to regionally significant and major arteries,” Valadez said. “Why? Because then I can go to my voters and say, ‘This road might be located outside your district, but you take Oracle Road, don’t you? You take River Road, don’t you?’ And you can make the argument that we all benefit.”
Instead, Miller moved the money away from major arterial roads and to her own priorities.
One of those priorities—and the one project that got done before the remainder of the District 1 funding was moved to Colossal Cave Road this week—was Oasis Road between Camino de Oeste and the Marana town limits.
As it turns out, that road happens to be just a block from Miller’s own home.
“Miss Miller lives on Camino del Oeste,” Valadez says. “She had Oasis Road paved from Camino del Oeste to Twin Peaks (Road).”
Miller did not return a call for comment regarding why her office had shifted funds from the staff’s recommendations to a road in her own neighborhood.
But Valadez says he did get a chance to see the work when he recently visited the Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton.
“We did a really good job, I have to tell you,” Valadez said.
This article appears in Feb 20-26, 2014.
Amazing…I drive down Oasis daily to take my son to school & I was astonished to see the beautiful paving job done there recently. However, I couldn’t understand how Linda Vista and Thornydale were ignored while this minor road was completed. Now I know… It gets Miller from her house straight to I-10 with nary a pot- hole in site, aside from the one in the middle of her skull.
Is she Al Melvin’s daughter?
Yeah, Republicans hate spending – except when it’s for their benefit. Typical.
“You can’t fool all the people all the time,” – especially when you have limited conscience and little to no foresight. Since we live 30 miles away from her, I never really heard of Ally Miller before. This sad excuse for a public servant now has corruption and phony “outrage” forever tattooed to her reputation. Thanks for reporting it.
Hey Jim, Before the party starts maybe you ought to drive out to this area…the paving stops a half mile before any of Miller’s donors houses….Do you think this is Pima County retaliation. Glad to know your address…will be sending all my friends to stop by for a beer and nachos…the teabaggers will love it…I’m guessing you are into both…;) By the way….great reporting…you didn’t have to get off the couch for this one or even go to google maps ….you just took Someone at Pima County’s word…what’s his name from the last story valdeez….wow…You guys make a great team! Hey ay te wacho…what is valdez’s address…we will stop there for an after party….
FYI, I deleted a post in this thread, not because it contains Nintzel’s address, but because it listed Nintzel’s old address. No need to send the angry mob to the wrong place.
Now, I’ve deleted another post (one with Nintzel’s and Ramon Valadez’s address), not because of the content, but because the post violated our comment policy by using neither a real name nor a real email address (http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/CommentsPolicy/Page) This is fun!
If you’re going to broadcast people’s home addresses, at least have the courage to do so under your own name.
Jerry don’t bother telling them the truth…they are stuck on their hate agenda. Didn’t Miller now receive threats? Where is Dupnik, the master of all information as to why wackos go wacko.
This is a community being devastated by Progressives! Failure is their only option.
Good story, nice reporting.