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 A Quick Update Of Stories We Reported In 1998. By Dave Devine THE HISTORY BOOKS will record 1998 as a year of scandals and stains for the United States in general. But in Tucson, it will go down as 12 months of delays and postponements.
When City Clerk Kathy Detrick finally threw out hundreds of petition signatures, ostensibly because of questionable practices by signature gatherers, the drive was derailed. Proponents flirted with the idea of a lawsuit, but eventually gave up on that. Instead, they're currently looking at two courses of action:
But the group has no plans for a second petition effort to get the "ward-only" measure on the ballot.
As Margaret Regan reported in February, the city purchased the former Southern Pacific train depot on Toole Avenue. A committee is now trying to decide what should be done with the building. Within several months, the group will probably recommend three alternatives to the City Council, one being similar to the already approved Depot Gateway Vision Plan. In a March story, The Weekly reported the city's Community Services Department intended by this time to be well on its way toward moving into expensive new offices. But delays have pushed back the construction schedule for the controversial project. Department director Karen Thoreson expects to ask the City Council this month to complete the required land transaction. She anticipates breaking ground this summer, one year later than planned. Another city project way behind schedule is the proposed downtown Regional Visitors Center. As was revealed in an August story, the city has spent $400,000 on design and management consultants for a proposed building which has no tenants.
Yet another long-delayed project is the proposed Arizona Department of Economic Security warehouse office building next to downtown's historic Armory Park neighborhood. Out-of-court negotiations continue in hopes of settling the dispute. WHILE PROGRESS ON several city projects has been slow, some University of Arizona developments have remained closer to schedule. A June story outlined plans for the UA to acquire and relocate by the end of the year the small businesses along the north side of Sixth Street east of Park Avenue. The University has bought the buildings and almost all of the merchants should be gone soon. The relocation program, however, was not without its critics. As one merchant observed a few weeks ago, "What the University said about the process never materialized. They didn't offer much guidance on how to relocate. Instead, they left it up to us. I wish the University had been way more cooperative." On the west side of campus, as a September story discussed, big changes are proposed, including a parking garage, additional commercial development and landscape beautification. Tom Warne, who is working on the project, says plans have been pushed back by a few months. He expects the Arizona Board of Regents to see the proposal in March and predicts a ground-breaking for the new garage this summer. Earth-shaking is what Salpointe High School supporters thought of Vicki Hart's February articles on the school. She documented some of their problems, including a beer bash on private property that attracted the law. The high school's "community" appreciated these stories so much that they deluged The Weekly with nasty letters.
Although some charges against attorney Joe Machado, on whose property the party was held, were dismissed, the Pima County Attorney's Office is in the process of refiling some charges. Great job of turning the other cheek, kids. Incidently, the dailies subsequently reported the school hired a new top administrator, who announced she was making the teaching moral behavior one of the school's goals. In July, Hart profiled local child psychiatrist Dr. Michael Mahl, whose license to practice medicine in Arizona had been suspended for alleged abuse of drugs and sex. As of this month, Mahl is still suspended from practicing in Arizona, and his name does not appear on the state Board of Medical Examiner's agenda.
Not being placated are the two suspects in the Fourth Avenue mugging, which Tim Vanderpool covered in October. Both have been arrested and a February trial date is set. In a July article, Vanderpool described how the City of Tucson is moving toward a "cops for hire" system of law enforcement. If you've got the money, you get the protection. If not, they'll see what they can do for you. In November, the Tucson City Council unanimously ratified one step in this program. A first-year cost of over $120,000, the city will now coordinate all off-duty police employment.
Who decides which special events or functions require city cops,
and which can go with less expensive private security company
personnel? Why, TPD, of course. So if you need a cop for hire
to protect your 'hood, don't delay--just call the Tucson Police
Department today!
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© 1995-99 Tucson Weekly . Info Booth |
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Local frustrations began in January with Tucson Mayor George
Miller proclaiming that a "ward-only" system of City
Council elections was needed to save the community. In a series
of articles, The Weekly covered the roller-coaster
ride of Miller's unsuccessful effort to get this proposition on
the ballot.
Delay is also the keyword when it comes to several proposed City
of Tucson building projects. The biggest of those, of course,
is City Manager Luis Gutierrez's call for a new City Hall. While
that idea continues to be studied, other city projects are also
moving along slowly.
The U.S. Forest Service would like to occupy part of the structure
but needs the General Service Administration to approve the lease.
GSA officials say it makes no sense to pay rent for space in a
non-federal facility. According to GSA spokeswoman Mary Filippini,
Tucson officials continue to ask them to look at different proposals
for the project. She says the federal government is willing to
talk to city officials about the idea, but adds, "There are
great obstacles in having the Forest Service move out of Tucson's
federal building."
Salpointe students also graciously included The Weekly
in their yearbook. In a small piece titled, "Tucson Weakly,"
the clever Lancers wrote, "Controversy arose when the less
than superlative free news-magazine the Tucson Weekly,
did a little Salpointe lambasting by publishing three articles
about the school, all of which were inaccurate and attempted to
hurt the school's reputation. However, some members of the Salpointe
community countered by boycotting the paper's advertisers and
not allowing the the [sic] school's reputation to be ruined."
But not everything controversial was delayed or postponed in
1998. In June Chris Limberis wrote about former Pima County Board
of Supervisor member Bud Walker's attempts to kill a proposed
rezoning near his house. When the current Board voted on the matter
in July, Walker lost, five to zip. But at least the project developer
attached seven conditions to the rezoning to try to placate some
of the neighbors. Walker, however, remained unplacated. We're
told he's put his home up for sale.
