Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll Endorses Salette Latas for Oro Valley Town Council

Today, Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll announced his support for Salette Latas in the race for one of three seats on the Oro Valley Town Council.

This may be the beginning of a much-needed non-partisan alliance against the profligate give-away of our local tax base in the name of "economic development" in Arizona's communities. Carroll, a Republican, and Latas, an Democrat, both quite obviously get it, and aren't respecting party labels in supporting others who also get it. Such a non-partisan, issue-based focus is a perfect fit for the non-partisan Oro Valley race.

 

Carroll's statement announced, “Salette Latas is a champion of local businesses and residents of Oro Valley. She will listen to the community, and work with all members of the Council to do what is best for Oro Valley's residents, not what special interests tell her to do.”

 

“At a time when economic growth is slowing, adding more burden on taxpayers makes no sense,” stated Carroll in his announcement. “After over $50 million in tax subsidies were given to out-of-town developers, and after passing a utility tax in 2006, Oro Valley’s Council members are now advocating further tax subsidies for a foreign corporation and pushing for a new property tax. The people of Oro Valley deserve a fiscally responsible Council that will stop tax subsidies to special interests.”

 

Earlier this month, Supervisor Carroll was awarded the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers’ first-ever Local Hero Award (http://www.aztaxpayers.org), for dissenting when the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to increase its budget by 14.3 percent and increase property tax levies by $34 million, and also for leading the successful resistance to imposing a new half-cent county sales tax.

 

Following Carroll’s announcement, Latas stated “I truly appreciate the support from an Arizona Taxpayers’ Hero. It’s time to end subsidies to corporations at the expense of taxpayers. Supervisor Carroll understands that this trend must stop. I will fight to represent the public interest and locally owned, independent business over the special interests of out-of-town corporations.”

Comments

[kathie crow]

i'm glad to see this bipartisan support for salette...she has integrity, knowledge, and energy to make intelligent decisions for her community as an ov council member...you go girl!!!

[Rex]

Salette Latas is a terrific candidate for Oro Valley, but Ray Carroll injecting himself into a municipal race miles outside of his East Side district is what makes this post truly fascinating. Ray may annoy Republicans on the Northwest Side with this endorsement and what does he gain from it, especially if he seeks higher office in the future? Does he see himself as the GOP's version of Dupnik and will he be making more cross-the-aisle endorsements in the future? Very curious!

By the way, let's not lavish too much praise on Ray for his opposition to a county sales tax. His stubborn position, based more in political expediency than fiscal reality, is the chief reason Pima County's property taxes are among the highest in the state. Diversifying our tax base would enable the county supes to lower property taxes and spread the burden of paying for county government to visitors and residents other than property owners, which is why supervisors of both parties over the years have disagreed with Ray on this point.

[Dwight D. Leister:Chair]

You all must have gone MAD!

Latas is the laughing stock of Oro Valley!

[Mariana]

Dwight, I wonder how would you know!?

[Rick Smith]

Dwight,

You are completely out of touch, as usual. The way I here it, there are four clowns that get the laughs in OV, three are the current council members up for re-election, the other is you. Are you planning to be a write in or do you actually have a plan to get on a ballot this time?

[Rick Smith]

Dwight,

You are completely out of touch, as usual. The way I hear it, there are four clowns that get the laughs in OV, three are the current council members up for re-election, the other is you. Are you planning to be a write in or do you actually have a plan to get on a ballot this time?