Category: General

Armory Park Election Details

I was curious about the election results in Armory Park (precinct 45) so I went to the city website and extracted the following information:

Precinct 045
REGISTERED VOTERS – TOTAL             1,197
BALLOTS CAST – TOTAL                            247
BALLOTS CAST – NONPARTISAN                 0
BALLOTS CAST – Democrat                      228     92.31%
BALLOTS CAST – Republican                     15       6.07%
BALLOTS CAST – Libertarian                       0       0%
BALLOTS CAST – Green                                 4       1.62%
BALLOTS CAST – BLANK                               2       0.81%
VOTER TURNOUT – TOTAL                                   20.63%
VOTER TURNOUT – BLANK                                    0.17%
********** (Democrat) **********
Council Member Ward 6
(VOTE FOR) 1
KOZACHIK, STEVE                                      221      97.36%
WRITE-IN                                                         6         2.64%
********** (Republican) **********
Council Member Ward 6
(VOTE FOR) 1
RODRIGUEZ, MARIANO                              13        92.86%
WRITE-IN                                                         1          7.14%
********** (Libertarian) **********
Council Member Ward 6
(VOTE FOR) 1
WRITE-IN                                                         0          0%
********** (Green) **********
Council Member Ward 6
(VOTE FOR) 1
CEASE, MIKE                                                   4      100%
OATMAN, MICHAEL                                      0           0%
WRITE-IN                                                         0           0%

Precinct 45 is larger than Armory Park. It extends roughly from Broadway to 22nd and from I-10 to the railroad tracks. So these figures include the barrios and some residents to our south. These people are residents of our extended neighborhood and seem to share our political orientation.

Voter turnout in uncontested primaries is always low, about 20% in this case. The turnout for Steve Kozachik is particularly significant here. He needed no votes to advance to the general election, nevertheless, 221 voters made the effort to cast a ballot for him. The bad news: there are probably less than half of Precinct 45 residents registered to vote and only about 20% voted. The good news: 93% of voters chose Steve.

I hope and expect that this level of support will continue into the general election.

Large Vote for Steve K.

This is good news and I expect Armory Park made a significant contribution to the outcome. Remember, Steve was not running against a primary opponent in this election. That means his supporters made the extra effort to cast their ballot for him even though he would be the Democratic candidate even with no votes. I feel most of you see what I do: Steve is the most competent and energetic member of our council. Thoughtful people will not agree on every subject but I hope we agree that Steve is good for our community and city. The next election is for score; rehire Steve as our council member.
Dear friends,

The official results from the primary are posted on the city website. If you’re relying on the mainstream media for coverage, you’d come away thinking this is a neck-and-neck race. Thanks to your tremendous support, it’s anything but that.

Your involvement in this money-free campaign resulted in a new record for a city council primary election. Over 5,500 of you voted to return me and my staff to our jobs serving Ward 6 and the city this November. The media hasn’t published that number. I believe you deserve to know.

That’s virtually the same number of people who voted for all three Ward 3 candidates in the Democratic contested primary – combined.

That total is over three times the number of votes my Republican opponent labored to get. Based on his financial reports, he spent over $7,500 to gather fewer votes than the second place finisher in the Ward 3 contested primary. Speaking of contested, the media continues to report the winner of the only contested Ward 6 primary, but fails to mention that he received a total of 55 votes. Hey, I like and respect the Green candidate, but if the media wants to place this race into proper perspective, that’s 5,500 versus 55.

We are now entering the final stretch of the campaign. There are eight weeks until the general election. Ballots will be mailed out in about a month. Despite the overwhelming numbers, I am taking nothing for granted and commit to you that I will continue reaching out and connecting with as many constituents as possible between now and election day.

Yet, you deserve to know the truth about how the primary ended. You also deserve to be thanked for the great support you have shown as I ask to be rehired for another term serving this great community.

Sincerely,
  Steve Kozachik

How to Support Steve K.

I have said in a previous post here that I support Steve Kozachik for re-election to the Tucson City council. He is the most articulate and thoughtful council member and we are fortunate to have him represent our ward 6.

Steve Kozachik 2017I hope there are many others in Armory Park who appreciate Steve’s work and would like for him to continue serving us. If you want to keep up with his re-election campaign, go to his website at https://www.votestevek.com/. He is not asking for campaign contributions or for you to post signs urging his re-election. You can talk up his value for our community and city. You can even host a coffee meeting of your friends with Steve if you wish. His website will help you show your support.

Change at Five Points

The August APNA board meeting had an interesting discussion about development of the lot at the NE corner at Five Points. The project is titled The Baffert Mixed Use Building at 5 Points. The Baffert family once owned the property. Our late neighbor, Annie Laos, was a Baffert. Larry Kappler, the developer/owner of the property, made a good presentation to the board asking for support of the project.

IMG_2606
View Looking Northeast

The key issue is the allowed building height. The proposed project would be restricted to a height of not over 44 feet. If the property is moved out of the historic zone without an agreement, it could be much taller. Since there is no legal mechanism for waiving height restrictions in an HPZ, another mechanism is needed to make the development economically viable. I won’t go into the technical details but an innovative approach termed doughnut rezoning (part of the property rezoned) will allow a compromise between protecting our HPZ and allowing economically feasible development of an otherwise unproductive vacant lot. Continue reading “Change at Five Points”

What’s Your Plan for Jobs?

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Dear friends,

Before you support a candidate for public office, it’s important you know they stand for something more than just campaign platitudes. My opponent says he “values good jobs.” So do we all. The question is, what’s your plan for attracting them?

At the recent Metro Chamber forum all he had to offer was to say he supports the Rosemont Mine. Among other things related to Rosemont, he evidently doesn’t understand that the city has no permitting or zoning decision making authority on that project.

Eight years ago when I was first elected, we were in the midst of a recession. People were being laid off in every sector and we faced an operating deficit of over $44 million. Moving our economy was clearly the #1 priority. Yes, I “value good jobs” too.

Since then we have instituted job creating development incentives that have been key to spurring economic growth. Our Primary Jobs Incentive has resulted in multiple projects of over $5 million in investment, jobs paying over $52,000 annually with employers who offer over 75 percent of employee’s benefits. Our Government Property Leased Excise Tax is one of the factors that has resulted in over $500 million in private sector growth in the downtown core. And there’s more.

We have instituted site specific sales tax incentives to help with public infrastructure needs. The downtown core, and greater Infill Incentive Districts have helped businesses move in with new jobs throughout the downtown region. Our HUD 108 bridge loan was directly responsible for making the AC Marriott Hotel project a success. There is now Certificate of Occupancy relief, cross training of project inspectors, impact fee deferrals, dedicated project managers, water infrastructure incentives, and on and on.

Results? Raytheon is adding 1,975 new high-paying jobs. Vector Space. Comcast. Home Goods. Caterpillar. Hexagon Mining. City Park. Marist on Cathedral Square. 1 East and 1 West Broadway. La Placita. A new university area hotel. New retail and mixed use throughout downtown.

My opponent has a cliché to offer. I have a track record. It includes working with many of you throughout the community, both public and private sector, to come up with incentives and processes that have us on an upward trajectory as we climb out from the recession.

I invite my opponent to share his specific plan, beyond simply saying he’d like somebody else to build the Rosemont Mine. Contact the Star at Tucson.com, or the Tucson Sentinel at tucsonsentinel.com. Or try KVOA.com, KOLD.com or KGUN9.com. Let us all hear your plan for bringing the jobs we all value.

This job is more than simply rhetoric. I have a record of success, the results of which you can see.

Sincerely,
Steve Kozachik

Then and Now for Tucson Downtown

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Dear friends,

In the past eight years since I was first elected, Tucson has seen enormously positive change in multiple areas.

Then – we were mired in litigation with the Rio Nuevo Board, faced a $44 million dollar operating deficit, were under investigation from the state auditor general, had negative bond outlooks, and the general trust in local government was low.

Now – after eight years of hard work, the city is headed on an upward trajectory.

Not only have we resolved all of the legal issues with Rio Nuevo, but the city and the new Rio Board are partnering in millions of dollars of projects throughout the downtown core.

Not only is the operating deficit gone, but for the past two years we have ended the fiscal year with structurally balanced budgets.

This mayor and council has ensured all of our financial actions, development agreements and investment incentives are fully transparent and consistent with the state constitutional gift clause. Combined they have led to over $500 million in private sector investment in our downtown area.

Every one of the three major bond rating agencies has eliminated the negative outlook on our ratings.

Trust? The best example is Proposition 101. Every ward in the city passed our roads and public safety ballot question by over 10 points. With a 62% margin, the voters said ‘yes’ to the work we’ve been doing, trusting us with another five years of funding to continue that work.

I’m asking for four years to continue serving Tucson. Let’s keep building on the successes we’ve achieved together. Ours is a good story – one of hard work, and positive outcomes.

Support Steve K for City Council

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Need a reason to support Steve K for Ward 6 City Council?

How about $230,000,000 reasons?

When Steve took office the city was actively trying to build a Tucson Convention Center Hotel.

“The Tucson Convention Center renovation and expansion, headquarters hotel, and associated parking garage collectively comprise what may be the largest public works project the City undertakes in our lifetimes. Because the Rio Nuevo District is unable to financially carry the project, city taxpayers will be asked (through City-backed bonds) to backstop over $230 million in debt.” (Inside Tucson Business)

Steve said NO.

“In his first term on the Tucson City Council, Kozachik has been remarkably effective.  He was barely in office when he led the charge to cancel the plans for a major downtown Tucson hotel.” (The Tucson Weekly, April 4, 2013)

What could have happened if Steve hadn’t stopped the hotel?  Tucson could be in the trouble that Phoenix faces.

“The (Phoenix) Sheraton opened in the midst of the Great Recession and struggled to make money…City staff members estimate total losses of about $45 to $50 million on the hotel. Phoenix previously had reported losses of $29 million since the hotel opened in 2008. The city also provided the hotel corporation with about $14 million over the past decade.” (AZ Central 2016)

So… $230 million reasons PLUS another $50 million reasons.

Still need another reason to support Steve K?  He makes the tough decisions. Share this with your friends.

I Support Steve Kozachik

Some time back, I decided to generally stay away from partisan politics on these pages. I still intend to do that except in local elections that have a direct bearing on Armory Park. We are in Ward 6 and Steve K is our council member. He is also one of the most thoughtful and articulate among the council members. He has a solid record of supporting neighborhoods against the many threats from government and economic interests. Consequently, I will be republishing some of his campaign items here. This is the first: Continue reading “I Support Steve Kozachik”

APNA Board, Good Stuff and Some Not So

The good stuff:  The July meeting began with various news items and updates on efforts by committees. The new market rate rentals you may have seen in the news are quite pricy. They rent in a range of $2.20 to $2.50 per square foot or more and units are generally 1,000 square feet or less. You might expect to pay $2,500 monthly for a thousand square footer. These high prices translate to increasing property values for us owners in Armory Park. Also, property owners are also more likely to maintain their properties well to retain their value. The downside is that renters can expect to pay more in the future and it will be too expensive for many downtown workers to live near their work. Continue reading “APNA Board, Good Stuff and Some Not So”

June APNA Meeting

I was unable to attend this meeting so Karen Olson took very detailed notes. Many other details will appear in the meeting minutes and I will only extract some items of general interest for this article.

Home tour chair Anne Cooper reported that the tour is up to 12 houses. Bring’s Funeral Home will serve drinks at 3 p.m. Exo Coffee is also partnering with us. Phyllis Factor said that she will run the bake sale again. Anne’s husband will do a poster. There are some artists who would be interested in doing open studio. Everyone was supportive of including them in the home tour. November 12 is the date and Anne is working hard on getting really old homes and those that haven’t been on the tour before. Continue reading “June APNA Meeting”