HomeMy WebLinkAboutPackets - Council Packets (247) Stine, Michelfe
From: Standish, Michael
Sent: Tuesday,January 17, 2017 4:29 PM
To: Stine, Michelle -
Subject: FW: Council packet
Attachments: 12 6 16 Cox P and Z.docx
From: Don Bristow [
Sent:Tuesday, December 06, 2016 10:20 PM
To:Standish, Michael<mstandish�orovalleyaz.gov>
Subject:Council packet
M i ke,
Please place the attachment in the Council Packets for the December 7, 2016 meeting.
ThankYou,
Don
J
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' Following are some reasons why Council must reject the recommendation to appoint Don Cox to the
Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Commission.
1. Mr. Cox's Triple E PAC, was funded by major real estate developers and investors, council .
members and a member's relative.Accepting this funding has compromised his ability to fairly
represent the majority of Oro Valley citizens. The intent of this funding was to gain access and
influence.
2. During Mre Cox's prior membership on the P&Z he violated the Town's ethic code at least
twice. Four members ofthe current council refused to fulfill their responsibilityto remove him
from the P&Z. Mr. Cox clearly knows that he can continue to violate the Town's ethic code
without any consequence. This will also send a strong message to other Town board members
that they can insult, criticize, and demean Town elected officials and citizens without
consequence.
3. While on the P&Z Mr.Cox wrote a demeaning piece,with false accusations, about a sitting OV
Councilmember. This action resulted in a law suit.The suit was settled with Mr. Cox paying the
Councilmember. Mr. Cox's conduct again was an ethical violation. �
_ 4. All readers of the opinion page of the Northwest Explorer are aware of Don Cox. He has
defined himself as a name caller,fact twister, and mean spirted just to name a few of the
descriptors that can be used. Again demonstrating he should not be representing the Town of
Oro Valley on any Board or Commission.The citizens understand this as they have refused to
support his attempts to be elected to Town Council.
5. Mr. Cox also attempted to destroy a former Councilmember's livelihood by writing a very mean
spirted letter to the Councilmember employer. This is not the type of actions that citizens
expect or will accept from a person appointed by Council. .
6. For the last two years, Mr. Don Cox has been a very infrequent attendee at Planning and Zoning
and Council meetings. If he listened and/or watched videos of these meeting doesn't
adequately instill the background knowledge and understanding obtained from direct
involvement. Therefore, again Mr. Cox offers no benefit over other OV citizens.
There is no doubtthatthisCouncil owes Don Coxand youwantto reward him byappointing himto
the Planning and Zoning Commission. His poor track record,temperament, behavior and lack of
fairness should prevent such an action. There are many more qualified Oro Valley residents you can
appoint to P&Z. You must reject the recommendation to appoint Mr. Cox and find a more qualified
candidate.
ThankYou,
Donald Bristow
_ (
" Stine, Michelle �
From: Standish, Michael
Sent: Tuesday,January 17, 2017 4:29 PM ,
To: Stine, Michelle ��
Subject: FW: Commission appointment concern �
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From: Diane Bristow [
Sent:Tuesday, December 06, 2016 9:08 PM
To:Standish, Michael<mstandish@orovalleyaz.gov>
Subject:Commission appointment concern
11/1 ike,
Please place the��l��vvi�g er�c�il ir� �he�ecer�ber 7, 20�6 Council Packet�.
Thc��k yo��o�yocar hel� �ith this, �
� .
f�ic�t�e f3ris�o� �
Mayor Hiremath and Councilmembers,
While reviewingthe agenda forthe December 7, 2016 Oro ValleyTown Council RegularSession, I was amazed
to read that Don Cox had been recommended to again serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission. This
has caused me to be deeply worried and concerned.
It is true that Mr. Cox has worked on General Plans and previously served as a member of the Planning and
Zoning Commission. However, it is also true that IVIr. Cox, for many years, has written numerous deplorable
� opinion pieces for the Explorer and for the local blogs. It seems one must be in total agreement with Mr. Cox,
or he will verbally, personably attack that persono He has been critical of so many Oro Valley citizens. Mr. Cox
holds grudges. This lack of respect for others is not acceptable for any Commission member.
As a member of the Development Committee of Your Voice, Our Future, I had the opportunity to work with
Mr. Cox. His behavior, conduct, comments, and interactions with others were often questionable. Mr. Cox's
displeasure with some of committee decisions was quite obvious. His attendance at the Development
Committee meetings was less than stellare He attended 5 of the 8 meetings. Mr. Cox and I also served on the
Development Committee Subcommittee working with General Plan Amendment process and criteria. Mr. Cox
only attended one of the six meetings� Mr. Cox did not attend the May all-committee meeting to review the
60%ve rs i o n of Your Voice, Our Future.
During the August Council Primary, Mre Cox mailed that horrible flyer to the residents of Oro Valley. In the 17
years I have lived in Oro Valley that flyer was the worse I had seen. It saddened and sickened me. It was
unbelievable that my town had people who would do that. It gave me hope when Bill Rodman and Rhonda
Pina disavowed the flyer during a candidate forurn.
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These attributes of Mr. Cox make him a person who should not be part of planning for the future of our town.
In the best interest in the future of Oro Valley, please do not appoint Don Cox to the Planning and Zoning
Commission.
Thank you,
Diane Bristow
A concerned Oro Valley citizen �
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Stine, Michelle
From: Standish, Michael
�Sent: Tuesday,January 17, 2017 4:28 PM
To: Stine, Michelle
Subject: FW: December 7th council meeting
From:william_
Sent:Tuesday, December 06, 2016 6:47 PM
To:Waters, Lou<Iwaters@orovalleyaz.gov>
Cc:Standish, Michael <mstandish@orovalleyaz.gov>; Logan Burtch-Buus<logan@tucsonlocalmedia.com>
Subject: December 7th council meeting
Mayor and Council,
As you are aware on the consent agenda you will be making appointrr,ents to the various boards and
commissions at the December 7, 2016 council meeting. One particular appointment to the planning
and zoning commission sticks out as a red flag. It is interesting to note that Don Cox has surFaced as
a potential appointment to this commission. As many of you are aware Mr. Cox has had a long histo
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of working to put out various hit pieces as well as being the subject of Town attorney council reports
over the years which stated that he has violated Town policies while serving as a commission
member and should have been removed. Unfortunately I have no faith in this Council in standing up
forwhat is right and eliminating Mr. Cox from consideration from this appointment. Every one of you
received support from his Triple E Pac during both the recall as well as general elections. Several of
you call Mr. Cox a person�l friend and over the years continued to use this individual as our mouth
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piece to fend ofi�criticism from residents.
Please consider not appointing Mr. Cox to the Planning and Zoning Commission and instilling faith
that you as elected-officials will do the right thing for the citizen's of Oro Valley.
Respectfully,
William H. Garner
Oro Valley Resident
Mr. Standish,
Would you please include this email in the public record/council packet. �
i
Stine, Michelle
From: Standish, Michael
Sent: Tuesday,January 17, 2017 4:28 PM -
- To: Stine, Michelle
Subject: FW:Concerns with Appointment of Don Cox to P&Z Commission
From:Shirl LAMONNA [
Sent:Tuesday, December 06, 2016 1:50 PM
To: Hiremath, Satish<shiremath@orovalleyaz.gov>;Waters, Lou<Iwaters@orovalleyaz.gov>; Snider, Mary
'<msnider�orovalleyaz.gov>; Hornat,Joe<jhornat@orovalleyaz.gov>; Bill Rodman<brodman@orovalleyaz.gov>; Pina,
Rhonda <rpina�orovalleyaz.gov>; Solomon,Steve<ssolomon@orovalleyaz.gov>
Cc:Vella, Bayer<bvella@orovalleyaz.gov>; Standish, Michael<mstandish@orovalleyaz.gov>
Subject: Concerns with Appointment of Don Cox to P&Z Commission
Attne�1/!r Standish-Please include in Counc�l Packet
December 6, 2016
� _
Dear Mayor Hiremath, Vice Mayor Waters and Councilmembers,
I'm sure you are aware of the importance of selecting individualsforthe Planning&Zoning Commission who
will make independent recommendations and decisions. While I support,the reappointrnent of Melanie
. Barrett and Charlie Hurt, I was stunned to see the P&Z Interview Panel's recommendation to appoint Don Cox
to the Commission. What message will it send to Oro Valley residents if you vote in favor of this?
In a December 21, 2008, fettertothe Explorertitled "OV buddy appointments alarrr�, but don't surprise," Mr.
Cox addressed several points that are at the heart of this matter:
��• Regardingthe keysto successful Boards & Commissions, he stated rriembers "must maketheir
recommendation/decision void of any political, social or peer pressure."
• Concerning replacement of the volunteer selection system with assignment of board/commission
members by the Town Council, he questioned "Will the assigned member consult with their 'sponsor'
before voting? I think the answer is yes."
It would be totally unrealistic to believe that Mr. Cox's decisions would be "void of any political, social or peer
pressure" given your relationship with him. As you are aware, Mr. Cox, through his Triple E PAC, played an
active role in the recall election to ensure that you incumbents remained in office. You or your family
members all contributed to his PAC in 2015 or 2016.
Mr. Cox also supported you newly elected councilmembers in the 2016 Primary election. To your credit, two
of you disavowed his deceptive tabloid mailer so I am hopeful that you do not reward his unacceptable
behavior by voti-ng in favor of his a ointr�ente
pp
Mr. Cox also received substantial donations from real estate developers who would likely gain favorable votes
from him fortheir upcomingdevelopment projects.
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But my concern doesn't end there. Mr. Cox seems to adhere to his own set of rules. He did not comply with
state statutes when he placed his PAC signs one day early in July 2016. He apparently violated Campaign
Finance Report statutes as several Triple E Campaign Finance Reports are not filed on the Town website.
He also seems to have little respect for 4ro Valley rules as he violated the Code of Conduct for Town Officials
while previously serving on the P&Z Commission.
I urge you to request that Mr. Cox withdraw his application for the P&Z Commission so that a more suitable
candidate can be chosen. If he refuses, your votes of approval for his appointment will indicate a willingness to
look more favorably upon Mr. Cox because of the assistance he provided during your campaigns. I believe
that's called a quid pro quo.
Rega rd s,
Shirl Lamonna .
Oro Valley resident
t
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Stine, Nlichelle
, From: Standish, Michael
Sent: Tuesday,January 17, 2017 4:28 PM
To: Stine, Michelle
Subject: FW: December 7th council meeting
�►ttachments: Dec 7 Consent Agenda.docx
From: Diane Peters [
Sent:Tuesday, December 06, 2016 10:58 AM
To: Hiremath,Satish<shiremath@orovalleyaz.gov>;Waters, Lou <Iwaters�orovalleyaz.gov>; Hornat,Joe
<jhornat@orovalleyaz.gov>; Snider, Mary<msnider@orovalleyaz.gov>; Bill Rodman <brodman@orovalleyaz.gov>; Pina,
Rhonda <rpina�orovalleyaz.gov>;Solomon,Steve<ssolomon@orovalleyaz.gov>
Cc:Standish, Michael <r�nstandish�orovalleyaz.gov>; Logan Burtch-Buus<logan@tucsonlocalmedia.com>
Subject: December 7th council meeting
Mayor and Council,
Please see attached letter regarding an item on this Wednesday's Consent Agenda.
Mr. Standish,
Wou Id you ki nd ly i ncl ude th is letter i n the pu bl ic record/cou nci I packet.
Thank you.
Robert and Diane Peters
�
Mayor and Council,
On the December 7�Consent Agenda, Item G addresses reappointments to various
boards and commissions. In the council packet f or this item, it says, "The PZC
interview panel has recommended the following appointment: Don Cox."
Every single one of you is familiar enough with Don Cox to know that he has neither
the character nor the temperament to serve our town in any capacity. Examples of this
� behavior are outlined below:
• Letters to the editor vvhere he attacks, belittles, and lies about Oro Valley council
� members and other citizens with whom he disagrees. He also lied about the voting
record of Councilmem�ers Burns, Garner, and Zinkin in a june 1,2016 letter to the �
editor entitled, "Laughable Presentation."
• Vicious comments he has posted about councilmembers on two Oro Valley politi�cal
blogs (Let Oro Valley Excel and Oro Valley Truth) where he has also used vulgar
language. To call f or the,recall of f ormer Councilmember Mike Zinkin f or using the �
word "slut" in a sentence f ollovved by appointing Don Cox to the PB�Z despite his use of
the F-word on the LOVE blog is to admit that you will accept certain behaviors from
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your loyalists that you will not accept from anyone else. Are you prepared to admit
that?
• Cox violated the Code of Conduct f or board and commission members in 2012 and
a ain in 2014 b en aging in public comments and personal attacks against two town
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council members. According to the Town Code of Conduct f or board and commission
members, "It is expected that an appointee who disagrees with fellow public officials,
c�ecisions of the Town Council...will do so constructively,based on facts...and
avoiding personal attacks,misleading statements or unsupported accusations."
�
• Cox littered the town with his despicable signs during the f ailed Zinkin recall and
was sued f or def amation as a result. The lawsuit states in part, "Since Mr. Zinkin's
initial run f or mayor,Mr. Cox has def amed Mr. Zinkin. Mr. Cox frequently posts
these def amatory remarks on the internet blog Orovalleytruth.com,the comment
section of azstarnet.com, and the weekly Northwest Explorer publication. He has
also made slanderous comments on the radio talk show,Wake Up! Tucson."
• Having learned nothing from the lawsuit of 2014, Cox continued denigrating the
character of Councilmembers Burns-Garner-Zinkin when he published (via his Triple E
PAC) a trashy tabloid mailer containing his "hate-filled politics" that he mailed to Oro �
Valley voters during the recent town council election. This is a mailer that at least tvvo
of you claimed to be appalled by.��
�
• Cox isn t content to just harass people via blogs and letters to the editor. He also
mails items to their homes (some signed and some anonymous but the handwriting is
the same). On October 4�we received a package of Swiss Colony cheese from him in
response to a letter to the editor that my husband had written to the Explorer. The
following day, a letter from Cox appeared in the Explorer, entitled, "Cheese Anyone???"
asking us if we'd like some cheese with our whinee And the day after that,we received
a sarcastic card from him in the mail.
Continuing to appoint Don Cox to town boards and commissions, despite numerous
moral and ethical transgressions on his part,will send the message that he is
"untouchable." In a town of 40,000 people, there must be a more worthy citizen to fill
this position. � �
Adolescent behavior and a constant axe to grind should not be rewarded with a
decision-making position in our town ha11. To do so will reveal an absolute lack of
integrity and ethics on your part.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert and Diane Peters
Oro Valley residents and frequent targets of Don Cox
l
Stine, Michelle
,
From: Standish, Michael
Sent: Tuesday,January 17, 2017 4:28 PM
To: Stine, Michelle
Subject: FW: P&Z Appointrr�ent
From: Marlene Leeper [
Sent:Tuesday, December 06, 2016 9:25 AM
To: Hiremath,Satish<shiremath@orovalleyaz.gov>; VVaters, Lou <Iwaters@orovalleyaz.gov>;Snider, Mary
<msnider@orovalleyaz.gov>; Hornat,Joe<jhornat@orovalleyaz.gov>; Pina, Rhonda <rpina@orovalleyaz.gov>;Solomon,
Steve<ssolomon@orovalleyaz.gov>; Bill Rodman<brodman@orovalleyaz.gov>;Vella, Bayer<bvella�orovalleyaz.gov>;
Standish, Michael<mstandish o�orovalleyaz.gov>
Subject: P&Z Appointment
Hiremath, Vice Mayor Waters and Councilmer�nbers,
I am writing regarding Item G on the December 7th Agenda.
I was amazed to see that an Interview Committee recommended Don Cox to be appointed to the Planning and
Zoning Commission.
It is essential that a Planning and Zoning Commissioner rnake independent land use decisions. Mr. Cox is not
capable of that considering his support of every member on Town Council in the recall and recent primary
elections and his relationship with numerous campaign donors who are in the Real Estate industry. It is
obvious that his vote could be swayed to support whatever outcome that you or the developers want to
achieve. In my mind this appointment would result in giving Council undue power over the P&Z Commission
which
would grant uncontrolled power over zoning issues.
Approving Mr. Coxforthis position is not inthe best interestofthetown and quitefrankly, would reek
of cronyism. I urge you to pursue a more suitable candidate. There are many people as qualified or more
qualified for this position,
Sincerely,
Marlene Leeper
Oro Valley
i
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Stine, Michelle .
From: Standish, Michael
Sent: Tuesday,January 17, 2017 4:27 PM
To: Stine, Michelle �
Subject: FW: Mike....plaease see that thgis is included in the current Council Package
,�
From: MIKE ZINKIN [
Sent:Tuesday, December 06, 2016 7:16 AM � - _
To:Standish, Michael<mstandish@orovalleyaz.gov>
Subject: Mike....plaease see that thgis is included in the current Council Package
I ask that you consider the following inforrnation when discussing "(Re�appointments to various boards and
commissions" on this Wednesday's consent agenda. -
The following statement is from our Town Attorney when discussing the conduct of Mr. Cox:
"The Council could find that the statements made by Mr. Cox run afoul of the provisions in Appendix D (of the
Town's Rules of Conduct)." �
The following is from another Town Attorney discussing the conduct of Mr. Cox on a different occasion:
"The comments on the record of the proceeding by Mr. Cox could be seen to run afoul of Appendix C (of the
Town's Rules of Conduct). Mr. Cox engaged.in a personal attack on two sitting Council members based upon
speculation as to their initiation of the item at staff level and their nlotives for advancing them. Although he is
, entitled to his own opinion, it is inappropriate to interject his personal disagreement with members of the .
governing body into the official record of the proceedings of a Town commission of which he is chair."
It is apparent that Mr. Cox has twice violated Oro Valley's Code of Conduct for Board and Commission .
members. However,the interview committee for the Planning and Zoning Commission desire to again appoint �
Mr. Cox to the Planning and Zoning Commission. This is unconscionableo ,
Additionally, Mr. Cox has lost litigation brough�t forth by myself for his slanderous comments made with malice
and intent to damage my reputation. IVIr. Cox posted his Triple E campaign signs 48 hours before the State
Law allor�vs in complete defiance of State Law. Mr. Cox's PAC sent out flyers on two different occasions that
were filled with lies, mis-statements, and innuendo. Yet, this is the type of individual you desire to have on a
Citizen's Comrnission. This is irresponsible.
I know that Mr. Cox is a supporter of all 7 of you. I know that Mr. Cox worked to see that you all got elected
and�escaped a recall. Surely, there must be a better way to pay Mr. Cox back without putting him in a position
to influence to future of Oro Valley. � .
Thankyou,
Mike Zinkin
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