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.”