PRESENTED BY MOMS DEMAND ACTION ARIZONA, EPIX, AND TUCSON CITY COUNCILMEMBER STEVE KOZACHIK UNDER THE GUN MONDAY, MAY 9 AT 7:30PM | ADMISSION FREE! at Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Join Tucson City Councilmember Steve Kozachik for this special Tucson Pre-Screening of Under the Gun, followed by a post-screening discussion of Wear Orange Day, a June 2nd nation … Read more
At their upcoming meeting on June 19-22, the US Conference of Mayors will be considering hundreds of resolutions on everything from gun safety to tax incentives to jobs and education. Tucked into that long list of resolutions is the “Mayors Resolution on Strengthening Municipal Finances“.
This resolution addresses the millions of dollars in fees that Wall Street banks charge cities and challenges mayors to negotiate with bankers to reduce these fees or, alternatively, seek other more affordable means of financing– like establishment of a public bank.
Arizonans for a New Economy and the Public Banking Institute strongly support this resolution. Cities across the country– like Tucson– are strapped for cash and faced with tough budget choices. Paying outrageous bank service and financing fees only starves our local economy. If that cash were here in Tucson, we the people could use it to grow and improve our city– instead of wasting it on lining the pockets of the too-big-to-fail banks.
Bond Issues… booo
How do cities amass such high banking service fees? A major way that cities accrue debt (and related fees and interest) is through bond issues. For example, in recent years voters approved a city bond issue to fix the roads and a county bond issue to build a new animal shelter. On Election Day 2015, voters will be asked to approve yet another bond issue— this one covering everything but the kitchen sink. Listen up, people! Bond issues are not a panacea for all local funding needs. Yes, bond issues allow us to have the services, facilities, and infrastructure improvements we need but can’t fit into the budget– thanks to budget cuts by the Legislature– but bond issues carry a hefty long-term price tag.
PDA Tucson Coordinator Jim Hannley speaks against both the crowd management ordinance and the urban camping ban at the City Council meeting.
The Tucson City Council was scheduled to vote on two ill-conceived ordinances at their St. Patrick’s Day meeting this week. The Crowd Management Event ordinance would have given the police chief considerable discretion in controlling groups of 100 or more people. The second ordinance would have outlawed urban camping on all city property, thus criminalizing the homeless.
When word got out via email blasts, Facebook posts, and the blogs, public outrage built against these two measures. Social media posts called for protests and for phone-calling to Council members. A Facebook event to protest the Crowd Management Event ordinance had more than 100 potential attendees on Monday afternoon. An hour before the protest, the Tucson Sentinel reported that the city had taken that ordinance off the agenda.
Before the Tuesday meeting, 20-30 homeless and homeless advocates gathered outside of the Council chambers. When I arrived with my video camera, one of my homeless Facebook friends told us that Councilman Steve Kozachik had talked with them just a few minutes earlier and said the camping ban ordinance would be tabled.
We went into the meeting anyway because my husband and I had both planned to speak against the ordinances. Between us we represent two major progressive groups– PDA Tucson and the Arizona Democratic Progressive Caucus– and we wanted the City Council to know that progressives stood against both of these measures.
Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik has organized & will be moderating the event forum focusing on mental health, with a presentation by Jennie Grabel from the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding to promote the opportunity for people to sign up for mental health first aid training. That’ll be followed by 5-7 minute presentations from each panel member and then there will be an audience Q&A.
