“In 1999 voters approved the creation of the Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District (District). The District is both a municipal stadium district and a special taxing district. The voters authorized the District to receive an incremental portion of State-shared funds derived from transaction privilege taxes (i.e. sales tax called TIF Funds) collected from within the District boundaries within the City of Tucson city limits. The District is a State municipal district with the powers, privileges and immunities granted to governmental, municipal corporations for District purposes: a planned multi-faceted development project, including cultural and recreational amenities and improvements, unique historic re-creations, mixed-use developments, etc. The District was reorganized by the Arizona State Legislature in the fall of 2009 and the board re-appointed in March 2010. Expenditure of the TIF Funds collected is now disbursed and managed by the reconstituted Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District Board of Directors who as of 2010 are appointed by the State’s Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

From: http://rionuevo-tucson.org/

For more info on Rio Nuevo also see this City of Tucson webpage, with financial reports: http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/rionuevo

This 10 year (1999 to 2009) project has received a lot of attention recently due to conflicts between the City of Tucson Council and the new Rio Nuevo board, re-constituted by the State Legislature in March, 2010. Citizens have been asking about who were the Councilmembers (Democrats, Republicans, one Independent) during these 10 years, and beyond. Here’s the list of who was serving (as far as I remember):

Mayor: Robert Walkup (R), 1999 to present (not running for re-election 2011)
Ward 1: Jose Ibarra (D), 1999 to 2007; Regina Romero (D), 2007 to present (up for re-election 2011)
Ward 2: Carol West (D, I), 1999 to 2007; Rodney Glassman (D), 2007 to 2010; Paul Cunningham (D), appointed 2010 to present (up for election 2011)
Ward 3: Jerry Anderson (D), 1999 to 2001; Kathleen Dunbar (R), 2001 to 2005; Karin Uhlich (D), 2005 to present
Ward 4: Shirley Scott (D), 1999 to present (up for re-election 2011)
Ward 5: Steve Leal (D), 1999 to 2009; Richard Fimbres (D), 2009 to present
Ward 6: Fred Ronstadt (R), 1999 to 2005; Nina Trasoff (D), 2005 to 2009; Steve Kozachik (R), 2009 to present

(Some of these Councilmembers were serving before Rio Nuevo began, but I only list the starting point as 1999 when Rio Nuevo was created).

Those who were serving as elected officials during entire Rio Nuevo project: Mayor Bob Walkup, Councilmembers Steve Leal and Shirley Scott.

Those who came on the Council after late 2009: Councilmembers Richard Fimbres, Steve Kozachik, and Paul Cunningham.

And who were the Tucson City Managers during this time: Luis Gutierrez (1999), James Keene (2000 to 2005), and Mike Hein (2005 to 2009). Gutierrez is retired, Keene is now City Manager of Palo Alto, California, and Hein is Director of Pima County Emergency Management & Homeland Security.

Last November, 2010 I reported on the citizen outrage after an audit on Rio Nuevo was released about $230 million allegedly mismanaged:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2010/11/29/citizens-express-outrage-over-rio-nuevo-mismanagement/

Stay tuned as the City Council and the new Rio Nuevo board have recently agreed to mediate their differences.

If you’re curious (or passionate) about how Government works, attend any or all of these upcoming seminars at the Pima County/Tucson Women’s Commission:

“A Four-Part, 2011 Fall Seminar Series on How Local, State, and National elected officials get things done.”

How Government Works!

OCTOBER 13: City Government, with Councilman Steve Kozachik (Republican – Ward 6, City of Tucson)

OCTOBER 20: County Government, with Supervisor Sharon Bronson (Democrat – District 3, Pima County Board of Supervisors)

OCTOBER 27: State Government, with State Senator Linda Lopez (Democrat – LD 29 AZ State Senate)

NOVEMBER 10: U.S. Government, With Ruben Reyes, District Director, Office of Congressman Raul Grijalva (Democrat – Congressional District 7). Reyes is also husband to Democratic Ward 2 City of Tucson Councilwoman Regina Romero.

All four seminars begin at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at the Pima County/Tucson Women’s Commission building, 240 N. Court Avenue, in downtown Tucson (SE corner of Council St., west of Church Avenue.) Please register in advance – see flyer below.

Website for Pima County/Tucson Women’s Commission.

A $10.00 tax-deductible donation is suggested. Ask about scholarships.
For further information call 520 622-0905.
Made possible with support from the Kaimas Foundation.

Expand your knowledge of how to participate in government by getting to know some of your elected officials and learning how ordinances and laws are created, interpreted, and administered.

Radio talk show host (and former Arizona Public Media Channel 6 talk show host) Bill Buckmaster has moved his radio show to KVOI, 1030 AM “The Voice”. He started this radio interview-driven show, The Buckmaster Show, earlier this year in January on KJLL 1330 AM. His new show on KVOI started on June 1 and will be at high noon, weekdays and simulcast in Globe and Douglas, Arizona.

His first guests were three Republicans — Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, facing a historic recall with over 18,000 signatures submitted by the Recall Pearce campaign, then District 4 Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll and Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik–the latter two were interviewed about the County and City budgets. They were followed by General John Wickham on Libya. Listen to the interviews (click here).

On June 2 Buckmaster interviewed Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup (who is in his 3rd term and not running for re-election), Congresswoman “Gabby” Giffords’ staffer Mark Kimble (former Associate Editor of the Tucson Citizen), RTA Executive Director Gary Hayes, and lastly legal advisor Donald Loose, Esq. about the new medical marijuana laws. Listen to these interviews (click here).

And if you want to hear previous interviews when Bill Buckmaster was on KJLL radio, log onto www.buckmastershow.com. If you miss any of his upcoming interviews on KVOI, log onto the same website.

To call in to this radio talk show, the phone # is 520-790-2040.