Does the county need another bond election? Why or why not? If it does, what should be the top item you want voters to fund?

DAY: Bonding is the way that future residents pay for their needs. A way in which the community can make their own decisions – everyone can participate. The bond committee recommended we hold a bond election in 2009. The overwhelming response for the next bond has been for parks and recreation.

HIGGINS: Pima County’s proposed $1 billion bond package could not come at a worse time. Working families, elderly and small businesses are struggling with increased pressures at the grocery store and at the pump. In these difficult financial times it is not the time for the county to run up the credit card.

Should the county again seek special taxing authority from the Legislature to fund new or improved sports facilities?

DAY: The Maricopa Sports Authority has put Pima County at a competitive disadvantage – so we need something to get us back in the ballgame. The board appointed a sports authority. Any legislation should not let the board call the election until a team is signed.

HIGGINS: Allowing the legislature to tax entertainment-related industries is a way to achieve this investment. Since tourism is one of our only strong industries we must work to keep all that we can. I think the conversation should focus on all amateur and professional sports, not just baseball.

Has University Physicians Healthcare’s management of Kino Hospital been successful?

DAY: UPH is building a teaching hospital with a new Graduate Medical Education program that will lead to 118 new physicians at Kino. I would like to see Kino succeed. They need to fly on their own with a much smaller subsidy from the county.

HIGGINS: UPHK is heading down a road without many options to turn back from. UPHK cites nonpaying clients as a major reason for losses. Given the location and expansion of services, didn’t anyone see this problem coming? This can work. Sacramento successfully transferred a county hospital to a university.

What county service needs more funding or expansion?

DAY: Pima County’s road maintenance program is practically nonexistent. That’s unconscionable. Maintaining the roads is a core function of government. I managed to find $2 million in the 2007 budget to increase road maintenance but the board approved $1 million. Deferred maintenance will cost more in the long run.

HIGGINS: Economic development. We must diversify away from our three industries and work to make our region attractive to industries that can provide high-paying jobs and stop the ‘brain drain’ of skilled and educated labor that leaves the UA each year. I applaud work-force reinvestment efforts.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Elections. Tags for this post: County, Elections-County, page-x03. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.