El Conquistador Resort and Golf Course in Oro Valley, north of Tucson.Listen:
Oro Valley Town Council members first publicly mentioned the possibility of purchasing El Conquistador Country Club on Dec. 3, 2014.
The next time it was mentioned was before a 4-3 vote in favor of the purchase on Dec. 17 at a price of $1 million.
Finalizing the deal took five months, and included a failed attempt to put the purchase to a voter referendum.
That two-week window between first mention and purchase could cost the Oro Valley council members who voted in favor of the purchase their offices.
Mayor Satish Hiremath and Town Council Members Mary Snider, Joe Hornat and Lou Waters voted in favor of the purcase.
The council members claim the deal had to be kept out of public record for much of the time it was discussed. That's because HSL Properties, who Oro Valley bought the property from, was still in the process of buying El Conquistador out of foreclosure prior to flipping the country club and golf course portions to the town.
Satish Hiremath, Mayor of Oro Valley
“They had a non-disclosure agreement, basically," said Hiremath. "So this came to us way late in the game, and they said ‘we’re going to sign on the dotted line to purchase the Hilton and if you want the golf course, we’re going to do that December 18, you need to commit December 17 one way or the other.’”
Hiremath's argument is lost on his challenger in the recall.
“I know that process," said Pat Straney, a retired executive in the automotive industry. "It can’t be totally transparent, but the information that is appropriate to share should go out.”
Hiremath said he and the council tried to be as transparent as possible by bringing the information to the public as soon as they could, which was after they had a deal in place.
“Then what we started to do, because we knew it was rushed, we tried to educate the public about why it was important to buy it,” he said.
Straney characterizes that action as rationalization.
Pat Straney, candidate for Mayor in Oro Valley
“Decisions were made, a vote was taken, and then we went out and told the people why it was a good deal. That is exactly the wrong way, from my business experience, to do it,” Straney said.
Hiremath defends the process of the purchase, which he saw as the only way forward. He said the secretive procedure is an exception in his record, not the rule, and not purchasing the land would have been a bigger mistake.
“If we didn’t purchase that amount of acreage in the middle of our town with that many property owners around there, then recall us,” said Hiremath.
Straney and many of the other challengers in the election share the opinion that acting in secret is worse than not making the purchase.
“You do not buy something without a community’s involvement when it involves raising taxes, it involves many millions of dollars in capital improvements that residents are committed for, it involves subsidies going on for a minimum of five years," said Straney.
There is also one more wrinkle that could prove to be a major part of the election for mayor, a third candidate on the list.
Joe Winfield initially filed to run in the election, but later withdrew from the field, fearing he would split the opposition vote between himself and Straney.
Winfield's withdrawal came after the town had already printed the ballots, too late to reprint them.
So despite not being a candidate, his name will appear on the ballot.
Whether or not Oro Valley's citizens take the move as an act against their best interest may become clear when the recall goes to the ballot on November 3.
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