Thank you for the marvelous huge feature on Tucson
development (HCN, 1/18/99). However, I was chagrined to see the
quote from Supervisor Mike Boyd, who has been opposed for years to
anti-growth measures, and only under great pressure did indeed
advocate the Sonoran Desert Protection
Plan.
During his last election cycle, Boyd came
to our executive committee meeting at the local Sierra Club Group
to ask for our endorsement. I asked him how he stood on the issue
of impact fees for developers and he responded with five minutes’
worth of evasion. When he wound down, I asked the same question
again. His response was that he had answered the question. I said,
“No, you didn’t.” He then gave us another five minutes of political
rhetoric, still failing to answer the question. Boyd did not get
our endorsement.
At the January Canoa Ranch
hearing just after your article, Boyd was the only member of the
Board of Supervisors to vote in favor of Canoa, and the project was
shot down. The developers will doubtless return with a modified
proposal, but this was the first major victory in our anti-sprawl
efforts since I have been here, and for many years prior to that
time.
Jack
Foster
Tucson,
Arizona
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A reluctant advocate.
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