MARANA TOWN COUNCIL

Marana voters spoke loud and clear in the town’s March 12 Primary Election.

With the unofficial election results flowing in for the Town of Marana's all-mail election.

The Town of Marana’s election season has officially arrived. Beginning last Thursday, the Pima County Recorder’s Office began to mail out ballots to approximately 20,000 registered voters in town. 

Marana will hold its first all-ballot-by-mail election beginning with the March 12 primary. The Pima County Recorder’s Office will send ballots by first-class mail to all registered voters beginning Feb. 14. Signatures on all returned ballots are verified by the County Recorder’s staff, which has at least 10 years of experience with verification and is trained by a forensic document examiner every two years.

While the Town of Oro Valley will retain all current council members until at least June of next year, the Town of Marana will have a busy election season come March, when four incumbents and two challengers will compete to earn a seat on council. 

The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to hear the Town of Marana’s case relating to a ballot measure that would have allowed the municipality to own and operate a wastewater facility without seeking voter approval in next year’s town elections. 

As the Town of Marana awaits word from the Arizona Supreme Court regarding its litigation case with Pima County over control of the Marana Wastewater Reclamation Facility, staff and council are taking necessary steps at the local level that could reduce the amount of time spent in court. 

Five candidates are running in the newly-created Congressional District 1 in Arizona with hopes of taking a seat with the U.S. House of Representatives.

The excitement is setting in as students prepare their caps and gowns for their high school graduations taking place over the next two weeks.

The Marana Town Council voted unanimously last week to approve a rate increase for wastewater services. The rates were first established in September of 2008, when the battle with Pima County began over who should control the Luckett Road Wastewater Treatment Facility.

A presentation by Northwest Fire District, calling for annexations of areas within the Town of Marana, resulted in a council debate during the regular meeting on Dec. 6.

Why did S&P change our credit rating?

While the Oro Valley Town Council took a neutral stance on the Rosemont Mine project last month, the Marana Town Council recently voted 6-1 to support the controversial project.

The Town of Marana has a new vice mayor. During the June 21 town council meeting, Councilwoman Patti Comerford was unanimously selected to replace Herb Kai, who had served in that position for more than 10 years. Kai nominated Comerford for the position.

On March 8, Marana voters will determine who will fill two open seats on the Marana Town Council. In last week’s paper, The Explorer ran responses to questions about issues impacting the town from three of the four council candidates: incumbents Russell Clanagan and Roxanne Ziegler, and newcomer David Bowen. This week, candidate Jeffrey Gray weighs in on the same issues regarding the Marana Regional Landfill and Marana’s wastewater.

On March 8, Marana voters will determine who will fill two open seats on the Marana Town Council. Incumbents Roxanne Ziegler and Russell Clanagan are being challenged by newcomers David Bowen and Jeffrey Gray. Mayor Ed Honea is running unopposed.

Letters to the editor published in the November 17, 2010, edition of The Explorer.

This is not intended as a debate on whether the Marana Town Council made the correct decision Nov. 3, when it voted 5-1 to rezone a parcel of land owned by Vice Mayor Herb Kai, and to accept a development agreement allowing a 430-acre commercial landfill on the town’s western edge.

After months of talking by others, the Marana Town Council voted 5-1 on Nov. 3 to approve a zoning change and related development agreement that would allow construction of a 430-acre commercial landfill on land in west Marana.

For nearly all of 2010, people have deluged the Marana Town Council with facts, opinions, emotions, protests and demonstrations about the Marana Regional Landfill.

By a 5-1 vote Wednesday, the Marana Town Council has approved a zoning change and related development agreement that would allow construction of a commercial landfill on land in west Marana.

Marana's many-month consideration of a commercial landfill proposal may come to a formal conclusion this Wednesday, Nov. 3, when the town council holds public hearings on both the development agreement with DKL Holdings and the zoning change that would allow the project on land owned by Vice Mayor Herb Kai in the community's western edge.

Wallet lost, then found; his thanks eternal