Some believed the funds from Proposition 469 last November could be used to build a parking lot, but given the rush hour traffic on Interstate 10 to Maricopa, that’s unlikely. It wasn’t a mistake.
Despite efforts by the Pinal Regional Transit Authority to spend $343,188 on campaigns for proposals calling for a half-cent excise tax to improve and build roads and highways across the county, this is an example of ill-informed voters. It’s just
The most important improvement from Maricopa’s point of view was to widen the SR 347 to three lanes in each direction. Maricopa overwhelmingly supported the bill with 63% of his vote. The rest of the county slapped it and the bill lost to her by a 2% margin.
The campaign, which was overwhelmingly lucrative this summer, turned around not only because auto dealers in the county changed positions, but also actively campaigned against the 469, according to backers.
So did the authorities get their money’s worth? How effective was the campaign? Did it work for the public relations firm Rose and Allin, who were hired to lead the campaign?
Tony Smith, President and CEO of Pinal Partnerships, said: The Pinal Partnership aims to improve research, planning and coordination of private and public initiatives related to infrastructure, natural resources and community development within the county.
Smith is the former mayor of Maricopa and county superintendent.
“There are about 40 of those blue signs that you see around town, and we’ve done a lot of campaigns in this city, so we chose those places.
“They customized the signs for locations throughout the county. It would have been 101 (like the major highways in the Valley) and I think they did a good job.”
Rose and Allin did not respond to requests for comment.
Tony Smith’s wife, Maricopa Mayor Nancy Smith, said the campaign relied on the support of Casa Grande’s car dealers.
“We hoped they would not object to the proposal. I wondered why the store would oppose the proposal to improve transportation for people who buy cars at the facility,” she said.
Tony Smith said the car dealership’s campaign was effective and the effort fell through as numbers shifted rapidly against 469 at Casa Grande and Apache Junction.
Campaign leaders suspect the half-cent sales tax added about $200 to the $50,000 car price. Dealers feared that they would be at a disadvantage in competing with dealers in Maricopa County.
The Arizona Auto Dealers Association did not respond to a request for comment.
“We’ve tried to carry county elements that don’t support it, but when you have two big cities that don’t support it, it’s a lot to overcome,” said Nancy Smith. “It would have taken more than 80% of Maricopa voters to get over it.”
The mayor acknowledged the conservative nature of voters in Pinal County and said the timing of the tax hike was not good as inflation had soared.
“I’m also a very conservative voter, and while I don’t like additional taxes, I’m open to proposals that provide community value,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with really upvoting once you understand the value.
“When I read Facebook and other social media, there was a lot of misinformation. No, “parking” does not mean actual parking. This means having a “parking” list, just like in the business world. I’m not trying to build a parking lot.
