The good, the bad and the ugly in our community

ABRAZOS to a Blast from the Past; March 1961. (See below)

If you have a photo of people and/or places in our community, drop it by the NI with your name and telephone number and write Abrazos on the envelope. The photo must be at least 35 years old and the NI is not responsible for returning the photo.

COSCORRONES to the tax and spend liberal administrators at Nogales Unified School District. Both Superintendent Shawn McCollough and his assistant Steve Zimmerman are proposing an increase in taxes during the worst economic conditions our community is facing.

Maybe if these two bureaucrats would shop locally or take a walk down Morley Avenue they would comprehend the financial struggle of local merchants, the reduction in hours for employees, the great number of people continuously looking for employment. Families without health insurance are trying to budget for medical expenses, meet mortgage or rent payments, and clothe their children, and senior citizens are stretching their limited incomes.

McCollough said at a recent school board meeting that he is on a tight schedule so, he “wants to move as fast as we can” to get committees together to discuss a bond override and $15 million bond issue. He not only wants to raise taxes but shove them down our throats.

McCollough and Zimmerman recommended salary cuts for employees and administrators yet did not reduce their own salaries as district leaders. No matter what the financial conditions of our community is they both have guaranteed checks with full benefits. We can only hope that our elected officials stand tall.

ABRAZOS to Mayor Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel and Councilman Cesar Parada for understanding the impact of economic development on our community. During a recent city budget meeting the pair offered an amended motion to include full funding for an Economic Development Office in the tentative budget. Parada also presented a petition with over 150 signatures that demanded a vibrant economy and employment rate. Even though the motion failed on a 4-2 vote, I give them credit for not backing down.

COSCORRONES to those who do not favor community development. Councilman Nubar Hanessian at a recent council meeting talked about the adverse impact on our sales tax if we were to allow Rio Rico to attract a Target store. This, according to him, is being considered. Hanessian stated, and rightly so, that the city should actively be involved in recruiting Target to our community. Then at a subsequent meeting when addressing economic development Hanessian claimed that he has spoken to people on Morley Avenue and no one is in favor of economic development because the business community wants no competition. So which will it be?

ABRAZOS to the fiscally conservative among us. Citing research on economic multipliers published by the Federal Reserve Bank, the Goldwater Institute recently noted that out every dollar of government spending results in 70 cents of job-creating activity after two years. A dollar in tax cuts, meanwhile, results in $1.30 to $3 of job-creating activity after two years.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “There is nothing that can’t be done if we raise our voice as one.” -- Michael Jackson 1958-2009