Az Star ran a story on the business communities interpretation of the Hein firing. HERE- Don Diamond, Tucson’s large developer was quoted as was select Southern Arizona legislators.  As is usually the case, the online comments are often times better than the story themselves. Here are a few opposing sides of the debate about the role of business and the business leaders in our community.  Both raise interesting points and are worth a read:

58. Comment - April 12,2009 @ 12:41PM

State Sen. Jonathan Paton, a Tucson Republican, has a bill lined up to mandate non-partisan elections in Tucson, but he said it won’t get introduced until a budget is passed.

They don’t lead, they take, and can never get enough for themselves — Diamond and Click, the most visible examples, that clean-up their image with what are small contributions compared to their enormous worth.

Isn’t this constitutionally illegal by State statutes, besides being ‘not their call?’

The State can’t dictate voting rules to just one district. They have no business micro-managing COT. Ir’a more coercion, to try and force us to obey their demands. They are truly out of control with their power.

Since almost every government entity is in the red — last thing we need is the ‘need’ for a law suit, to prevent the neocons in the Arizona Legislature imposing their will on COT voters.

Not all that long ago, Republicans had a majority on the COTCity Council — and they got themselves voted out. Walkup is the last vestige of their stupidity and even worse management. Can you imagine if Hein had been around then? They would have ‘spent’ the projected $600 million projected funds, instead of just the $100 million Hein helped to blow in the last 4 years. All the neocons, and 2 bad democrat Council members are supporting Hein — what does that tell you?

Until Republicans aren’t run by the neocons — they ruin their own chances of winning anywhere, other than in their stronghold areas. I’ll vote either party — for the best, which is sadly often for who will do the least harm, and won’t blow off the taxpayers.

Ha, ha, Diamond, and buddies, your public-taxpayer-funded gravy train is over for now — and I hpoe forever.

“Business Leaders’ = oxymoron

And….

36. Comment - April 12,2009 @ 8:07AM

Ratings: -13 +12

How long will this community continue to demonize the business leaders and enterprise?
Are there bad apples? Yes. But how do you think we generate the money to do all your little pet projects? The majority of the money brought into our city government for; graffiti classes, after school rap lessons, artist warehouse districts, Rio Nuevo, presidio walls, department of neighborhood resources and on and on comes from the 2% sales tax collected on car dealers, retail stores, construction materials and license fees paid by over 25,000 businesses in Tucson alone.
The culture that has been created in our region is one of fear and ‘get in line to get along’. Business leaders know how to get projects done and work the system just like everyone else. We know that if we take a stand, use the court systems or the media to expose the insanity that we live in every day we stand the greatest lash back ever seen. Every once in a while an individual will rise up and challenge the status quo. Their future opportunities are in jeopardy.
I speak with business people every day that give example after example of unfair treatment, intentional stalls of projects, unbelievable and out of line requests from elected officials or bureaucrats because of some agenda (like low income housing trusts funds or open space to name a few). I know of major firms that WILL NEVER DO ANOTHER PROJECT in our region again. La Encantada ring a bell?
So all of you above that keep commenting on how selfish the business community is, how if Hein is supported by the business community he should be fired, how much money a Diamond make and how he’s the problem open the budget, visit a web site, look at what we are experiencing as a community right now. The business sector is hurting, due to national economic issues and guess what……government tax collections are down and services have to be cut. See the connection?
Phoenix looks at our situation down here as a back woods community that is a joke. They throw us a bone like Rio Nuevo and host Superbowls and create $650 million convention centers while we can’t get out of our own way.
When a savvy national business looks at coming to our region they look at the education system, crime rate, regulatory environment, political culture, skilled and educated work force and quality of life. Doing OK in only one of 6 of these categories just isn’t going to cut it.
We need better leadership, we need an active business community that can and will make a stand for what is right; we need TUSD to get its act together. Vail, Flowing Wells, Amphi and many other districts are doing a great job at educating our kids. You don’t hear about their dirty laundry every day in the paper.
We need elected officials that lead, that has been in private industry and understand what it takes to make a healthy business community. If you continue to load stake holder groups with neighborhood activists, NIMBY loud mouths, you won’t get progress or change. Elected officials, please please please – educate yourself, pick business leaders you trust as advisors, chose a direction and stick to your path. You will take arrows from every special interest out there. But the path you are on is driving us off a cliff.