My observations about the upcoming election...

March 11th is almost here, just a few more days. This experience for my campaign is one that I have no regrets with. I'm extremely pleased to have decided to get this involved and run for office. Win, lose, or go on to the general election... the last few months worth of experience has been a pleasure.

I've met so many wonderful people that live in Kingman that I haven't before. We really do have a great community, one that I'm proud to be a part of. Each time that someone has told me that they are either voting for me on March 11th or has already early voted for me has been an honor and I'm very humbled by the many nice things that have been said about my candidacy.

Again, the following will be my observations on how things are going based on feedback from various people that I've had election discussions with. I know that I haven't talked to everyone, nor do I believe that I've even scratched all of the different sides of either the candidates themselves or the issues and how the voting public views all of it.

The mayoral race...

Wow. Very, very interesting. All three candidates seem to have large groups of supporters. I've had the opportunity to meet all of these candidates and listen to them speak at forums and have read the in depth and thorough editorial board reviews that appeared in the local KDM.

It has been somewhat enlightening, and even amusing at times, listening to the critics of each candidate. One candidate is described as a bully, one a failed mayor, and the other one a propped up candidate of the 'good old boy' class. In my opinion all of these criticisms are simple broad brush strokes against each candidate and for the most part, not entirely true.

I feel that all three candidates are running for office for the right reasons as each sees them, however they have different views on the issues. I'm more comfortable with two of the candidates and their views than the the other. The main reason for this is because I get the sense that the one candidate is pursuing a protectionist agenda and I don't see how that will benefit the community now or even into the future when this community needs to explore all potential opportunities starting now... not protect us from them.

Again, folks, this is my observation and opinion only... and I will not be making any endorsements for any current mayoral candidate in the primary.

The poll that I have been running on the right sidebar here at MOCO has been interesting to follow. With less than 200 votes though, I don't think it gives any clear indication of what the results will actually be come the night of March 11th. When I add up all the feedback from the people I have talked to during this campaign, neither my head or my heart is telling me what the results will look like. To me, this primary mayoral race is wide open.

The council race...

Obviously as a candidate in this primary race this will be a bit more difficult to write about. Hey, I make no bones about it, I want to win... this is why I decided to get in the race. I can't be as impartial as I've been about the mayor's race above.

Here is the question that I have been asked over and over for the past month... 'who else should I vote for??' I've been asked that about 20 times in the last week alone from folks that I know and some that I've never talked to before.

I have wondered if some of the people were just putting me on the spot, but I never really got that feeling that this is what was happening. It is obvious that there are some good choices among the nine candidates and decisions will be difficult for voters. All of us candidates have had the opportunity to speak at forums and attempt to convey our views of the important issues, but with so many candidates I know that it has had to be difficult for the audience of the forums to not think that many of us were answering the same questions in a very similar manner.

My answer to the folks that wanted to know who else to vote for was basically the same as the following...

I have been doing my best to speak to the issues that I think the community is asking for the most help on. Better planning, more infrastructure, more public conveniences, a path for more jobs and business opportunity, and to make Kingman more competitive environment to attract all of the above. I've tried to earn votes by speaking to those issues.

There are some campaign issues that I'm hearing too much of that do not speak to the community in my opinion. For instance, the majority of the people in Kingman really don't care where the 'call to the public' appears on the city council agenda... yet that issue gets brought up quite a bit in the forums. To me that is an easy issue to get out of the way. It would take all of a couple of council meetings to amend.

I simply do not think the 'call to the public' is as an important of an issue as say... jobs, amenities, and improved public services. And certainly the solution for the 'call to the public' is easy in comparison.

Voters have choices and one choice is simply to not vote for a candidate that is not speaking to your issues... or... contact the candidate that you want to know more information of on the issues that are most important to you. Make those candidates answer your questions before deciding.

Personally, I do like a few of the other candidates and some of their views. I won't reveal who those candidates are simply because at this time we are all competitors for the same seats on council. Until the last vote is counted I want to earn the votes of the voters, so I hope others understand that it doesn't do my candidacy any good to recommend other candidates for possible votes.

Lastly...

I've met my goals in this part of the campaign. I had the opportunity to speak to the issues that I feel the community wants resolutions on. I've stated my case.

Agree with me or not, now more than ever is the time to vote. Folks, normally we might see 3,500 voters show up and be counted... we must do better. We must have a better sample of the community... but that is squarely on you to deliver. I won't tell you how to vote, I have only hoped to earn your vote, but most of all I want you to vote. Voting gives you the right to be the boss and it is my belief that, if elected, the voters will be my boss.

Thank you, it continues to be an honor.

Community First

The New Target Store

Photo by Jeff Mangum - The Daily News

Link to article here.

It says it all.

Edit:

Mostly it says... this is not in Kingman.

Hey.. Home Buyer's...

I know I've spent the vast majority of the last two years appealing to sellers to consider the real and actual market prices when they decide to put their home or property on the market... well now I'm seeing someone (not affiliated with Realtors) speaking to you.

Read the whole thing here.

It may be the best time to buy a house in more than four years.

Home prices have dropped so quickly and so far that valuations - the difference between what a home should cost and its actual price - are the lowest they've been since 2004, according to a report.

The Cleveland-based bank National City Corp., together with financial analysis firm Global Insight, revealed Tuesday that more than 88% of the 330 housing markets surveyed showed price declines and improved affordability during the last three months of 2007.

"Housing valuations are almost back to long-term norms," said National City's chief economist, Richard DeKaser. He called current affordability "the best in the past four years."

But DeKaser cautioned that home prices could fall even further.

"This isn't to say home price declines are over," he said. "We could move below historic norms. By the end of 2008, housing markets could be broadly under valued."

I emphasized certain words in the above. It is interesting to read but in the end, you will make the decision.

Buyers, you still have time. The foreclosure market is still very active and will add to the supply or inventory problem that this current market faces. I don't see the supply going away, but I hope to see it at least stabilize throughout this calendar year.

While I am not telling you that now is the best time to buy, it does appear that many are gathering together ready to take the plunge. Many meaning buyers. The 'best' time to buy is subjective and nothing more.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Have you voted yet??

While the primary election will be held one week from today... don't forget that you can cast your vote today at the county building and avoid the lines or anything else your schedule throws your way next Tuesday.

I've had the honor an pleasure to hear from other voters in Kingman that they have already cast their ballot and voted for my candidacy.

Your vote counts.

Community First

February Listings Report (2008)

I think I just heard a faint... real faint... heartbeat. Let's see what you think after reading this listing report for last month.

Disclaimer... all data compiled for this report comes from the WARDEX Data Exchange and does not include any sales activity from outside that resource. All research is done only on single family homes and there is no inclusion of modular homes, commercial properties, or vacant land. The geographical area researched includes; all areas within the boundaries of the city of Kingman, north Kingman, the Hualapai Mountain area, and the Valle Vista subdivisions. Click here to see maps of the included area's.

Listings:

Today total listings available for single family residence equals 632 (down just a bit from 638 on February 1). The rate of new listings taken per day in February was 3.24.

There were 94 new listings taken in February (back down as compared to 114 in January). The average asking price for the new listings is $211,721 (down from last months $224,010). The median asking price is $165,000 (also back down significantly from $199,000 previously).

The average newly listed home has 2.95 bedrooms, 2 baths, a 1.9 car garage, with 1,584 square feet of living space and was built in 1991. The average asking price per square foot of living space is $134. Lastly, 10 of the new listings were actually re-listed either by the same or different broker.

Units under contract:

As of today there are 102 total units under contract (nice improvement from the number of 77 last month).

46 units entered into contracts in the month of February (up as compared to 30 the previous month). The average asking price for homes that received contracts was $176,235 (up some from $164,668 last month) and the median asking price for February was $149,000 (the exact same the previous months $149,000 figure).

The average home that went under contract in February has 3.22 bedrooms, 2 baths, a 1.739 car garage, with 1,591 square feet of living space, and was built in 1992. The average asking price per square foot of living space for listings that entered contract this month is $111. It was also priced $20,308 higher when it first was listed as compared to its current asking price (the average price reduction was $14,558 last month). The average marketing time to reach a contract was 141 days (from 92 last month).

Conclusions:

It is encouraging to see the amount of homes that entered contract rise back up to the same number we saw in August of last year (with two less days in the month even). Looking back to the previous February though and we are still off by 2 units (with one more day this year). Also important to note is the average price of a listing that took a contract last year was priced $26,477 dollars higher than this years figure. So for sellers, it's a bit of good news and bad news.

The other thing that I see is that even though another 94 new listings hit the market, the overall number of listings is basically the same. This most likely means that wish-to-be sellers are dropping out of the market.

The increase of the number of units that took a contract in February has me hoping that there is some life left in this current market. I would love to see that number continue to build as we approach what normally is the best time of the year for home sales (spring and summer months).

Way too early to hang our hats on anything as of yet.

See ya next time... and don't forget to vote on March 11th. In fact... why wait?? Head on down to the county building and vote right now. If you can make time to do that you won't face the whatever your schedule throws at you on the 11th. Kingman needs your voice now more than ever!!

Not everybody has caught campaign fever...

I knew it was windy on Saturday night, but it couldn't have been windy enough to bend three 1/2 inch rebar posts connected to a political sign.

This photo was taken right at the entry/exit of the Walleck Ranch community, just off of Kino.


That is one of my signs on the lower left hand corner. I put it back up yesterday. You can't see it in the photo, but there is a nice dirty boot (or shoe) imprint on the back of the sign. Where is the CSI team when you need them??

The housing market 'recovery'

I provide monthly listing and sales reports on this blog. The local media has noticed and has started to use some of my data in their articles. I'll get emails and sometimes phone calls after my reports on this blog or after a KDM article comes out. The people ask me, "when will it (market) turn around??"

I'm always reluctant to give an answer, here is why. I've been in this business now for the last seven years. I think I started at the right time. Sales were steady at first and within a couple of years... sales were soaring at record numbers. It was my first experience in a 'booming' market. The year 2005 was the high point of the booming market and since then, my business has suffered to some degree because of the (whatever you want to call it) 'busting' or 'deflating' or 'correcting' market. 2006 was better than 2007, and the first part of 2008 has been worse statistically than 2007 in terms of units sold (but it is early).

All markets are cyclical, meaning what goes up normally comes down... and when the low point is reached, the market heads back in the other direction.

Some folks have lived long enough to see these market cycles come and go. Before I decided to get into this line of work I have to admit that I never really paid much attention to housing markets and so forth. I am not an expert about the future, I don't predict the future, and I'm not comfortable at this time to say when this current market bottoms out.

All I have is the data that I have been collecting. It is historical data by the time I share it with the readers here and my clients and others thinking about hiring me to represent them on either a sale or purchase of property. I do look forward to the day when the data will show an emerging trend in the other direction. By then though, the smart real estate investors will already be back in the market. Not all folks who buy or sell property are real estate investors. Most people in fact are simply residents of the homes they purchase to put a roof over their head.

While you won't find me predicting the 'bottom' of the market, others that have been through the up's and down's before will lend their gut feeling on these types of things.

One of those folks is a person I consider to be a good friend that I've been lucky enough to meet through networking in real estate and blogging. I'm talking about Jeff Brown.

Here is a recent post of his that supports the notion that the end of the correction is near. If you have questions I think he is the right person to discuss the future with. He will say that his crystal ball is as cracked as anyone's, but he is someone that has seen many up's and down's in the real estate market.

There will come a day when I experience a few of these cycle's and have more guts to lay some cards on the table, but for now (and thanks to the Internet) we can all find more information from others that have been through the good and the bad times and be able to recognize the coming market shift. I ask that you give Mr. Brown a shot in is post and read the ensuing discussion.

I provide the data so that you can draw your own conclusions. Reading Mr. Brown's post will also allow you to do that.

Happy reading.

MOCO's sales report featured...

... again this month in the KDM. Link here.

Aaron Royster has been the writer of these local articles and I appreciate his effort. He always calls me to ask if he can use certain quotes from the sales report posts. I only wish I had better news about the market to give him.

My (not so) hidden agenda(s) revealed...

The manager of the Chicago White Sox is Ozzie Guillen, he led his team to a World Series title a few years ago. He also had a Major League playing career and was a light hitting batter, but a great fielding short-stop.

John Kruk had an interesting baseball career. You may remember that in an All-Star Game he faced Randy Johnson. One problem for Mr. Kruk... he bats left-handed and Randy Johnson (then pitching for the Mariners) was even more dominant than he is now. Kruk turned his helmet backwards and decided to bat right handed after Johnson's first pitch sailed over Kruk's head. Great moment if you remember. Kruk also played for my Phillies team for a stretch and helped them to an appearance in the World Series.

Mitch Williams also played for the Phillies in that World Series as a teammate of Kruk's. Williams was the closer and couldn't close out a game and was blamed by many for losing that World Series (yep, still hurts this fan).

Benito Santiago was rookie of the year in the National League, I believe in 1987. He was good with the bat and was an incredible defensive catcher. A real athlete for that position. He had a great career in the Major Leagues.

Roberto Alomar played second base in the Majors and is probably a Hall of Famer at some point.

Wait a minute... isn't this supposed to be a post about my hidden agenda for seeking the office of City Council?? It is. You might be wondering how the above may tie in. Well let me try.

You see all of the above Major League Baseball players mentioned above started their career in the Minor Leagues. In my childhood and adolescent years I spent the summer months at Moana Stadium in Reno Nevada watching the Class 'A' Minor League Affiliate of the San Diego Padres play baseball. The team was then called the Reno Padres. I have vivid memories, as a child might create, of watching these then unknown players play baseball. I still have autographs from some of the above players and many others than never played in the Majors.

I was eleven years old in 1982 and my best friend and I would listen to away games on the radio and see games played in Moana Stadium. We played little league baseball at a park adjacent to the big stadium and would sneak into games through a wooden fence along the right field part of the park after our own practices. Our favorite player was Kevin McReynolds who was attempting to set the single season Class 'A' record for home runs. McReynolds went on to play in the Majors but didn't have the kind of career that the others above did. That summer though, in Reno, all the kids I knew wanted to be Kevin McReynolds.

Those are my memories of days gone by. I'd love to see the kids in Kingman have the opportunity to have those kinds of memories. So part of my hidden agenda that I am revealing is how I'd love to help bring the possibility of a Minor League baseball team to the Kingman area.

I know that I could do a bit of research right now and make some calls and ask organizations to consider Kingman as a possible location for relocation or a new team for either 'Rookie' Class baseball or some other Minor League. However, at this moment, I'm simply a resident of Kingman that wants a baseball team in Kingman. I'd probably get hung up on.

If I was elected to serve the community, the first thing I would have to do is prove to the community that I am the kind of leader that can help steer the community towards successful progress. There are many more important issues that face our community today than a baseball team.

Once I prove to the community that I am indeed the right kind of public official that the community could support, the calls to organizations and other political contacts could help one day bring something like I described to a growing and emerging region of Arizona. We have great summer weather in the evenings to spend time with our families at such events... we just don't have those kinds of events at this time.

Part of my political agenda would be to earn political clout in order to help create opportunities like this. While I have an affinity for sports, my long term goals aren't solely focused on that. I think political expediency is needed to convince a college to take a chance to set up a sister school in our area. For example, maybe an affiliated school with BYU or Notre Dame... both institutions have multiple sister schools in many areas across the country. It is my opinion that strong political leaders will be needed to make this a reality some time in the future. I think a case could be made to a university to create a hydrology school right here to research things like groundwater and water availability and find results that give back to this very region.

You won't hear me talking about these issues on the current campaign trail because I think there are many more immediate issues that need attention. If elected, and if I'm part of a successful Council that proves to bring the community together to work out the problems we face, I believe that I'll begin to earn the trust of the great people of Kingman... and over time begin to think beyond the current situation and create opportunities we haven't thought of and work to bring those opportunities here.

Many candidates and community voices talk about the future for kids. I'd love to have the kids of Kingman to have similar life long memories like I had. No, it doesn't have to be baseball related and it could be something else entirely. It is my hope though that the community can count of me to help create the opportunities people want in our growing and emerging city.

Some (hidden) agenda eh??

My focus is to earn the trust of the voters, then my focus will be to prove to the community that I am an ideal leader, and then hope to use political means to create more opportunities for the people of Kingman... for as long as the voters of Kingman will have me.

Hopefully I've answered the questions the editor of the KDM had asked.

What benefits do I expect...

... if I am elected to serve the community on City Council?? That seems to be what was on the mind of the editor in his most recent op/ed.

For review this was brought up by the KDM editor in his op/ed piece that ran yesterday. The following were some of the questions I will attempt to answer.

What are they looking to gain? How will they personally benefit if elected? Why would they allow themselves to be scrutinized and dissected in public?

Because these were represented as serious questions, I'll have to answer seriously... although there is potential comedic material that came to mind when I first read the questions.

What am I looking to gain by seeking public office?? Honestly, until I saw this question I hadn't thought of it before. I've felt from the beginning that I only want to represent the community. In fact I went to a handful of people that I thought would be ideal community representatives and asked them if they thought they'd be willing to run. I won't share those names, but they know who they are... and none of them was willing to run for city office this time around for many different and personal reasons... all of which I respect and understand. If any of those folks would have run, I most likely would not have run... but I would have supported and helped them in their efforts. It ended up being my name at the end of my own list of people I thought the community would 'benefit' by having the representation of. I filed the necessary paperwork and began the campaign.

One thing that I have 'gained' so far has been the opportunity to speak to many residents of Kingman to tell them how I see the issues and their importance at this time. Many solutions can be achieved when included community voices are being considered. I believe in the concept of collaboration and feel it is vital to get our community through these somewhat trying times. I've 'gained' the opportunity to say the things that are on my mind and have found many kind residents of Kingman that happen to agree with me... and I look forward to represent them if I am elected.

If elected, I look to gain the knowledge, experience, and trust of the community from day one in order to collect political expediency needed to hopefully bring more opportunities to Kingman. Not opportunities for me or my business, but opportunities for anyone who has the will to make good on said opportunities. I've already shown that I'm willing to sacrifice my time and effort on behalf of others and it would be a great honor to do so for the greater community.

How will I personally benefit if elected?? I wish I had a better answer for this question, but my answer here is the fact that I really don't know. The pay is nominal (I think six grand a year), there are many meetings -- public or otherwise -- that would take away from my business and personal life, there will likely be plenty of reading and research on the issues that I'd be charged with offering my decision on, and many other realities that appear to me to be more on the 'sacrifice' list rather than the 'benefit' list. I've never held public office (city council) before and all I have to go on is what I've seen with current and past council's (and it appears the job comes with threats of recall, demands to resign, a guarantee that a decision made will anger a portion of the community, and ridicule in the media).

I guess I'm an idealist to some degree. I'm certainly not an expert in all things political, but I have listened to many over the years that 'wished' or 'hoped' that politicians would (for the most part) would be real representatives of the community and not folks out to line their pockets. I do realize that successful politicians sometimes have the knack to sway public opinion and the results give the appearance of favoritism to certain groups or individuals... and sometimes we see that the politician ends up 'benefiting' because of it... and usually people add an adjective before the word politician, like scumbag or dirt-bag or some other kind of 'bag' that is not all that flattering. (I know, it sounds like fun, and you want to know where to sign up...)

Before any votes were cast for me (remember, early voting has started), I have been accused of being very friendly with a certain out of town developer who is still 'efforting' to jump through all the hoops necessary to produce a new master planned development where houses and other property might eventually be sold... often with an employed real estate agent representing one or both parties to the transaction. If that development ever gets off the ground, and has success... because of the faulty rumors and allegations made, I've already come to the realization that -- if elected -- I will not be able to represent clients (especially the seller) in transactions for new homes in the new development. Certainly not while I hold office... and probably for many years after I leave office. This is how I see it anyway (I could be wrong)... all because of a rumor that has been repeated many times over many months in many different fashions... and what's more -- the development is not even IN Kingman.

As you can tell -- I'm not thinking about my own personal benefits of serving public office, but I am thinking seriously how to avoid the slightest bit of appearance of impropriety... even as it means less opportunity for my own business.

The time is now for a community conscious leader to be elected to serve the people of Kingman and I believe I am that person. That is the benefit.

Why would I allow myself to be scrutinized and dissected in public?? I hope the dissected part is figurative, the scrutiny I can handle in the literal sense. Simply, the way I see it the answer to the editor's question just comes with the office. I'm not going to fight it, I can only hope to embrace it.

There are twelve candidates running for four seats for city office... I can't speak for the other eleven but I do get the feeling that each one is willing to make some sacrifices to serve the community. The community needs to be thought of first like no other time I can think of since I've lived here. Hopefully the candidate of your choice is someone that can hold that standard. I know I can and that is why I say 'Community First' on the campaign trail.

My hidden agenda(s) will be revealed next time.

Interesting editorial in Sunday's Miner...

A thought provoking op/ed piece appeared yesterday. As a candidate for office, the question was posed, "what's in it for them?", as in what benefit am I looking for as a candidate seeking public office... I guess.

I'm going to answer, or at least attempt to answer, in the next post. For this post though I'm going to share the editorial with you and make some comments.

Here is the link to the op/ed.

We have to ask, what's in it for them?

Mark Borgard
Miner Editor

Every candidate, no matter the race, has a hidden agenda. That is a fact.

They will tell you they are running to better a city or state or nation, or they will say they just want to make a difference, but the truth is, they are running for a reason.

Most times, the reason is not apparent until after they take office.

We try to uncover their agendas. Through debates and forums and questionnaires, voters attempt to discover the "real" reason why a candidate is running for office.

What are they looking to gain? How will they personally benefit if elected? Why would they allow themselves to be scrutinized and dissected in public?

Like I said earlier, I'm happy to answer these questions in the next post.

Discovering hidden agendas at the local level can be easy and hard. Some are a no-brainer, because their agendas aren't really hidden. Take Bill Nugent for example. Mr. Nugent is running for mayor of Kingman. He says he wants to clean up city government, which is certainly in need of a thorough scrubbing, but why does he want to do that? Because he's a swell guy out to create harmony and togetherness?

Heck no. He wants to eliminate some of the red tape he's had to go through as a developer in this city.

Why not all of the red tape, if he is so bold?? I think the editor could have expounded a bit more on this subject or point he is trying to make. Why would a developer, that develops in many locations throughout the western United States want to reduce only some of the red tape?? Could it be because the red tape in Kingman is comparatively more complex and difficult than it is in other area's of the county and state?? This is what local developers and builders (not named Nugent) are telling me.

What about the other two candidates for mayor? Their agendas are much harder to ascertain. Former Mayor Monica Gates, whose husband is a developer, says she wants to right some of the wrongs she's seen in the two years since she was mayor. Her agenda really hasn't changed from 2004 or 2006, when she won and lost, respectively. She wants Kingman to grow, and she wants to see Kingman's status enhanced in the state of Arizona. Both would be beneficial.

I find this particularly funny, especially since the editor has only recently done a '180' on growth related issues... especially compared to the last city election cycle. An election cycle that saw the editor write that this mayoral candidate 'just doesn't get it'.

Don't get me wrong though, as an advocate of growth myself, I welcome the editor into the fold of folks that understand the only way to improve Kingman is to grow Kingman and attract the amenities that the community is demanding.

Then there's John Salem. While Mr. Salem plays down his ties to development, the truth is that he's tied to development just as closely as Gates or Nugent.

His wife is a member of the Short family, which owns extensive land around Rattlesnake Wash. She is also a fiduciary of other land holdings around Kingman. Mr. Salem may be a mechanic and a business owner, but there are certainly benefits that could be gained by those close to him if he were elected.

Well now... I've heard people in the community say that mayoral candidate Nugent is the Kingman Crossing candidate (I don't agree), but if those people are right then I think this makes mayoral candidate Salem the Rattlesnake Wash candidate. Not all that surprising though, I've heard this candidate say that he favors Rattlesnake Wash and wants to figure out a way to pay for it (with our tax dollars).

Finally, there are the nine candidates running for Kingman City Council. Some are closely connected to development, be it as a real estate representative,

That is me.

or they are close friends with developers.

Close friends?? Two of the other candidates are offspring of developers. Not that there is anything wrong with that... I consider my Dad a friend, but at the end of the day he is my Dad... there is a difference.

At least four of the candidates don't seem to have any connection to development, but, of course, that's what we thought about Kerry Deering when he ran for office in 2006. We've since discovered that he is a landowner of some primo property in the heart of the city.

Do these four have hidden agendas? You bet.

Is that necessarily a bad thing? No.

I guess that would depend on what the definition of 'is' is... I couldn't resist since the man that coined that phrase is still in the national news trying to get his wife elected to the top position in the country.

Also, I don't know if the campaign rules have changed since the last election, but I had to fill out and disclose all of my land holdings in Kingman (not all that impressive as compared to others I'm sure), and I believe that anyone can find out just how 'primo' a candidates holding are as the documents are public record.

It is likely that all of the candidates own property somewhere in Kingman... even if it is only the home they reside in. I'll assume that each candidate indeed does own a home or other property and decisions any of us might make can have an impact on that property. This election is NOT about property though... it is about the community.

I learned a valuable lesson after I sent a letter to the Arizona Attorney General's Office back in 2004 criticizing two executive sessions our Council held concerning our police department.

When I spoke with a representative of the AG, he stated that small-city Council members are inherently connected to development, be it as developers or bankers or land owners or real estate buyers and sellers. He told me that "average" citizens usually don't run for office because there's simply no benefit for them.

He suggested that it's better to know a candidate's motivation up front than it is to discover it later. I tend to agree with that.

I think that there are twelve extraordinary candidates seeking the four seats available on the Council. Anyone that ever fills out all the necessary paperwork and gathers the required petition signatures qualifies themselves as way more than 'average'. From what I have seen from my competition, no one is claiming to be something they are not.

I'm not sure what 'benefits' the other candidates may be seeking if elected, so far the only thing I have experienced is sacrifice... hardly a 'benefit'... and I bet the others probably feel similar.

But, stay tuned, I'll share my deepest motivations later in a new blog post. Until then feel free to see some of my shared insights on my campaign website.

She plunged...

Here is a link to the 'Polar Plunge' that my wife took part in yesterday. I do not have the photo's as of yet and I did not notice her in this video. She told me that the news reporter did interview her for the nightly news, but apparently the report did not run. If I find it at some point, I'll be sure to link to it. Gail actually 'plunged' twice. When you click on the link there is a short advertisement to sit though first.

The good news here is that friends and family in Kingman helped raise plenty of money to help the effort. She raised a little over $2,000 in less than two weeks.

As promised... as soon as I have photos, I will post them.

Gail would like me to express her gratitude for all that helped her cause.

You know... it didn't really look all that cold... I mean the sun was shining.

Turn Back the Clock (op/ed #3)... post election

Over the last few days I have been posting old coverage from the KDM of the last run-up before the primary in 2006. This is the last installment of my little series. This op/ed is from the next day following the election and it is written by the editor of the KDM.

The entire op/ed is linked here.

Message is loud and clear
Slow Down!

3/15/2006

Mark Borgard
Miner Editor

Tuesday’s election results remind me of the Verizon commercials: “Can you hear me now?” Kingman residents were heard loud and clear Tuesday, and the message was the same message many have been saying for the last two years: slow down!

How has that message worked out for the working class community since then?? Kingman is right in the heart of an expected growth region and many people that work for a living are dependent on continued growth (notice I didn't say 'massive' growth), and while it only says 'slow down' above, later there is a reference of putting on the brakes.

While it was popular to lay the town's ills on 'developers' the last election period, the truth of the matter was that if it wasn't for development in Kingman this town would look a lot more like Dolan Springs (no offense) than what the community actually does today. There's not a lot of development in Dolan Springs... not a lot of jobs either.

Residents took back their town Tuesday when they voted in two Council candidates who have no ties to development and overwhelmingly backed former Mayor Les Byram, who has promised to try to stem the massive flow of growth we’ve seen over the last year.

So what have those residents done since they 'took' back the town from development?? Is the community better off today than it was two years ago?? Is it better for the entire community, or just those particular residents that don't like new neighbors??

If Byram is unable to push his numbers over that 50-percent mark, the door remains open a bit for Gates. She will have to reintroduce herself to the community, and assure residents that she has learned from past mistakes. It will be a tough sell.

Not only did voters align themselves against massive development by backing Byram, they intended to give the former mayor some firepower by voting in Janet Watson and Kerry Deering onto the Council. Neither has ties to builders or landowners, which made them attractive to voters who looked to put the brakes on massive growth on Tuesday.

The traffic light was green, but for whatever reason the voters put on the brakes. Revenues have dwindled, jobs have been lost, opportunities thwarted, and for what?? For who??

I found it quite telling when I arrived at a polling station Tuesday to see a big pickup parked on the road just outside the entrance of the church where I was going to cast my vote. On the truck was a big sign that said, “Vote for Gates.”

I shook my head.

“She just doesn’t get it,” I told my wife.

I've had the pleasure of meeting with the KDM editor a few times over the last year or so. Real good guy, definitely a stand up guy that backs his word when he gives it. I'm sure his job is stressful and he feels pressure to produce a good product.

However, in a short two year period his tune has changed. Here's a bit from last Sunday's op/ed that he wrote...

I used to believe that the vocal opponents to growth were always on the right path, but now I wonder. I look at Kingman and the surrounding area and think, why hasn't this community grown like other communities? Where are the water parks, where are the Best Buys and Targets and Dillard's, where are the arts centers and theaters and places for kids to hang out and have fun? Why are there patches of empty desert all through Kingman, why are so many streets unpaved, and why are so many people so pissed off all the time? I came from communities of like size, Cheyenne Wyo., and Grand Junction, Colo., and both had problems, but both have malls (real ones where you walk inside) and both have continued to grow. As needs arose, those needs were met. Why not here?

The editor goes on to say that because two developers shook hands a new chapter in Kingman has begun. What if the two men hadn't posed for that photo opportunity?? Would the future still look bright all of a sudden, and would the editor look forward to being part of that future as he indicated last Sunday??

Kingman didn't need two men to shake hands and settle their legal differences about business between the two of them. Let's not forget that the local guy told us all that the out of town guy was a 'crook' and a threat to our area... that is... until he got what he wanted. Sorry, I don't buy all the assurances he supposedly negotiated for either when neither him or any of the other folks in the room have ever been elected to negotiate on behalf of Kingman and Mohave County. If those assurances were negotiated on for the city then where is the public record of the entire agreement??

What about the community?? When does it get what it wants?? You know, like some of the things the editor mentioned above.

Plenty of people fought against the future of Kingman for the last few years and now I think after this series... we've seen the major examples of who those person's and interests are. Now it is time for the editor and his staff to turn the magnifying glass on those, and others, that fought hard against our "very bright future".

Fellow REALTORS in the sports pages...

I'm just linking a couple of article from the KDM covering a couple of citizens that happen to be in the real estate business.

First... Chuck "Mr. Basketball" Casson. Mr. Basketball is the broker of the Century 21 Highland office. The office is basically right next door from my office. I bother the guy at times when important issues arise at the Association and community. He is probably a better basketball player and referee than he is a shortstop in softball. I've learned that the hard way... if you are unfortunate enough to hit a grounder in his direction, his throw to first has a tendency to wander towards the runner trying to reach first base... as I've found out on two occasions. Of course the errant throws may not have been so errant, they may have had a purpose.

Next is Kingman High School boys soccer coach Roy Sparks. I've known Roy for about 5 or 6 years now. I mostly catch up to him at events like REALTOR golf in the summer months. He had told me that he played soccer on some professional level at one time, and it sounds like he has made a positive impact with the team he coaches now. Cheers to Roy and his team.

Public/Private partnership deal struck...

From today's paper... link here...

After 33 months of staff work, the new jail for Mohave County was approved by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

It took 33 months to come up with a solution for this county to get a new jail. Quite a bit of time I'd say. The jail itself is not all that important to me, it is NOT a place that I'd like to be a resident in at any time.

However, what was important is how the county figured out a way to get this done. Prepare yourself.

The building is expected to cost the county around $74 million.

That's quite a bill.

Around $25.5 million will be paid up front with funds from the county's quarter-cent sales tax.

Well then... who is paying the rest of the bill?? Wait for it...

The remaining $48.5 million will be financed through a lease-to-own agreement with the builder/developer of the facility, FaulknerUSA.

What?? A public/private partnership??

Faulkner will sell Beneficial Investment Certificates to cover the upfront cost of the building. The certificates are sold to investors, who are essentially purchasing part of Faulkner's lease agreement with the county.

The county will pay back the certificates by using sales tax revenue.

Read the rest of the article as there is some contentions made by one of the County Supervisors worth looking at... but at the end of the day...

The upside to such an agreement would be that the county would not have to foot the upfront bill to build the jail and it would not have to staff the jail. This could save the county money, which could be used to build a new courthouse.

County Manager Ron Walker said he didn't know of any company that would give a jail away for free.

The Board then moved to approve the new jail.

This new jail belongs to the county and the citizens that reside. We are paying for it, but it took a public/private partnership to get to a favorable conclusion.

I've heard that something similar is being off handedly considered by a different interest in Kingman. I say off handedly because at this point there are no official and public considerations being made at this time. The proposed project wouldn't be for a place for people that break the law and need to serve time. The proposed project would likely bring jobs and other opportunities to Kingman.

I've even heard that the proposed project could bring other amenities such as shopping and entertainment choices that folks in Kingman just don't have at the moment (reduced to spending 3 bucks a gallon to satisfy those choices in other communities).

Heck, I've even said that the proposed project would bring improved public safety and convenience qualities to our so called quality of life issues.

Heck, some even think that such a proposed project could increase the value of our resident owned 168 acres of property in the area of this project. An increased value that could turn into even more opportunities for the great people here in Kingman.

It is a great concept... one that seems to have caught on everywhere else... including our neighbors in the county. One that should be considered right now at this very moment. Why?? If it took 33 months for a jail, it is going to take quite a bit time for new and badly needed infrastructure.

Now is the time.

Turn Back the Clock (op/ed #2)...

More from 2006 and the coverage before the primary...

Kingman needs an official who will watch its water supply

3/9/2006

Marvin Robertson
Marvin’s Window

I sat bolt upright in bed when the loud engine started near the bedroom window.

I looked out my window at a huge water drilling rig punching a hole in my Kingman backyard for a well.

I woke up when my wife threw cold water in my face to end my nightmare. That ended the stream of nasty language erupting from my mouth.

“You never swear,” she said excitedly. “What in the world were you dreaming about?”

“Someone was drilling a well in our backyard,” I said. “Some Las Vegas developer’s sign was on the rig.”

It was only a nightmare but could become reality if the local citizens, city officials and county supervisors do not wake up soon.

So what was a nightmare could become reality?? Really?? Did it?? No, and it never will. This op/ed writer wanted us to believe that an out of town developer would pull up one night, to this man's house, break into the backyard and begin drilling a well for water. Nice propaganda imagery though.

While this op/ed writer is no longer affiliated with the KDM, he is still very active in the community. He has gone on to the other local paper, The Standard, and his op/ed's and views from his windows can be found in the weekly publication. Oh... and he also went on to help form and become a proud 'founding member' of Residents Against Irresponsible Development (RAID).

But the color of the language here in this column and others, in my opinion, started the war against development in the Kingman area. Call it a battle cry. Neither Mr. Robertson or the other members of RAID have been able to articulate what the 'irresponsible' means... even when pressed.

Are you aware of anything Mayor Gates and the current City Council have done to limit growth or to save our future water supply?

Someone did have the foresight to look out for the citizens of Kingman and assure a water supply that will be adequate unless the city and surrounding area continues to grow at this insane rate.

Growth was a good thing when it was happening. Many in the community were better off for the growth. Lot's of people were making more money on more opportunities. The attitude of the op/ed writer and the resulting formation of so called 'watch-dog' groups like RAID helped squelch even more opportunities. It was even more unbelievable when local developers joined the likes of RAID to jump on the bandwagon to say that the interests looking to bring more opportunities to Kingman were 'scoundrels' and 'crooks'. Now, today, we are seeing business suffer and job losses, and good people moving out of the area. Good people that could have worked and lived in Kingman, raise families, and be true stakeholders in the community.

Is this what they wanted?? Cause this is what they got.

Now someone else is taking up the water issue for us. The Arizona Corporation Commission is stepping in to stop the formation of water companies to serve these huge developments. The ACC has held previous meetings in Dolan Springs and Chloride on water issues and does have a sense of the problem. The proposed White Hills housing is just across US 93 from these cities.

I thought the ACC's job was to find whether or not a corporation and its officers were 'fit and proper' enough to be a corporation in Arizona. The ACC is not there to 'stop' water companies from serving huge developments. Say anything to scare the begeezus out of people even to the point that some extremists think that we won't be able to get water out of our tap in a few years.

(BTW, the fishing report in today's paper says that Lake Mead has risen 6 feet so boat launching is not a problem at places like South Cove)

I bet our pro growth mayor and Council have made no plans for financing the city when the building boom goes from the 1,000 houses in 2005 back to the normal growth of 200 houses.

The bust always comes. I saw it three times in the decade of the 1980s in Phoenix.

Is that the future Gates calls a “Better Perspective.”

Yep, here the man was right. The tough market is here and has been in effect since he typed those words. But funny that he mentions seeing a 'bust' no less than three times in the 1980's. That must have meant that the opposite of 'bust' took place at least a couple of times in that timeframe. And also, today there are more people living in the Phoenix area now then there was in the 80's. Don't let these facts get in the way of a good rant against the benefits of growth for an emerging community though, right??

City attorney Bob Taylor on Friday joined the stream of top level employees being forced out of city employment. I suspect Taylor got tired of being put on the spot for decisions that would give legal cover for some elected officials to skirt the edge.

The first move of Mayor Gates and Vice Mayor Tom Spear was to sack city manager Roger Swenson. It seems the second move was to buy matching sports cars.

I imagine a good city staff works under daily fear of being the next one out the door.

In my opinion, Swenson was fired because he would not “fire at will” and stood on principle. The loss of so many good people cannot be positive for city morale.

One of the good features of a democracy is the next election comes quickly and voters get a chance to have their say.

Vote Tuesday.

Pretty funny how attitudes change in two short years. Mr. Robertson is part of RAID and that group and others prominent voices are calling for the dismissal of department heads and other city staff and have done so over the last year. How is that going to be for 'morale'??

Vote March 11th. Vote for a different mentality though, one that wants to bring jobs and opportunities back to Kingman.

The next bit is almost too precious to share from the almost two year old op/ed.

Window Pain

Newer citizens of Kingman often ask why Western Avenue was not extended under I-40 at the time the freeway was built. The only structure near the Stockton Hill interchange at the time was the hospital. A dirt road ran from Andy Devine at City Cafe to what we now see as a traffic snarl. The hospital owned the land where Wal-Mart was located.

I suspect the I-40 bypass of Kingman with an interchange at Route 66 and at US 93, one on each end of town seemed excessive at the time.

Isn’t hindsight always better than a crystal ball?

Yes.

Turn Back the Clock (op/ed #1)...

As promised, more coverage from the last election. This time from the op/ed page not the Editorial Board.

Link to op/ed here.

Inspections, water tanks and an election

3/6/2006

Lorin McLain
Last Call

I'm not including the bit about inspections and moving on...

And the water tank – what’s the deal with the water tank?

Word I got from the city manager is that developers fronted (money) for part of it and others building out there will pay for the remainder as they need to hook up with the city’s system.

The money to pay for it is not coming out of your water bill.

Like I said, this will be a 'fair and balanced' retrospective. I copied this only to point out the novel concept of developER's paying for developMENT. I think it points to probably the redundant need of 'impact' fees when -- and if -- the developER's are doing things like taking on extra risk to get their project going.

Plenty of scuttlebutt about the water tank issue a couple of years ago and I'm not going to seek out links to those articles for this series of posting. But hey, the gist is the community got a water tank to help serve a growing area with more growth headed in that direction.

As far as the election goes … don’t look to me to endorse anybody.

That seemed like a popular attitude during the last election.

All I can say is I hope voters have the brains to look at the facts when voting. I know everybody’s mad as hell about being hung up on Stockton Hill Road. I find it precarious, but I grew up in a metropolitan area. There’s a Stockton Hill Road every direction you turn down a major intersection.

If your voting based on your experience of driving down Stockton Hill Road, I don’t think the current Council has much to do with the inconvenience. If you want to blame anybody, blame whoever designed the thing for having terrible foresight.

There is more traffic on Stockton Hill now than there was two years ago, in my observation. There is good times to use the road, and really tough times. For me, it is not about getting rid of the traffic on the main road connecting the north and south sides of town, it is simply about offering a different alternative... another avenue to connect the north and south side of town... preferably sooner than 2014.

I have no comment on the (Airway) underpass.

My only comment is that it will be more efficient if there was access to the Interstate somewhere close around there.

In my opinion, the town’s growing, builders got to build, make them pay for it, and move on.

Reduce or drop impact fees so developers/builders don't have to pay for it (growth) twice and we are probably good to go. Please note, the impact fees were not in effect at the time this article originally was published.

Turn Back the Clock...

I've heard from many that the Kingman Daily Miner is at it again this political season. I won't be giving my opinion as to what the 'it' is that the KDM is at 'it' again during this political season. Why?? Because while you will be risking being bored to death by what I am writing, I would most certainly be risking the all important endorsement of said publication (not much of a risk though with the way they are painting the profession of Realtor these days in the op/ed pages). I might have a few questions though along the way.

I simply thought it'd be fun to take a look back to see what has changed... if anything.

First up, the editorial board review of the three mayoral candidates from before the last primary election the city held.

Board sees good, bad in all 3 candidates

2/19/2006

We choose … more choices. After sitting down with the mayoral candidates in this year’s local election, the Miner Editorial Board could agree on only one thing: We wish others were running.

About a month ago, we asked Mayor Monica Gates, former Mayor Les Byram and candidate Terry Thompson to sit in front of our board and answer questions which we considered key in the upcoming mayoral race. We asked each the same questions and published their responses on Jan. 29, so readers could judge each on an even playing field.

Well one thing that pops out at me is that during the last week of January this year, the KDM was holding the Editorial Board reviews of the candidates. According the editorial from the editor on Sunday, KDM readers will not get to see the candidates responses until the latter part of next week... less than two weeks before the election. Also the Editorial Board will not make it's 'take' on the reviews known until the Sunday before the election. As you can see from above, the Editorial Board's 'take' was published two years ago yesterday, a little more than three weeks to go before the election.

Now... some of their 'take' from the last election...

While we were impressed with Gates’ knowledge of the issues facing Kingman, we were not satisfied that she truly wants to improve the quality of life for residents that currently call Kingman home. Her track record over the last two years must be considered, and while she has spearheaded beneficial changes in how the city functions, she has also alienated average citizens by allowing, even encouraging, massive housing developments that could seriously alter Kingman’s future … and not for the better.

I'm wondering what 'massive' housing developments were approved that were so bad for Kingman then and continue to be negatively altering Kingman's future.

Folks, new growth and construction are the mainstay's in our local economy. As we have seen for ourselves, all the hate against development has only led to job losses in the community and a decrease in revenues for the city. It is legal to subdivide, create sub-divisions and developments, and acquire permits for construction. It is legal to go through these steps and be subject to due process of the applicable laws and public input.

Now we should be reminded that developments, both residential and commercial, are subject to market forces. Markets are never wrong and always right. Most developers I know (including the ones running for office in Kingman on the ballot right now) happen to know this little factoid. And as a result, it is unlikely that any of those developers would build massive developments unless they thought they could sell their product in the market. Who takes the real risk in developing??

Then there’s the massive growth. Gates has shown that she is a developer’s best friend, throwing out the welcome mat for any big, out-of-town builder who wants to make millions of dollars off Kingman. As captain of the Kingman ship, amendments to the voter-approved General Plan have been the norm, not the exception. Thousands and thousands of homes have been OK’d with little consideration given to infrastructure and water constraints that even the most dim-witted Kingmanite knows must be taken into account before more people come to our area. Gates tells us to not worry about it. Well, we’re more than worried. We’re fed up!

How is that massive growth working out again?? How many new homes went up in Kingman the last two years?? 50,000?? 100,000?? 'Big' and 'out-of-town' are adjectives that are supposed to create fear and worry. We know that this passage is directed at a certain Las Vegas developer that has built zero homes in his grand master planned community that isn't even within the city limits of Kingman.

And ah yes, the General Plan thing again. Yep, voters approved it in 2004, well 10% less voters that voted on other issues on the same ballot did. They voted on a plan that CAN be legally amended. The General Plan is what it says it is... a plan... not marching orders. Plans alter based on change and change is constant.

If the Editorial Board was fed up in 2006, they must be pleased this time around as there was only one Major Amendment made to the General Plan in 2007... and the local activist group KDM covers the most, RAID, supported it.

Former Mayor Les Byram touted all the improvements made while he was at the helm of the city, and it’s impossible to dispute his commitment to this community. We are just not sure Byram would move Kingman forward, especially because he’s so focused on the past. He seems to want to turn back the clock to two years ago when he lost to Gates, and we fear that his attention will be on reversing many of her moves instead of creating ways to improve where we are at now.

Well... I'd say The Editorial Board may have got this one right, but I don't blame the mayor myself for the lack of forward movement since 2006.

Let’s face it, Gates inherited most of the problems she has been required to contend with the last two years. Traffic was bad then, roads were a mess, and there was no funding plan to improve either. Byram ran this city for the eight years prior, so it’s hard to believe that these infrastructure problems will be improved under his management. Neither he nor Gates has supplied us with a plan to improve traffic, especially on Stockton Hill Road, and Byram was the mayor when many of these businesses set up shop there. The Council was not thinking ahead then. How can we expect anything different if Byram returns to the hot seat?

Let's face it, traffic stinks now, roads are still roads (it is the road system that really needs improving), and thanks to some local interests and local activist groups there is no funding to help improve what was the Editorial Boards gripes two years ago.

Terry Thompson is a newcomer to politics and would bring a fresh approach to the Council … and he’s not a banker or developer, a good thing, since the current Council is loaded with them. We were excited to talk with him about his vision for Kingman’s future. We are still trying to figure out what that vision entails.

No... Mr. Thompson was not a banker or developer... he was/is a business owner in Kingman. I missed the memo I guess, what professions are on the list of acceptable pursuits in order to run for office in Kingman??

Thompson talked about building a consensus in the community. On paper, that’s a grand plan, however, in reality, it’s about impossible, especially in a city that has so many different types of people with different interests and desires. The Board feels that Thompson would take too long to get up to speed, and Kingman would suffer because of it. We would like to see Mr. Thompson run for a Council seat before taking on the top spot.

Building consensus is not an impossibility, at least in my opinion. It is something that the city leaders should be working on constantly. While it continues to appear to be a long-shot to do the consensus building, the effort is not being helped along by the most prominent and persuasive voice in the community... the one that buys ink by the barrel... the one that seems to imply that they are the voice of the community.

I feel compelled to ask, as the latter part I emphasized seems to indicate, if the current Editorial Board will use the same standard in any recommendation they may make this time around for candidates seeking that office?? Specifically does this still apply to a business owner that has never served the public before?? Should that type of candidate run for a 'minor league' position like City Council as the last Editorial Board seemed to imply??

If nothing has changed from the Editorial Board perspective, I think we are left to assume that once again the KDM won't be able to make a recommendation as to who they think would be a good fit for the office of Mayor. Our choices for mayor this time around are a business owner with no public leadership experience, a developer, and a former mayor. Sounds so two years ago... doesn't it??

I'll be posting some of the 'fair and balanced' op/ed pieces from two years ago shortly. After looking back, maybe we'll see if those op/eds had any influence on the last election.

I was asked...

... so I will answer.

There has been one citizen that has been writing email and calling me with the most frequency since the campaign began. I appreciate his tenacity in getting answers to what he feels are important questions as he decides who he may be voting for. His latest question is one that I thought I'd share my answer publicly by posting it here on MOCO.

I am leaving the state for the week end but your reply to how you will fund KC interchange is critical. Answer when you get caught up.

My reply follows...


This will have to be a two-part answer to the question.

The first answer is easy, if the developers on the north side of Kingman Crossing are so insistent on an interchange that will bring Interstate traffic to their development then they can pay for it. When only private funding is used, the developers can use the design/build method of construction and it will save them millions of dollars. I believe that if the developer wanted to provide this infrastructure and allow for access to the north side only, they should be supported to do so.

The developers shouldn’t be expected to grant access to the south side off the Interstate if they are paying the bill with no expectation of reimbursement or other means of public financing in return for their efforts. (To me all along, I've got the feeling that the developer is more interested in getting traffic from the Interstate to their project, not so much has been said about catering to the needs of the residents on the south side. Even the new hospital project underway has been quoted as saying they don't need the interchange to move forward)

Now that leaves future access to the south side up to the property owners on that side of the Interstate, those owners are the city of Kingman and the state of Arizona. The community can decide later on in the future if they’d like to have that access and could do something about it (i.e. pass bonds, set up improvement districts, or something else that puts the weight of the cost on the residents of Kingman).

Now for part two of my answer.

Since the beginning of the talk about an interchange at Kingman Crossing, I’ve felt that the biggest benefit to the community that would come from that interchange would be public safety and convenience. I am specifically speaking about traffic flows. A complete interchange that allows for full access with north and south egress and ingress would provide alternate routes for residents in most parts of Kingman and the surrounding area. We are seeing a hospital go in at the new development, and access that might save some lives of residents in the southeast part of Kingman will be impeded without the fully built out interchange. Other forms of emergency response will also be improved with the new access this proposed project can produce.

This is why I don’t have a problem with having a sit down with a party with a funding source to see if that funding source would be willing to provide all the funding up front with some promise to repay at a later time. Not only that but put the onus of risk on that funding source instead of the taxpayers in the community. Public/private partnerships offer the foundation for such things.

You asked how would I fund the project, well in this manner my best guess and favorable support would be to pay back or reimburse the funding source out of realized net add gains to the bottom line of sales tax collection. There are literally multitudes of ways to accomplish this, but the tough part would be in the details of any future negotiation of course. The following is what I’d consider a favorable way and one that I would seek if elected to the office of City Council.

The first thing that has to happen, according to state statute, for this kind of development agreement with a municipality is to have the city pay for a feasibility study. The economist that is hired to perform this function would investigate the potential revenue gains that would be uncovered by the scope of the project. This study would be the basis to use to begin negotiations between the city and the developer. This feasibility study could possibly even tell us all up front that the developers project wouldn’t create an increase in sales tax enough to warrant moving forward with this type of agreement. If that ends up being the case, the developer would be left to my answer number one -- pay for what they think they need on their own dime with no expectation of pay back.

I’m going to assume that this kind of study does in fact show a substantial net add in revenues. I’ll keep the numbers simple for this. Let’s assume that Kingman currently draws $100 total in sales tax returns from the current situation. Now the feasibility study comes back and says that if this project goes through and is successful that the projected return of revenue will mean that Kingman draws an additional net add of $10 a year (a new grand total of $110 dollars). Now both sides (the city and the developer) would have a basis to begin working towards an agreement in my opinion.

I would only be interested in reimbursing the developer for the up front costs of the infrastructure out of the net add revenues generated… in other words the additional $10 a year. Maybe $5 dollars of those $10 dollars a year is enough for the developer to accept for repayment. Maybe the city feels that reimbursing for the project should happen as fast as possible and decides to give all of the net add back to the developer until the cost is fully repaid. That would be a decision that the community should weigh in on… but only if we all get that far. Otherwise the project goes back to my answer number one.

I talk about shifting risk onto the developer and for this next part of the negotiation the city can do exactly that. Once again we will use my simple example from above, but we will assume that we are repaying the costs to the developer at $5 dollars a year. The agreement can be benchmarked that if ever the net add revenues do not exceed the $5 dollars, then the city does not have to cut a check that year for reimbursement. Now if an agreement cannot be reached at this point because the developer won’t take on the bulk of the risk, then the project goes back to my answer number one.

Now another consideration that would have be agreed on is what portion of the project would the city of Kingman reimburse the developer for IF the project is completely built out granting full access to both the north and south side off the Interstate. Some folks will want to reimburse only for half. As I stated earlier the full project would enhance public safety and convenience needs of the community. I believe the entire project (the infrastructure) belongs to the community and therefore if a party agreed to fund the entire project up front then this community would need to fully reimburse the funding source. After all, none of the funding would be coming from additional taxes on the Kingman resident. No sales tax percentage increase, no implementation of a property tax, and no bonding that lays the risk entirely on the community.

A fully built out interchange at Kingman Crossing also enhances the resident owned 168 acres that makes up the greatest economic asset that belongs to this community. The value of that land would increase significantly and could ultimately lead to many other benefits to the residents. It would also increase the value of the state owned land further to the south of the Kingman property and developers would have to pay a higher amount to acquire that property if they so desired for other future development. So in my opinion, the project is worth paying for fully and I believe that the infrastructure is our liability… but a liability that doesn’t carry all of the risk.

I can understand that all of this is based on assumptions, but the only reason they are assumptions right now is because the city and the community is not having meaningful discussions and working towards conclusions and solutions. I’m not worried that the critics will say something negative about my assumptions as some local voices have already made their own assumptions without even considering anything else. If the voters really want to have someone looking for real solutions, while at the same time clearly communicating the findings, and at the same time protecting the community – then I will be elected to serve for the next four years. If the voters choose others that have made negative assumptions based on zero data taken from zero discussions then I believe the community will be buying misguided hype based on zero facts.

What do we collectively know as facts right now??

The city had a plan to sell the 168 acres of Kingman resident owned property to partly pay for not one but two major infrastructure projects. The results of the November 6 election last year pretty much squashed those plans.

So since then the facts are…

A developer is proposing to the city a new interchange off of I-40 at Kingman Crossing. The developer approached the city about the possibility of pursuing a reimbursement type of development agreement. And as the Looney Tunes would appropriately say… “And that’s all folks”.

The next step of course is to get a feasibility study done. It will cost less than the actual INCENTIVE the city paid to Chrysler for some jobs in YUCCA and potentially the feasibility study could lead to returns back to this community many times greater than the Chrysler proving grounds EVER will. Again, we won’t know until we take the next step.

To me, at least, it sure beats waiting a year or longer before actually doing something.

I hope your out of town trip went well.

Thanks,

Todd Tarson

Help my wife... please

Many of you know that my wife is a bit crazy (she married me so there you go), so the following should not surprise those that do.

You may recall that I moved from the warm sunshine of Arizona to the bitter cold of Minnesota last September. Well...

I'm taking the PLUNGE! That is, the Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics. The temperature here often falls below zero...yes, that's pretty darn cold, but I'm doing it and I'm inviting you to join me...in spirit anyway.

I want you to be with me as I take the plunge on February 23rd in Lake Lac Lavon in Burnsville, Minnesota. They will have to break through the frozen surface..can you imagine! Please let me plunge on your behalf. Join me by making a donation. Any amount is gratefully appreciated, but I can promise you blessings ten-fold relative to what you contribute, so please be as generous as you can be. Oh and by the way, write in your own donation amount...you don't want to select from the options listed on the site.

Thanks for your contribution to support this very special cause.

I'll leave you with this quote... "But by the grace of God, there go I"

Thanks, and always there for YOU!

VISIT MY WEBPAGE

So of course I'd like to see who would be willing to help out. To make things interesting, I will post photos and/or video (we know there will be photos, not sure about video as of yet)... IF... ONLY IF... the fine readers here at MOCO and the residents of Kingman raise $500 towards the cause.

This will be your one chance to see my wife in a swimming suit of some kind (she has already stated that she will not be in a bikini so don't go there and I'd be a dead man if I ever posted any other type of swimming suit photo of her on this blog or anywhere else on the Internet).

So click on the link above and leave her a comment that you are either a reader of MOCO or are from the Kingman area when you make your donation.

When you click on the link, it takes you to a main page. From there click on find a plunger on the left hand side. Then select the February 23rd event that says 'South Metro'. A drop down menu will appear and use it to scroll down to find the name of 'Gail Tarson'.

The funds raised will go to help the Special Olympics. Thanks for your consideration.



Remember, get those donations in quick and the next photo of my wife will be of her with less clothing on with snow and ice in the background.