October 22, 2013, is one day shy of the anniversary of the October 23, 2012, resolution that was passed unanimously by the Mayor and Council to immediately develop a plan to transform El Rio to a family golf-park facility and put it under the Parks and Recreation Department and the general fund.

To date, one year later, no plan has been submitted to the Mayor and Council or to the community. That is because, we believe, there is no plan, nothing has been done to carry out the directive of Mayor and Council. Apparently, City staff has chosen to simply ignore the directive given them by their bosses, the elected Mayor and Council.

The El Rio Coalition II has sent a letter to the Mayor and Council asking them to (1) have a Public Hearing on El Rio, (2) rescind their decision/vote that made El Rio available for sale, and (3) reaffirm their October 23, 2012, resolution. We have not heard back from any council member or from the Mayor.

Apparently, the way the City works is that the City staff ignores the Mayor and Council and the Mayor and Council ignore their constituents. This culture of arrogance that characterizes City Hall, the house of the people, has to change.

City Hall’s culture of arrogance is evident in the Mayor’s and Councilmembers’ and City staff’s refusal to release public records to the public even after the El Rio Coalition II won its lawsuit and the judge ordered the City to make available all the records relating to the El Rio-Grand Canyon University matter.

The El Rio Coalition II’s first Public Records Request was filed on May 13, 2013. Five months later—and two months after the judge ordered the City to turn over the records—the City has yet to make those records available. Notably, the records the City is refusing to make available to the public are the e-mails and other records from the offices of the Mayor and the Councilmembers (with the exception of Councilmember Kozachik, who has released his records). Obviously, the elected officials are hiding something. Elected officials should not have to be pressured to comply with state law and court orders.

Ceci Cruz, Chair, El Rio Coalition II

(520) 884-0070

[email protected]