Ask him what gets cut to make that possible, and he admits he doesn't know. He proposes hiring an independent auditor to find the answer to that problem. Without getting a report from an independent auditor, you're hard-pressed to find where waste is, if there is any waste. It could be that what is being proposed to be spent is very justifiable, but at this point, it's hard to comprehend that, without having some form of accountability. WHEN HE'S NOT leaving the hard decisions up to a future number-cruncher, Medina does take positions that put him at odds with Grijalva, particularly in the arena of land use.
Medina criticizes the county for failing to plan effectively, but it's a hard charge to make stick.
For the last two years, county staffers have been working with a wide range of federal, state and local government officials, environmental activists, ranchers, real-estate representatives and others to develop the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, the most ambitious blueprint for the county's future ever undertaken. Grijalva has been a staunch supporter of the plan, working closely with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, a collection of conservation groups ranging from the Sierra Club to the Center for Biological Diversity. Medina himself praises the plan, although he misses its central aim, which is to establish a streamlined policy relating to critical habitat, both for the endangered cactus ferruginous pygmy owl and other local species in danger of landing on the endangered species list. As the plan is developed with federal partners, the county will develop ways for developers to mitigate their impact on the pygmy owl habitat. I don't think anyone in Pima County really wants to see Tucson become another Phoenix metropolitan area.