Mon 1 Jun 2009
Sal Diciccio losing support among his strongest backers
Posted by GOP Canon under City Government[20] Comments
The Arizona Republic is reporting that Phoenix City Councilman Sal Diciccio’s strongest supporters are starting to have their doubts.
It didn’t take long–after ten years in the political wilderness and one electoral embarrassment after another, Diciccio’s backers in the firefighter’s union persuaded the city council, against their better judgment, to take on this infamous figure as one of their own back in February.
The criticism is centered around Diciccio’s determination to side with developers over neighborhood residents at every turn.
From the article:
“There are so many things out of the box that Sal has disappointed us on,” said neighborhood activist Jeff Fine, who donated $400 to DiCiccio’s election campaign.
Far from the ax grinding of sore losers, the harshest condemnation is coming from people who were his strongest supporters. Those of us on the e-mail list of Paul Barnes remember his constant pimping for Diciccio while the council was considering the vacancy. Here is Paul Barnes today:
But resident Paul Barnes said details of the “Camelback Opportunity Corridor” remain fuzzy. And he believes the proposal could violate a 2006 agreement between residents and developers requiring deep setbacks for future towers.
“I wish that he (DiCiccio) would be firmer and clearer in his position in respect to some of these issues,” said Barnes, who had been one of DiCiccio’s most vocal cheerleaders before his appointment.
Not surprisingly, the only person with a good thing to say about Sal’s record is a zoning attorney.
We recently reported on Sal Diciccio’s flip flop on illegal immigration. Diciccio has switched from being a strong supporter of Russell Pearce and Sheriff Joe, to being a shill for Mayor Gordon and his sanctuary city policies. Diciccio is now perhaps the most full throated defender of Police Chief Jack Harris, the chief implementer of Gordon’s “bury your head in the sand” philosophy on illegal immigration.
Now Diciccio is siding with big developers like Steve Ellman over neighbors. All signs seem to be pointing in one direction: after years of being thumped in Republican primaries, Sal Diciccio is gearing up to run for Mayor of Phoenix (Phil Gordon is term limited). Running for Mayor is a seven figure race, and now it seems clear Diciccio knows where his bread is buttered.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:30 am
Sal straight up said in a homeowners association meeting that “because we’ve invested so much in the light rail and because it’s losing so much money, we have to have high density housing to ensure that the light rail succeeds.”
Even liberal Republicans can agree that this is a BAD CANDIDATE.
Is the purpose of the city council to ensure that failed investment models succeed? Or is their purpose to ensure that we have a livable, workable, safe city?
Jeez, Sal.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:44 am
How does high-density office and housing at 44th and Camelback support light rail? That doesn’t even make sense — liberal or conservative!
June 1st, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Bill, he covers more than just 44th and Camelback. He also covers Central and Camelback. Do the pieces fit now for ya?
June 1st, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Oberserve, you placed in quotation marks words you attribute to Councilmember Diciccio. Please help us out here and tell us where/when you got that quote. Thanks.
June 1st, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I’d like to know:
How does a group of residents claim to have the authority to “negotiate” with another neighbor and have the “agreement” last more than five minutes.
How does a group of residents decide what their neighbor can do with his commercial property?
Do these residents expect a property owner to care about his investment in a commercial parcel, or about an old “agreement” he was never party to.
Have these neighbors see the chain-linked slum on 44th and Camelback that should be torn down?
Do these neighbors know that “property rights” refers to your rights over your own property, not that of others?
June 1st, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Kenny, What is in quotes is not followed by a question mark. Where I got the quote was directly from Sal’s mouth to my ears as well as to about 40-60 other people’s ears who were at the last North Central Homeowners Association meeting.
The statements which were questions and hence followed by question MARKS were rhetorical questions that I posed here.
June 1st, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Grumpy, with regards to development at least on the SE corner of 44th street and Camelback, an agreement was made (and I believe recorded) with regards to the development of that corner. That the purchaser and developer of that corner and future owners would leave the park in place and that the park was to allow public access.
While I’m a free-market, property-rights type guy, I’m also a person who believes for free markets to work contracts and agreements need to be upheld and respected.
So, if the agreement was not to develop the park, then that’s the end of that. Again, I’m referring only to the SE corner of 44th and Camelback.
June 1st, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Oberserve, it was a simple question, thanks for the answer. It is customary to place where/when one gets a quote. I hope I didn’t offend you by asking for something more complete. So, what date was the meeting and the location? Was the quote from during the business part of the meeting?
June 1st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Kenny, it was from the business part of the meeting. You are welcome to contact one of the association officers to get when the date was. Or you can call Sal and ask him when he spoke there.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Has anyone else announced to run for the seat?
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:36 am
http://www.BarryPaceley.com
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 am
Oberserve, it was a simple question. Being defensive is peculiar. If you were there why cant you name the place and time? You provided the quote, back it up or withdraw it.
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:42 am
I’m surprised at the surprised nature of this post. Diciccio is an open book of contradiction and hypocrisy. He did research for Harry Mitchell in his “absence” from politics (archived article Arizona Republic Feb. 20, 2009).
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:15 am
Hi Kenny, I heard what I heard. 40 other people did too. Just because you are lazy and refuse to even ask Sal himself or do the research itself doesn’t mean I’m wrong or have to retract a factual statement. I’m not your personal researcher. I told you exactly where it happened and how. IF you have further questions, they are easily answered. So, go get the answers. I retract nothing. Furthermore, I’m not being defensive. I am annoyed by your laze and by your attempt to protect a weak candidate.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Oberserve, calling me lazy (“laze,” even) is over the line. I asked where (that’s a term for location) and when (that means the time and/or date something happened) the words you quoted and attributed to another person occurred. Isn’t it strange you can recall the EXACT WORDS someone uttered but you can’t share the date those words were spoken? That’s…strange.
You charge me with being lazy just because I expect you to have some credibility? You refuse to answer a question because you think you know I support someone? BTW, you are wrong. You even know how many (anonymous) people (40-60, now 40) back you up on your recollection of the Councilmember’s statement and the context?
Here’s the weird thing, O, you didn’t need to take the extra dig at liberal republicans with the quote. You didn’t need to be dismissive of my simple (at the time) request for clarification, but you went out of your way to be a jerk. You didn’t need it at all to make your point, but something in you requires a sense of superiority.
I can only conclude that you choose to not answer simple and innocuous questions because there are no truthful answers available to you.
Give it up, Oberserve, you made up the quote. It’s time for people who can be truthful on topics of discussion here.
Shane, Oberserve hurts SA’s credibility, too!
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Hi Kenny,
You accused me of being defensive?
I stated, yes, an exact quote of Sal’s. I answered all of your questions. No, I dont remember where I was 24/7 two weeks ago or more and neither do you.
However, I provided you with a reference as to where you can obtain the information and, yes, you are lazy for insisting that I be your personal researcher and look it up for you when you are a) unwilling to do so yourself and b) have not even objected to the veracity of the quote.
I also pointed out that there were at least 40 witnesses to the quote.
The above are FACTS that are not in dispute!
The rest is vague accusations, laze and defensiveness from you.
If you want to point a finger questioning credibility point it at a mirror.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Oberserve, the point is this: I wasn’t disputing anything you said, originally. You are the one who dug the hole you’re in now. I asked for two simple clarifications which you cannot provide because you are a liar. It was you who opened the door to doubt your story. It is you who have now made it painfully obvious that you are a fraud.
That is the beginning, middle, and end of our issue here.
Everything else you’ve posted in response to me on this thread is about you; the kind of person you are, the way you treat others, and what you think of the readers of SA.
You are a sad case, Oberserve, sad indeed. I don’t agree with most of the writers here at SA, but they deserve better than what you have done here. You have diminished their work as well. You would do well to just go away.
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 am
Hi Kenny,
I provided a direct quote from Sal.
I told you where and when it happened.
I told you there were 40 other witnesses.
I told you that the facts were easily verifiable by you or anyone.
I told you how you could verify them.
That’s the long and the short of it.
The only lie here is that you’re trying to protect an unprotectable candidate from his own and your own stupidity, but you can’t, so you’re doing the political dance.
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Where was the meeting? what was the date?
I know, I know, you don’t have to answer questions from a “libural.” Heck, you don’t even have to read my posts re-clarifying my request. I get it. You are dismissive of anyone who seems to you to have a differing political opinion. Thanks for sharing.
Oberserve, I don’t have a candidate in that race, nor do I live in Phoenix. But since you need an excuse to dismiss my questions I know I won’t convince you.
I look forward to your next work of fiction.
June 13th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
I have known Sal DiCiccio most of my life. I knew him before he was on the Council, after he left and in the present. This and .10 cents will buy you a cup of coffee. My recommendation nor anyones recomendation should speak to his capabilities as a public servant. In this day and age of mass media and corporation control, his record and the fact that he is willing to take a position based on whats right verses what some guy in a limo told him, should be enough (that guy may very well be of Mexican descent). He will not make all the right decisions, he will not make all wrong. But he will consider each on the merrits of what he knows. I have worked in the White House, I have worked in campaigns, we all know the electoral system is far from flawless. We all know why. It is run by real people. Sal is a real person. All US Citizens should speak English first. We should teach our chilren foreign languages so may compete in a global economy. We must protect our children from political systems which remain undeveloped. One such system is the Republic of Mexico. I am a Mexican. My system, from my Country sadly is not working well just yet, and yet there is hope. Hope that the starving populations of every major city in Mexico faces every day. That said, we can not give up our principles in the our US Democratic system. If you are in an airplance crash, you put on your oxygen mask FIRST. Then your childrens. We must do the same with Mexico. We must be strong in order to help the weak. Unfortunately, Mexico is very weak right now, sadly. The US is beginning to follow Mexico’s lead. It needs to be the other way around. We must enfore US laws. We must help Mexico enfore theirs. I hope my fellow Mexican Americans will stop playing the race card, and start accepting the task of working together. Yes, there are bad elements in both political systems US and Mexico and bad apples seldom fall far from the tree. If we dont shake the tree, we’ll never figure out whos who. Join me in helping Sal to shake the tree. There is mre opportunity for all if we work together. But of course you already know this. Its time to let go. Let us take the reign, let us continue the fight, but now for the right reasons.