Did you enjoy the lights and decorations on the Avenue of the Fountains in December? My wife and I certainly did when we frequented local restaurants there. I bet The Avenue Merchants Association (TAMA) appreciated the lights, too. They made the Avenue so warm, welcoming and business-friendly. In short, they were so nice to have.
Oops, there I did it — enjoyed something that is a “nice to have.” The lights and decorations are a “nice-to-have,” not a “need.” Splash Pad renovations, the town’s parks and ball fields, the new pickleball courts, the Community Center — all of them are just “nice to have,” too, not “needs” — who “needs” those things? Even TAMA’s request for more shade and trees is a “nice to have.” Who “needs” those?
I’m grateful that town councils seated prior to Dec. 6, 2022, had the common sense, foresight and vision to invest beyond “needs” so that residents — and visitors and tourists – have some quality-of-life amenities to enjoy rather than just “needs.”
Ditto for voters prior to April 14, 2022, when ROT came into being, who had the foresight, civic pride and sense of community to part with a few precious pennies to pay secondary property taxes to build the Community Center and to re-pave Saguaro Boulevard rather than sow divisiveness through misinformation, lies and rancor.
The next time you hear the “wants vs needs” argument and the “nice-to-have” phrase, imagine the Avenue completely dark during December. Wouldn’t that be rather business-unfriendly?
When you enjoy our town’s amenities, thank the people who voted for — and paid for – those things in the past. Of course, it is always easier for the Skillicorn-come-latelies to have the amenities you enjoy already paid for, isn’t it, rather than you give up yet another overpriced venti double-espresso latte to help pay for them?
Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Share with others
