BISBEE WIRE #111/Can't we all get along?/DMO vs Ad Agency/Bed tax and marketing/more houses on the market//cuts in services by the republican lege
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editor: fred miller May1, 2026 #111/May2026 |
Hello, Happy International Workers Day! For the past year+ there has been significant discord and friction about some of the actions that the city has proposed: budgeting to build a visitor center at the fire-destroyed 30 Main, a disagreement with a business organization about marketing, accepting a gift of the Fair building and moving the visitor center into the Fair building, the use of the transient room tax (aka bed tax) to fund uses other than marketing, and a seemingly flawed Destination Marketing Organization (aka DMO) proposal. There are more too. While some are exasperated by these discussions and take the form of; 'why can't we get along' episodes, or 'shut up and stop criticizing everything'' or 'why is somebody complaining all the time'; or 'why don't they give people a voice' or 'too much talk behind closed doors'; I think they are healthy. Whatever the form these discussions take, at base they are about one thing; visions of the future of Bisbee. The mayor and council member are not enemies, they are not evil, and they are not dumb. They deserve respect, even if there is disagreement, because they are serving our community. If you read Jabar's article, way down at the end of this newsletter, it is about stepping up, doing service in your community. That is what council people do. They get paid $200 a month, the mayor $400. Sometimes they get grief, occasionally they get a bouquet, most often they are ignored. Mostly though, the city stuff gets done while residents go blissfully about their business, surfacing only when their business gets disrupted. The council has a difficult task because we are an aging city formed by an extracted industry that operated in difficult and inhospitable terrain. Many of our city problems are the residue of corporations digging metal out of the ground without much regard for long term stability-they got it and got gone-so our water and sewer systems that feed into buildings are old and decaying, the walls built in the sides of mountains that hold back rocks and dirt are crumbling, some streets are in dire condition, and the wealth that was taken from the ground is gone. That is the infrastructure of Bisbee. And that is what the council deals with often on a patchwork basis. And there are the cultural problems that arise from a mix of long-time residents, medium-time, short-time, temporary, and unhoused residents, an ageing static population, services that depend on a variety of taxes, a state and federal government that is often hostile or indifferent to rural problems; It's a lot. And, by and large, they do it well. I've been here 30+ years and have witnessed the attempts to transition from a mining town to something else: a place where people visit. It has been determined, by many studies both local and external that have examined the economic basis on which to proceed and...Tourism is it.Tourism is the main economic driver. What we talking about are competing visions of how to go about forging our future. And that is, at base, what these periodic differences of opinion are about. Do we cater to people visiting already in town or do we attract new people for visitation and potential residents? The Fair building, the DMO, the Visitor Center, 30 Main, the use of the bed tax all are tied to this difference. I believe, it is looking back or looking forward. Bisbee is clearly in a transition period. We are moving away from the now-retired city manager who was a strong influence for years on councils, budgets, and our city-for both better and worse. We will soon have a new city manager. By the end of the year a different mayor, a different person on the council from Ward 2 and the council will be entirely composed of people who have been elected, not appointed. We have an opportunity to do things differently than has been done in the past and I hope we seize it. That said, we're here, not there. Ken Budge, the mayor, has been a major figure in much of the turmoil. I like Ken, I think he has done a good job overall in a difficult time. He spends an enormous amount of time doing the business of the city. Although we have differences we continue to talk. But It appears, beginning in the aftermath of the V-night fire, as if he has functioned as a city manager when the now-retired Pauken looks to have stepped way back. I think the combination of taking on more of the city's biz as well as some contentious issues, has affected him adversely. While he has a great deal of experience as a council member and mayor that has been useful-and that he uses willingly in ways the public doesn't often see, he has occasionally been wrong about the details of some issues, (see discussion below of the bed tax and the DMO), and has advocated vigorously to press on for some things that have needed to be discussed more thoroughly such as the Fair building and the use of the bed tax. This, of course is my opinion, and likely others think differently. The mayor position is a tough job, particularly with an interim city manager. They have to be responsible for the entire community, not just one ward, and they have to listen to many voices-often conflicting, from businesses large and small, as well residents. She or he has to know and understand not only our city codes and charter, but has to confer with county, state, and fed administrators. It is no wonder that there is some contention. However that is the job... In the coming months, my hope is that residents and businesses are heard by council members in any discussions, that there is full disclosure from the city about proposed actions, there is ample public forums to suss out what is best, and governing codes are followed. And I hope that the individual council members will assert themselves more, are listened to more, and respected more. The mayoral election is a good opportunity for residents to talk with and about candidates and see which way they are looking. I'll have more on elections in the coming issues and in June will issue my totally biased suggestions of who you should vote for.
The Bisbee Bikeways Project is one of the most promising undertakings to happen in Bisbee. The potential for economic development as well as residential benefits is significant. In addition it will be a model for other rural areas. When completed there will be bikeway connections throught souther Cochise County. It's almost there, however bids came in that are $600,000 more than available money. When I spoke with Meggen Connelley, the initiating and driving force for the past eight years of the project, she lamented that the higher bids were the ongoing result of supply chain disruption due to the Iran war that has increased prices. (Lemme get an Amen! about how witless and dumb-ass this war is.) She would like to see the City step up and help find the money so the initial phase between OB and Lowell can be completed. She'll do her part, but has been hampered because her husband has been laid off, a result of the trump administration DEI phobia, and her work on the project is mostly unpaid. If you have some extra bucks they could use it. Go here for donations. I was told about another DEI phobic action by the trump administration, the City was informed that a grant for our library was pulled by the federal appropriations committee. The funds, I think about $700,000, were to be used to repair and renovate the 114 year old building. The reason: the library hosted a drag reading show a few years ago! A personal note, Phil Vega, the former publisher of the Herald Review, has died. I was brought on to the HR Reader Advisory Board by Phil several years ago. While initially building up the readership of the HR, he was witness to the rapid changes in the newspaper biz that saw print publications shrink and/or close and readership decline. A good man he also gave much to his community. fred ...............AROUND TOWN................ CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR CINCO DE MAYO 7:00 at City Hall background for agenda items is here Of interest: #5 Adopting the tentative budget. During the budget hearing in mid-April, I was allowed to speak about the Tourism/Visitor Center budget.(It is the prerogative of the chair to allow someone to speak at a work session. I asked, the mayor allowed it) I urged the council:
*In fact, though I didn't dwell on it, the fees for internet and phone seem inordinately high. I didn't total the entire amount, but it is is somewhere around $25,000 for internet. A sample:
#6 Notice of Breach of Contract to United Tiny Homes. After several months of delays with Tiny Homes stating that payment was on the way but the city receiving nothing, the city sent them a notice of breach of contract #11 Discussion and Possible Approval of the Destination Marketing Organization Agreement between the City of Bisbee and Hackett Advertising Public Relations Interactive, LLC ( HAPI). (Again I don't see legally how the city can award a DMO agreement to a for-profit ad agency. This seems to be illegal.) SV STUDYING SOLAR DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES The city of Sierra Vista is discussing a proposed solar installation on state trust land very near the city limits. The work session did not approve or disprove the application for the 1000 acre installation, but did work out a MOU about proposed codes changes. Go here for the HR article. (The city of Bisbee owns the following properties, and likely more, that could be leased for solar (or anything else) 36, and 39 acres off Gold Gulch Rd; 49, 65, 70, and 46 acres off Swan rd: 290 acres/airport, and others. It seems it would be prudent to talk about regs governing the use.) ++++++++++ HAND GRENADE ON BLACK KNOB VIEW For the second time in a month, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office bomb unit has been dispatched to a property at 14 Black Knob View in Bisbee, to deal with a reported grenade, according to police. The grenade, which was proven to be inert by the bomb squad, was dropped into the mailbox at the large shop building at the lower end of Black Knob View. The building was the former trolley car barn. The new owner of the building had checked the mail a couple days prior and it was not there. On March 31, Bisbee PD called the CCSO-EOD to respond to the same property in the Warren neighborhood after the homeowner said a grenade was found inside a dresser. The Bisbee Observer reported at the time that the discovery was made while the homeowner – who purchased the property in late 2025 – was cleaning through items left behind by the prior residents. A third police report details burglary and simulated explosives on March 13, and 15th. I spoke with the new owner a few weeks ago and he told me the former owner whom I knew casually from walking charlieparker past the old Trolley Barn, after the sale was completed entered the uninhabited building and completely vandalized the living quarters and inside of the huge building. . ++++++++++ SCIENCE OF STYLE AND MORE AT THE SCIENCE LAB The Science of Style Shop at the Bisbee Science Lab will now be open new hours during Science Fridays at the Lab, from 10-2. Men's clothes have been added to the stock. Arizona Science Center summer camps open , July 6-10 and 13-16. And Makerspace is coming where old clothes will be turned into treasures. A fall fashion show is also scheduled. The Bisbee Science Lab thanks the Bisbee community who donated clothes, time and shopped at the store. ++++++++++ THE MARINES HAVE LANDED!....IN DOUGLAS The Marines have booked the entire 30 room Gadsen Hotel in Douglas for the summer and early fall. I called the Best Western Douglas and asked if Marines were staying there also, but he said he couldn't answer because of their privacy policy.He did say they had quite a few bookings. U.S. Northern Command Joint Task Force-Southern Border spokesman Navy Lt. Justin Truong responded to written questions investigative reporter Beau Hodai. had submitted. “There are approximately 400 Marines operating in the U.S. Border Patrol Tucson sector [Douglas and Cochise County are within this Border Patrol operational sector]. As a logistics unit, these Marines are tasked with conducting barrier reinforcement and road improvements as part of the Department of War support to the Department of Homeland Security.” A spokesperson stressed that these service members also “do not conduct law enforcement activities, including immigration enforcement, as this is prohibited by law.” Why ever they are here, we can probably look for some young people with scrubbed faces and very short hair walking around town. Be gentle if you see them, and try to introduce them to the 'Bisbee Way'. Go here for the article by Cochise Regional News and here for the Herald Review ++++++++++ COUNTY NEEDS POLL WORKERS FOR THE PRIMARY What better chance to pick up some democracy vibes not to mention a couple benjamins for a long days work? Here's the info poll worker application here and a poll worker training video here ++++++++++ END POINT FOR ARIZONA NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL NOW CLOSED DUE TO BLASTING. It is the southern most point in Arizona if you are hiking. The Arizona National Scenic Trail has been closed because of increased blasting for the additional 30' wall on the border. That will make two walls with a 150' road between them. National security necessitated overruling several environmental laws. The closure will be for at least a year according to the National Park Service.The jaguars will have to stay in Mexico apparently. Go to here for the HR article. ++++++++++ GOTTA GREEN DOCUMENTARY? SUBMIT IT If you are a documentarian and/or a climate activist, consider submitting a short documentary to Bloomberg Green Docs. The 2026 competition is open for submissions. Enter your film by August 14 to compete for a $25,000 prize. ++++++++++ THE BISBEE FOUNDATION A note about our Foundation of which I have been a board member for for 14 years. This year we gave more than 20 grants and 18 scholarships. Of particular note is our first solar grant. I'll have more information next issue about the kind of things we funded. And the BF has a YouTube channel! Whoopee! Charles Bethea and myself took on this project. We asked for an received an application for an intern from Cochise College for doing the video and editing work. We scheduled visits with several of our past grantees and 'interviewed' them. Juan, our videographer, took the raw footage, edited it, closed captioned it, and you can see the result now on our channel. It was a good community project because the people from organizations were able to talk about their work but also talk about how our grant money was used. We will be giving each grantee a flash drive with the edited and raw footage to use as they wish as long as they give credit to our videographer so he can refer to his work to build a portfolio if he wishes. Another project that board member Britt Hansen took on, was chasing down the history of the 'Best Climate...' sign on the side of 52 Main facing the busybee parking lot. He contacted people, got permissions, lined up a painter and you can see the result next time you are in OB. We, of course, are always looking for donors at whatever level you could give. Our endowments begin at $10,000 (very useful if you need a sizable tax credit) but anything you can afford is welcome. If you were a donor, you would be invited to our Donor Appreciation Party. We host it every year and this year Cafe Roka will be catering, I'll be bartending, and we'll be giving our Gem Award to two deserving people. ++++++++++ KBRP & the BISBEE OBSERVER TO HOST CANDIDATE FORUM IN JUNE I'll have more on our candidate forum when our invitations to candidates are confirmed the end of next week. We have selected June 22 at St. John's hall at about 5:30. Details to come. Our community radio station is growing, (see the report from Liz on the Bisbee Foundation YouTube channel). We've added some new shows and new djs, expanded the news programs to two with the addition of Shar Poirer's Morning News Cafe. And there is Uber Sue's Grab and Go, Bisbee Poet's Podium, Maggie's Mystery Tour, Helen's Sound Adventures as well as the long running show, Comfort and Joy, and others. Go here for the lineup. We had some fun at a couple recent events, Mardi Gras at the Grand with a couple of bands, and Electric Brewing hosted a good ol fashioned mixer. Thanks to both of those businesses. A couple of changes...we've lost the wonderous Liz Vann as our Station Manager, she's got a new full time gig with Cochise Harm Reduction. Cara Bielass has been hired as part time station manage and is a dj. She also works at CQ hospital and is a relatively new mom. We have done a board shuffle also. Stevie Peavey and I have swapped roles, She is now VP and I'm now the prez. We can also use volunteers if you got a free couple hours. Lotsa logistic with our gigs, like Live in the Lot and some other interesting things coming up for summer. As well the ever-useful office related stuff. Drop a line here and tell us to plug you in. ++++++++++ BISBEE MEDIA MENTIONS All around cool place https://www.facebook.com/reel/1324663022889196 Labor in Arizona https://coppercourier.com/local/history/unions-rights-for-workers-in-arizona/ History and observations https://postcardsfromasmalltown.com/queen-of-the-copper-camps/ ..............EVENTS............... May 2-June 2...Opening Sat. 1-4 free, Contemporary Collage at the Speed of Culture exhibit, Artemizia Gallery 818 Tombstone Canyon. May 2, 3, 9,10...Central School, 11-4, Material Conversations, lotsa ceramic sculpture and wall art. May 3...Community Chorus Spring Concert, 3 pm, 24 Howell, info here May 3...Beethoven at the Women's club, 7 Ledge, 3 pm, Cello/Piano. Tix here May 8...Copper Queen Library Ice Cream Social noon-3 pm @Science Center 519 Melody Lane. Join Rep Adelita Grijalva and lotsa others. info here May 8...Science of Style, Noon-3 pm Science Center 519 Melody Lane (during Library ice cream social) Pop Up upscale recycled clothes. May 8...3rd Annual Film Festival, Bisbee Royale May 8, 9...Rummage sale St. John's, 19S Sowles av. 8-1. May 9,10..Central School, 11-4, Material Conversations, lotsa ceramic sculpture and wall art. Info here May 9...Shred It is here!...Go to ACE parking lot 9-12. Your old tax returns, the private eye's report of you in flagrante de lic toe, your unfinished grad school thesis reminding you of failure, overdue library notices, school letters about your recalcitrant kid, divorce papers, those naughty bedroom photos, marriage license three spouses ago, unsent letters to trump, copies of sent letters to trump, the surveys from the national democratic party demanding immediate action, and more. info here May 17...Calliope Women's music fest at the Bisbee Coffee Co. stage all day info here May 21...Bisbee Grand, 7 pm. A collaborative ambient eclectic musical project. Well known local musicians, Frank Tornoe and Carolyn Toronto performing as Adante, are joined by Tucson-based multi instrumentalist Serena Gabriel and globally known ambient pioneer Steve Roach, to create a rare performance that will include deep synth atmospheres, varied soundscapes, light, verse, acoustic and archaic instrumentation. info here ++++++++++ Donations help me offset the cost of news subscriptions, if you find the Wire informative, please use the QR code for Zelle with my email bisbeewire@gmail.com or send a check made out to fred miller, 39 Hazzard, 85603. I would appreciate it, thank you.
...............BISBEE ECONOMY............ SALES TAXES (sales taxes are always for two months prior when actual spending takes place. Data is from ADOR monthly reports and are tabulated as is with no adjustments.) Actual revenue is up for the March compared to March last year for all categories save retail. And FY year to date 2026 to 2025, revenue is also up in double digit percents. The chart below compares reporting March 25/26 months as well as comparing fiscal year to date. Included in the March ADOR report is that retail sales are down 7% from March/25. And internet sales are up a whopping 114% over last March, and 40% up year to date. (Just from anecdotal info in my neighborhood, there has been an increase in UPS, FedEx, and Amazon vans this past year which would tend to buttress the increased stats on internet sales.) However from the city Treasurer's report, revenue is down when compared to the FY25/26 budget projections. (There is some discussion among numbers people I know that comparing actual revenues with budget projections does not give the same picture than if revenue was compared to revenue in comparable months or years.) Building permit fees are up substantially, likely because of some big new builds; the hospital, Burger King, Auto Zone, as well as a few new houses and extensive expensive individual repairs or remodels of some homes. "Overall revenue is at 67% or $609K short of anticipated not counting “Use of Fund Balance”. The property taxes and some other periodic revenue should make up some of this shortfall once received." >>>>>>> HOUSE SALES (March/April) (Beth Moorhouse and Bob Klein provide me with monthly real estate stats.) I was curious whether there are more houses for sale now than previous months or years. I asked Beth of Bisbee Brownstones if there were. This chart reveals an increasing number of houses on the market after the pandemic. If the trend in 2026 continues it will be the most homes for sale in the past four years. This follows a national trend. I would think that if more homes being sold in Bisbee it will exert downward pressure on prices. However that is not what has been seen. Hopefully I'll get some time in the coming months to take a look at house sale prices in the past four years to see if there is any correlation. Beth speculated that "...we are definitely seeing an uptick in active listings. From what I've seen over the past several months, the abandoned home ordinance is already having an impact (people are starting to dump their distressed properties) and there are a lot of Airbnb properties that are also beginning to come back on the market." In this sense, the Bisbee market is following nationally with a buyers market due to the number of house being put on the market and staying there for a longer period of time. In March... 14 houses sold. Prices ranged from $194,000 to $511,879. Also a couple trailers in Sunset Acres. Six houses were sold to Bisbee people. Three houses will be not be used as a primary residence. Of note is that eight houses were cash sales, six from out of state. One could speculate that people buying from other states sold their house in that state at a higher price and were able to pay cash and avoid relatively high mortgage rates, hovering around 6.3%. Location: 3 in Warren, 7 in OB, and Bakerville, Saginaw, San Jose,
Address sell seller buyer Primary Loan $$ Secndry* Type 208 Hereford RD $194,000 SV Bisbee P Conv 215 3rd $200,000 Tucson Scotdal P Cash 604 Hovland $266,000 WA Bisbee P Cash 613 Santa Cruz $266,000 WA Bisbee P Cash 419 Garden $270,000 Phoenix Bisbee P Private 311 14th Terrace $310,000 Ohio SV P Conv 57 Gila Dr. $325,000 Indiana Calif S Conv 619 Briggs $327,900 Phoenix Bisbee P FHA 715 Tombstone $350,000 Bisbee Georgia S Cash 138 B Opera Dr. $370,000 Cash 816 C Tombstone 384,999 Bisbee Bisbee P Conv 77 Shearer $413,000 Bisbee Oregon P Cash 422 Garden $467,500 Bisbee Phoenix S Cash 104 D Locklin 511,879 Colorado Colorado P Cash *P= Primary residence S=Secondary residence >>>>>>>>>> BUILDING PERMITS There have been a dearth of commercial permits this year,with the exception of larger projects. Not much renovation going on. Residential continues with the usual, plumbing, roofs, electrical, and some large addition builds, but no new houses. Still, this year was the first year in many that new houses were being built. $781,718 TOTAL $33,800 Commercial $747,918 Residential >>>>>>>>>> ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OBC SHACK LLC 822 Pace C Todd Conklin Adobe OBC LLC 822 Pace C Todd Conklin Sierra Music Academyy LLC 500 E. Vista Sierra, Steven Schmidt Frizzkelo Enterprises, LLC P.O. Box 1744 Douglas, Georgia Kellough SunDazed LLC 430 Creastview Pasqual Chavez Harmonic Connections 522 Camino De Nevada Stevie Peavy, Michael Matranga Copper City Auto 5260 Branding Iron Trail Timothy Caruso AUCTIONS 148 Brewery June 3, 11 am Courthouse steps
..............COCHISE COUNTY................ HERNANDEZ SISTERS, SKATE AGAIN OVER LATE FILING FEES A judge has ruled that District 21 state rep Consuelo Hernandez nor her sister Alma, District 20 rep, will not be barred from the ballot for reelection despite the fact that she owed more than $20,000 in late filing fees from the past several years elections. That despite there is a law stating that any politician running for office cannot have more than $1000 in late filing fees or they will not be on the ballot. Consuelo Hernandez, who did not respond to emailed questions from the Sentinel, paid $24,840 in late fines after filing her nominating petitions, according to Secretary of State's Office spokesperson Calli Jones. Alma Hernandez, Consuelo's more well known sister, also was sued for owing late filing fees. The judge also decided she could stay on the ballot. The ruling in both of the sisters' cases reflected the lax handling of late filing fees by the State. Although candidates can rack up huge late fees, unless the AG's office imposes an appealable notice of penalty, candidates are not 'liable' for penalties. Candidate filings are specifically related to who is giving them money. Rep Alma Hernandez has reportedly owed as much as $100,000. Both sister's through late filings, are hiding who is funding their campaigns. The Hernandez sisters, along with their brother former rep Daniel Hernandez, are center right dems that have flouted campaign filings for years. Alma particularly has been outspoken in her defense of the Israeli government. During the 2024 legislative season, she led a delegation of 17 Arizona lawmakers on an 7 day trip to Israel. Rep. Alma Hernandezs, a convert to Judaism, is a self-described "unapologetically proud Zionist". This is the kind of stuff, legislature policing itself, is a large reason why many people dislkike 'the government'. An article explaining the judicial decision can be found here. ...............THE STATE & THE LEGE................ TAX BREAKS FOR DATA CENTERS, BILLIONAIRES? THE REPUBLICANS LUV EM! You can tell republicans at the lege, they're the ones who walk backwards and have a large cloud of stank over them. The priorities of republicans are clear in their just-released, and then 2 days later passed, budget; big tax breaks for data centers and billionaires, but severe cuts in healthcare, universities, education, and solar cuts. The results of the flat tax instituted a few years ago to benefit higher income people, and the uncontrolled school voucher program are finally coming to the fore, and it ain't pretty. This article in the Arizona Mirror chronicles the $800 million in cuts in social services and tax breaks. Republicans claim their budget enables to state to come into conformity with the butt ugly bill passed last year at the federal level. It is now up to the Gov to veto or not. ++++++++++ WHOOPS! GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR GOV IS A REPUGNICAN From an article in the Arizona Mirror "The Arizona Green Party candidate for governor who used to sell MAGA merch and was a Republican Party official just days before she launched her campaign has defeated two challenges to keep her off the July primary ballot. Lombardo was listed by Maricopa County as a Republican Precinct Committeeman until Feb. 28, 2025, five days before she filed a statement of interest to run for governor as a member of the Green Party. Two years before that, Lombardo was selling MAGA merch, including “F*** Joe Biden” shirts and “Kari Won” buttons. She also donated to and helped with the Arizona Senate campaign of Republican Josh Barnett, a Qanon follower and election denier and was married to current Republican Precinct Committeeman Michael Lombardo." ++++++++++ JUDGE TELLS TRUMPIES NO GO ON AZ VOTER ROLLSA federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration demanding access to Arizona’s voter rolls, which is widely seen as an avenue to search for immigrants to deport. Notably, the Trump-appointed judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it can’t be brought again. Judge Susan Brnovich1 said federal law does not require states to produce voter registration lists on demand. Arizona Mirror ...............EVERYTHING ELSE................ DoJ CHARGES SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER WITH MONEY LAUNDERING The Department of Justice's indictment alleges that SPLC’s use of paid informants within white supremacist groups — a tactic SPLC used to disrupt operations and gather information passed on to law enforcement — amounted to functional support of those groups and fraud on SPLC donors. The indictment accused the SPLC of wire fraud and money laundering, charges usually reserved for organized crime groups or others who try to defraud people into giving them money. More here. ++++++++++ WHAT A SURPRISE! 88 CORPORATIONS PAID NO TAX ON BILLIONS IN PROFITS So far, 88 profitable corporations have reported paying $0 in federal income taxes last year, according to a new report by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The list includes Tesla ($5.5 billion in profits), Citigroup ($4.45 billion in profits), CVS Health ($6.57 billion), GoDaddy ($981 million), Palantir ($1.58 billion), PayPal ($1.43 billion), Walt Disney ($8.3 billion), and Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, ($1.03 billion).Trump has refused to divulge his income tax on the billions he has made since being elected. Go here for the article. Go here for the source report. ++++++++++ AI MODELS VARY IN SAFETY In a study testing five AI applications (aka Large Language Models/LLMs) with a simulated delusional person, it was found that two were terrible dealing with a disturbed individual, and a couple were pretty good. The study illustrated the ability of companies to improve the safety of their models if they try. Best were Open AI and Claude, worst were Gemini and Grok. Go here for the article. ++++++++++ FOREST SERVICE SHRINKS, MOVES, CLOSES RESEARCH STATIONS "The reorganization plan announced on March 31 will relocate Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and his headquarters staff to Salt Lake City. The agency will close its nine regional offices, each of which oversee national forests across multiple states. Replacing those offices will be 15 state directors, mostly in Western states." Coronado NF, a part of Region 3 will now have a state director, one of 15 in mostly western states. Regions have been abolished. It is unclear whether ranger districts will continue to function as they have. Very little detail has been published about the drastic reorganization. "The closure of 57 research stations, some agency partners fear, will threaten critical science that states and other forest managers rely on to learn about wildfire behavior, timber production and a host of other issues. The Forest Service has lost about 16% of its workforce — nearly 5,900 employees — through buyouts, layoffs and early retirements. Trump’s proposed budget for 2027 would cut billions of dollars from the agency’s funding." Go here for the Arizona Mirror article ++++++++++ CHINA CHARGES AHEAD WHILE THE US BURNS; GREEN ENERGY VS. FOSSIL FUELS Go here for this Guardian article. "50% of China's new cars are electric. The amount of fuel saved from exceeding its own targets is roughly equal to what China imported from Saudi Arabia pre-crisis, according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a think tank..." "...China derives strategic leverage from its leadership across renewables and electrification, manufacturing and innovation, domestic deployment and global exports,” said Ember, a climate and energy think tank. “China is not merely manufacturing electrotech hardware, it is manufacturing an energy future in which it holds a commanding position....The crisis has meant the world’s greatest supplier of clean technologies is selling these components at record rates as countries prepare to cut their use of fossil fuels for good." In the US nationally and in our state, there is republican disdain and outright hatred of renewables. Talk about backwards and stupid...++++++++++ WORDS OF WISDOM from Kareem Abdul Jabbar You’ve probably heard some version of the phrase “showing up is eighty percent of life.” It’s a nice bit of armchair philosophy for getting people to go to the gym or start a hobby. But when you apply it to the machinery of a democracy, it stops being a motivational poster and starts being a warning. Thomas Jefferson (or at least the school of thought he left behind) once pointed out a cold truth that we often blithely ignore: “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” It’s the “fine print” of the American experiment that most people don’t read until the bill comes due. We love the idea of the “silent majority,” especially if they’re silently on our side. It’s a comforting thought, the notion that most people are sensible and moderate, even if they aren’t out there screaming in the streets. We imagine this massive, sleeping giant of public opinion that somehow keeps the country on the rails—and God help the tyrant who awakens her. Him. It. Us. But here’s the problem: in a democracy, silence isn’t a vote, it’s a great big gaping hole. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that a great big gaping hole, also known as a vacuum, is always filled not so much by nature which abhors it but by the loudest and often the most extreme voices in the room. When our better angels bring up the “majority who participate,” they’re reminding us that the government doesn’t actually care what you think while you’re sitting on your sofa. It only cares what you do when the ballot is in front of you or when the city council meeting starts. If 70% of a town hates a new law, but only the 10% who love it show up to vote, that law is passing with a “mandate.” The people have spoken…whether they actually have or not. I get why people stop participating. Politics today is exhausting. It’s designed to be a grind. Between the 24-hour outrage cycle and the feeling that your single voice is just a drop in the bucket, it’s easy to think that stepping back is a neutral act. But stepping back isn’t a neutral act. It’s a relinquishing of power. Every time a moderate, thoughtful person decides they’ve had enough and hits “mute” on the civic conversation, they are effectively giving their proxy to someone who is likely less moderate and less thoughtful. Participation isn’t just about the big presidential elections every four years. It’s the school boards, the zoning commissions, the local primaries. That’s where the “majority who participate” actually build the world we live in. Those are the people who decide what your kids learn, how much your property taxes are, and whether the bridge down the road actually gets fixed. At the end of the day, democracy is a heavy stone that a whole community has to push uphill. If half the people let go because they’re tired, that stone doesn’t stop where it is. It starts rolling backward. The quote above, regardless who said it, is a reminder that the “will of the people” needs to be heard loud and clear. And if we decide not to be heard, we can’t act surprised when the government doesn’t look anything like us or what we care about. The machinery of the state is always running. The only question is whose hands are on the levers. If it isn’t the majority of the people, it’ll be the majority of whoever bothered to stand in line. In the end, we don’t get the government we “deserve” in some cosmic sense, we get the government that the participants said we should have. So, the next time you feel like the system is broken, remember the fine print. The system is doing exactly what it was designed to do: it’s listening to the people who are speaking. The rest is just silence.++++++++++FOR YOUR VISUAL AND AUDITORY PLEASUREGo here for some truly amazing costumes/dance. Go here, for reels. Kelly Boesch is an artist using AI for images, animation, music. An interview with her describing how she works and what tools she uses is here++++++++++AI AND THE FUTURE OF WORKThis podcast is one of the best balanced discussions about the larger implications of AI I have seen/heard.. Jon Stewart show. .............. WORD............... JOKES ABOUT WHATHISNAME late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in a fake w.h. correspondents rant (comedians were banned)...
On the tuxes at the white house dinner: "I haven't seen this much black since every page of the Trump Epstein files." On Trump's ego: "The president didn't want me to tell any jokes about him tonight, but he also didn't want to pay me $130,000 to shut up. So here we are. ." On Trump's legacy: "He put the brakes on solar and wind. He passed new incentives for oil and gas. That will be your legacy, sir — breaking wind and passing gas."
On Pete Hegseth: "Pete's hair has more oil in it right now than the Strait of Hormuz. Later on, Pete's going to read us a Bible passage from Pulp Fiction, so stick around." >>>>>> How do you get Trump to change a lightbulb?Tell him Obama put it in<<<<<<<<The Pope leaned towards Mr. Trump and said, "Do you know that with one little wave of my hand I can make every person in this crowd go wild with joy? This joy will not be a momentary display, like that of your followers, but go deep into their hearts and for the rest of their lives whenever they speak of this day, they will rejoice!"Trump replied, "I seriously doubt that. With one little wave of your hand? Show me!"So the Pope slapped him and the crowd went wild!>>>>>>>>>Donald Trump is the type of guy that would throw darts and then draw the targets around them after<<<<<<<<What do you see when you look deep into the eyes of Donald Trump?The back of his skull.>>>>>>>>>What is Trump's favorite nation of all?Discrimination.<<<<<<<<How is Donald Trump going to shut down the Department of Education?By renaming it Trump University. Mar-202620262025 $ Difference %FY/26/ytdFY/25/ytd% increase /FY/2026 MarchMarch 7/25-3/267/24-3/25 Bed tax/5%29,16823,4255,74324.20%220,062197,23911.5Hotels/3.5% 20,95617,4063,55020%147,127127,62915.2Rest/Bar44,21133,47910,73232%399,372329,91921Retail104,971112,891-7,920-7.10%1,001,562898,04411.4Grocery52,86648,9813,8857.90%484,865417,41016.6Internet56,72926,43630,293114.00%327,040231,29041.4 Ok stay with me here, a deep dive into the transient bed tax, the visitor center capital improvement fund and why it is important... (This was written before the revised draft came out Thursday.) There is a visitor center capital improvements fund that has $140,576 in it, according to the March treasurer's report. The former city manger and mayor budgeted $400,000 in the current fiscal year for that fund, to be taken from the transient room tax fund and transferred to the Visitor center capital improvements fund in increments of $33,333.The council went along with it. Ostensibly it was to build a one story visitor center at the burned out 30 Main. When major opposition to that bad idea surfaced and the Fair building/visitor center transfer came to the fore, that money in the visitor center capital improvements fund was going to then be used as a fund to do any repairs and maintenance of the Fair building. (This was not mentioned by the mayor or council members during the entire discussion, but very clearly was the case). So as of July 2025, $33,333 was transferred monthly into a visitor center capital improvements fund. As of December/2025, the fund had a couple pennies short of $200,000 ($33,333 x 6) . However the treasurer found an error, (she publicly admitted her mistake of putting hotel tax in the transient room tax fund rather than in the general fund where it belonged. Once she discovered the error-helpfully pointed out by a few of the numbers people-she transferred $166k back to the general fund from the vc capital improvements fund, thereby decreasing the amount.) However for the past three months, the $33k+ continued to be taken out of the transient room tax fund and transferred to the vc capital improvements fund. The mayor has said he has stopped the transfer beginning in April 1. So the $140,576 will sit in the visitor center capital improvement fund. Unless...read on if you are still here... At a budget work session on April 14, I suggested that the money in the vc capital improvements fund be transferred back into the transient room tax fund from whence it comes, and put into the advertising budget, because there was now no need for capital improvement for the visitor center. The mayor, responding to my request to transfer the money form capital improvements back into the room tax fund, said publicly at the work session that according to the city code, there had to be a resolution and a supermajority vote of the council to transfer money from capital improvements to the transient room tax fund. Apparently he was referring to a portion of the code, 2.6.9 G , that specified:
Neither the treasurer nor myself could find other code entry talks about council approval for transferring within the budget. This isn't a sale of anything, it is simply moving money around within the budget which clearly is doable by the council and has been done frequently. In fact, just a couple months prior the treasurer took about $166,000 from capital improvements and put it in the general fund. And the mayor ordered that the monthly transfer of $33,333 from the bed tax fund to the capital improvements fund be stopped. So either the treasurer and mayor did something illegal, or the mayor was incorrect in telling me that an resolution was necessary. I believe that the council should vote to transfer that money from the vc capitol improvements fund back to the bed tax fund from where it was taken. (It seems that this was done) That would bulk up the advertising for the city. After all, in 2014 and 2020, voters approved ballot measures to increase the bed tax specifically to use for marketing to increase overnight visitation. (In the wording of the ballot measure!) and that has been ignored for years. The city, after much prodding from individuals, business owners, and the business organization, Bisbee Forward, are finally moving to focus on marketing by increasing the advertising budget (still less than the visitor center operation which historically has been given 70% or more of the bed tax money for the operations). But there are problems as noted below.
THE DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION (DMO) PROBLEM At last week's council special session, after a sometime contentious discussion, a for profit advertising agency, HAPI, was selected to do the city's marketing as a DMO. Bisbee Forward (BF) came in tied for third on the point basis used for scoring applicants, by the six person review committee. After discussing the ranking, there was extensive discussion about, and with, Bisbee Forward. They were basically accused of not turning in a complete application, and that led to points against them. That accusation turned out to be false, it was an error of omission in the city clerk's office that led to two documents sent to them by BF but only one of the two was included in the packet sent to council members. A second accusation was that a board member of BF contacted two of the four members of the RFP review committee to see if they had received all the attachments. Although an innocent request, it was a no-no to have contacted the review committee even if it was just an information seeking request. (And it was a no-no for the committee member to have responded.) It looks as if the city made a procedural error in the RFP award. They advertised for a DMO specifically. That wasn't a problem. However they have awarded the contract (to be negotiated) to a for-profit advertising agency. That's not allowed according to the Arizona Office of Tourism.
The DMO must be a non-profit. Of the 10 applications there was only one non-profit applying for the DMO, Bisbee Forward. All nine other applicants were for-profit advertising companies. The mayor quoted a section from AOT that allowed a DMO to hire a for-profit advertising firm. That is essentially how the city has been doing business for the past four years, and with the exception of a 4-5 year period before pre-covid, also did it that way for many years previous. But that is not what they advertised for and awarded. It was talked about in several agenda items at different meeting that in the RFP they were advertising specifically for a DMO. The RFP specifically said a DMO, not an advertising agency. The city is leaving themselves open to a legitimate protest of the award and at worst, a lawsuit. The remedy for this could be two things. Either they award the contract to Bisbee Forward as the only verified DMO, or they re-advertise the contract asking specifically for an advertising/marketing agency that will be hired but with the city acting as a DMO. While it may seem like splitting hairs, legally it is not. One has the city doing the hiring of an advertising firm/agency-as has been badly done in the past, the other has the DMO doing the hiring of any advertising which would be preferable. Another part of why this has been contentious is that the city has not provided the framework for/as to how it would work. What employee in the city would oversee the advertising agency or DMO? Would the city hire a new person to be the liaison? Where does that money come from? Is there enough money in the bed tax to pay for the hiring of an ad agency and pay for the actual advertising? These and more, it seems to me, should have been worked out in advance so there is are clear lines of authority and financing. Will the city make this right? We'll see on Tuesday night agenda item 11 where they continue to use DMO and advertising agency interchangably. NUMBER OF ACTIVE LISTINGS/BISBEEMONTH20262025202420232022January60434034unkFebruary62464632unkMarch68485235unkApril7444523824May 45473322June 49473824July 49503829August 54543823September 52463829October 54535033November 53494230December 52473927 264589583455241 |
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