Proposition 101: Tucson Sales Tax Increase

May 1, 2017

Proposition 101: Tucson Sales Tax Increase

Tucson has an election coming soon, on May 16, 2017. Voters will decide whether they want to increase the city sales tax by ½ of one percent to pay for road maintenance and public safety. Here’s a link with details, courtesy of Ballotpedia. Here’s the key takeaway regarding the spending plans:

Proposition 101 increases the sales tax by an additional 1/2 percent between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2022. The 0.5 percent tax would bring in an estimated $250 million over the five years.

Of the revenue raised by the 0.5 percent sales tax, 60 percent would be deposited into a Public Safety Improvements Fund and 40 percent would be deposited

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Mark Rubin, Tucson Attorney

June 13, 2015

I thought I had a post which explained what I do as a Tucson attorney. Using an Attorney Effectively and Working (Mark Rubin) don’t quite nail the issue, and About Mark Rubin doesn’t either.

My practices falls within three broad areas. They are: (a) probate and fiduciary matters, and estate planning; (b) business and real estate, including advising, documenting transactions, and handling lawsuits; and (c) ethics, professionalism, and discipline.

In the probate and fiduciary world, there’s lots of paper and process. Probate involves the affairs of people who have died, as well as young people with money or no parents, or both, and older people who need help because of mental or physical infirmities. There’s paper and process because we

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Tucson – Positivity

May 31, 2015

I left you yesterday with a promise of positivity. I also assured you that there are no easy answers or quick fixes. Our hole is deep and old, and it won’t get filled easily or quickly.

So, what? We need to start this endeavor by recognizing our situation. The late Reverend Forrest Church, quoted by MRW before, said “Want what you have; do what you can; be who you are.”

Who are we, Tucson? We’re a very large second tier city, with lots of problems. But we’re also an old city with a strong sense of self, and we have an amazingly generous spirit. From my fund development days, I recall Tucson outperforming much larger cities—think of one just

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Tucson – Struggles

May 30, 2015

Tucson as a city and a metro area struggles mightily. According to a study based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Five-Year American Community Survey, Tucson was the nation’s fifth poorest community through 2013. Hard to believe, what with resorts, beautiful homes in the foothills, a world-class research university, etc., but slightly more than third of our population makes less than $25,000 per year. Only one of every 25 working residents makes more than $150,000. Median income in 2013 was $36,758, ranking Tucson 169th.

The poverty correlates with other measures. Property crime is a huge problem. Our food hardship rate ranking was 30th in 2012. According to a 2012 Brookings study about college-educated residents in metro areas, Tucson ranked

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Attorneys: A Positive Pitch

November 27, 2014

I took an oath on October 17, 1981 in Gammage Memorial Auditorium at Arizona State University, Frank Lloyd Wright’s last public building, and an amazing space. On that day, 12,904 days ago, I became a member of the State Bar of Arizona. (Quick aside:  Standing just ahead of me—and a stranger then—was future friend, law partner, and Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild.)

The swearing-in ceremony was a big deal, like graduating from college and law school. Nice clothes, lots of hugs, and a good lunch at Oscar Taylor’s, back when a brick of onion rings seems like the height of haute cuisine.

What the ceremony really imparted, though, was a sense of professionalism. There were speakers and an oath-taking.

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