And, the Hein fallout begins...

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/all_headlines/113950.php

City Manager Mike Hein's dismissal could sink Rio Nuevo's tax increment financing unless Rio Nuevo is taken out of the city's hands, two Tucson legislators said."

Wow... starts right off with this statement, like it was a big surprise, or something. Obviously, no one at the Tucson Citizen listens to 104.1...

"State Rep. Steve Farley, a Tucson Democrat, thinks Hein's firing could help salvage Rio Nuevo.
"I think this could be a positive step forward," Farley said. "The Rio Nuevo board could reassert its control of the district. You could have the board go with an outside project manager with expertise in such projects."

No, too little, too late. The Democrats (and the Republican, God only knows why) who thought that firing Hein, after being specifically told that his firing could jeopardize the project, chose to fire him. Here is a City Council that has wasted MILLIONS of taxpayers money, wasted 10 years on constant changes in direction of the project, failed when it came time to approach the State to answer questions about Rio Nuevo, and now are thumbing their noses at the State? Is this REALLY a wise choice?

Rankin said both the Rio Nuevo board and the city would have to concur to end the agreement. The Rio Nuevo board had rarely met in the past two years before new board members were installed last year.

So now we learn that they weren't even bothering to meet? On a project of this scope? And just when you finally install new board members, who have a learning curve, have a chance at maybe meeting the State's requirements, the Council steps in and screws it up even more? This City Council must go, plain and simple.

"Our structure hasn't changed at all," Letcher said. "People will report to me as they were reporting to Mike."

Yes, but there is one little problem here... Letcher is slated to retire soon. So we lose Hein, and will lose Letcher in a few months, people who knew the intimate day-to-day operations of Rio Nuevo... It's going to take yet another year now, before this project, if it keeps it's state funds, will get up and moving again. 

Bridge to nowhere, indeed.