🚧 Rex Scott and the RTA: Is Progress Just a Mirage?
Unpack the implications of the RTA's expansion plans on our desert ecosystem and marginalized communities.
Based on the Jump In Tucson show for 1/28/25 on KVOI-1030AM.
🙊 Notable quotes from the show
"Every mistake that I had ever made, every regret that I had, every hurt that I had caused, all of those things traced back to selfishness." - Rex Scott
Context: Reflecting on personal growth and leadership philosophy, essentially admitting that political ambition is fundamentally rooted in self-interest
"The biggest issue that we have in the homeless community is people who refuse shelter and services." - Rex Scott
Context: Discussing homelessness policy, revealing a problematic framing that blames individuals rather than examining systemic housing inequalities
"Without a plan, even with just a simple will, your loved ones could face financial hardship and even legal battles." - Stephen Levin
Context: Estate planning segment, exposing the predatory nature of financial systems that monetize even death and inheritance
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
The article discusses how the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) 🚧 is making choices that harm Tucson's environment 🌵 and regular people's lives 👥 while helping rich developers get richer 💰. It talks about a leader named Rex Scott 🏛️ who tries to change things but is questioned about whether his ideas really help everyone 🤔. The piece also mentions how important it is to plan ahead for the future ⏳, especially with money matters 💸 after someone passes away 🕊️.
🗝️ Takeaways
🚨 The RTA is criticized as a developer-centric model, prioritizing suburban growth over urban community needs.
🌍 Environmental concerns arise from the construction of more roads in a climate-challenged desert.
💼 Stephen Levin highlights the pitfalls of inadequate estate planning within capitalist structures.
👥 Rex Scott's narrative of transformation raises questions about genuine community engagement vs. political ambition.
❓ The article calls for community involvement in reimagining the RTA's role in Tucson's future.
Paving Paradise: How the RTA Sells Out Tucson's Future One Suburban Sprawl at a Time
On a crisp January morning in 2025, Jump in Tucson served up a political and financial play-by-play that was more complex than a developer's wet dream of concrete and carbon emissions.
The show, hosted by the affable Ted Maxwell on 1030 The Voice, navigated the treacherous terrain of local governance, estate planning, and community dynamics with the precision of a bulldozer clearing indigenous land for another strip mall.
🚧 The RTA: A Capitalist Concrete Conspiracy
Let's talk about the Regional Transportation Authority—or as we like to call it, the Racist Terrain Alteration. While Supervisor Rex Scott spoke about the RTA with bureaucratic enthusiasm, we see through the asphalt-laden facade.
This isn't transportation planning; it's a developer's playground funded by urban Tucsonans' hard-earned tax dollars.
Concrete Colonialism: Unpacking the RTA's True Agenda
Scott proudly proclaimed the RTA's importance, stating it's about "bringing people together" and creating "economic development."
Translation: Paving over desert ecosystems to line the pockets of suburban developers while urban communities suffocate in heat islands and infrastructure neglect.
"The impact not only on our infrastructure, but also our prospects for further economic development... is significant," Scott claimed.
Economic development for whom? Certainly not for the 34% of Pima County residents living in unincorporated areas—many of whom are Indigenous, working-class, or communities of color pushed to the margins by decades of systemic inequity.
The Climate Catastrophe Concrete Mixer
In a desert already gasping under the weight of climate change, the RTA represents nothing short of environmental violence.
Each mile of new road is a knife to the heart of our fragile ecosystem. We're not building transportation; we're constructing our own ecological apocalypse, one suburban sprawl at a time.
Capitalist logic: Why preserve a delicate desert when we can pave paradise and put up a parking lot?
🏀 Courtside Conversations: Rex Scott's Progressive Playbook (With Caveats)
Pima County's Board of Supervisors Chair Rex Scott wasn't just another political player—he was a seasoned educator turned public servant who'd traded personal ambition for a slightly more nuanced community impact.
The Personal is Political: A Journey of Transformation (Or Is It?)
Scott's narrative began with a delicious slice of personal history that would make any progressive heart flutter—and then immediately question its authenticity. Once a 24-year-old city council member in Athens, Ohio, with dreams of reaching the hallowed halls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he underwent a philosophical transformation that reads like a carefully crafted political redemption arc.
"Everything was about personal ambition... I was going to go from city office to county office to state office to federal office and ultimately be president."
Time, marriage, fatherhood, and years of educational leadership reshaped his perspective. The political climbing gave way to community serving—or so the narrative goes.
"Every mistake that I had ever made, every regret that I had, every hurt that I had caused, all of those things traced back to selfishness."
Selflessness™️: Now available in convenient political packaging!
Policy Playbook: Addressing Systemic Challenges (With Systemic Limitations)
Scott's current mission isn't just about managing a county—it's about creating the illusion of dismantling systemic barriers:
Strategic Planning with Soul: Creating Pima County's first comprehensive strategic plan that promises transformation but likely delivers bureaucratic bound reports.
Homelessness as a Humanitarian Challenge: Examining models from other counties, recognizing the complexity of housing insecurity while operating within a system that fundamentally creates and perpetuates houselessness.
Substance Abuse Intervention with Compassion: Supporting SB 1257, a bill that allows court-ordered stabilization—recognizing addiction as a health issue, not a moral failing.
Capitalism might create the wounds, but compassionate governance offers a Band-Aid.
💼 Financial Fortification: Stephen Levin's Estate Planning Expose
While Scott represented progressive governance lite, Stephen Levin from RJP Estate Planning offered a capitalist survival guide that would make Karl Marx weep and laugh simultaneously.
The Probate Predicament: Capitalism's Final Boss Level
Levin's pitch was simple yet terrifying: Without proper estate planning, your loved ones could face a financial thunderstorm crafted by a system designed to extract wealth even after death.
Key revelations included:
Probate can take 6-12 months
Bank accounts can be frozen
Families might have to cover expenses out of pocket
Court-appointed decision-makers might not align with your wishes
Capitalism's endgame: Even in death, the system demands its pound of flesh.
Your Turn, Tucsonans!
We've excavated Tucson's political, financial, and infrastructural landscape—now it's your turn. Drop a comment below:
How do we transform the RTA from a developer's slush fund to a genuine community-centered transportation solution?
In a system designed to commodify every aspect of human existence, how can we reimagine governance that truly serves community needs?
Stay curious, stay critical, stay connected.
— The Three Sonorans Team
People's Gallery: Tucson's Political and Media Personalities 🕵️
Political Figures:
Rex Scott
Role: Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair
Origin Story:
Youngest city council member in Athens, Ohio at 24
Former educator and school administrator
Memorable Quote: "I was going to go from city office to county office to state office to federal office and ultimately be president."
Character Arc: Political climber turned allegedly selfless public servant
Adelita Grijalva
Role: Previous Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair
Noted For: Passing RTA leadership to Rex Scott
No direct quotes, but referenced as a previous leadership model
Administrative Mentions:
Steve Holmes
Role: Deputy County Administrator
Connection: Mutual assistant principal appointment with Rex Scott in TUSD
No direct quotes
Ms. Lesher
Role: County Administrator
Mentioned in context of strategic planning discussions
No direct quotes
Mr. DeBonis
Role: Deputy County Administrator
Mentioned in conversation about strategic planning
No direct quotes
Other Notable Mentions:
Senator Leach
Role: Arizona State Senator
Context: Carrying bill (SB 1257) on substance abuse intervention
Highlighted as working collaboratively with county organizations
Media Personalities:
Ted Maxwell
Role: Radio Show Host of "Jump in Tucson"
Style: Conversational, engaging interviewer
No standout quotes, but serves as narrative facilitator
Matt Neely
Role: Technical support/producer for the radio show
Known for: Basketball game discussion
No direct quotes of significance
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