🏙️ Mayor Post's Recusal Under Scrutiny: Is Family Conflict Driving Controversial Annexation? | Marana Town Meeting

Former fire marshal among citizens decrying destruction of suburban ranch lifestyle

May 08, 2025

😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

🏘️ At a town meeting in Marana, many people who live in homes with lots of space for 🐎 horses and 🦌 wildlife were very upset about a plan to build 🏢 tall apartment buildings and lots of 🏠 small houses right next to their homes. They told the town leaders this would block their views of the 🏔️ mountains, bring too many 🚗 cars to their roads, and might use up too much 💧 water from their wells.

The town leaders didn't answer any of their concerns because they said it wasn't officially on their list of things to talk about that day. Instead, they spent time approving 🍷 alcohol licenses for 🍽️ restaurants and talking excitedly about a new 🏋️‍♂️ recreation center called the MARC. They also mentioned that the old 🏚️ prison might become a place to hold 🧳 immigrants.

🗝️ Takeaways

🏠 Nine residents spoke passionately against the Linda Vista 52 annexation that would place high-density rental apartments and homes directly adjacent to established suburban ranch properties
🌊 Multiple speakers raised concerns about water resources, with residents on wells already experiencing dropping water levels
🚧 The annexation contradicts Marana's own stated policy against annexing "just another residential subdivision."
🤐 The council used procedural rules to avoid responding to any citizen concerns about the annexation
🏛️ Questions raised about Mayor Post's recusal due to family conflicts while allegedly continuing to promote the annexation behind the scenes
🚔 Former Marana prison has been sold to MTC with plans to convert it to an immigration detention facility, potentially
🏊 While ignoring citizen concerns, council members enthusiastically celebrated the opening of "THE MARK" recreation facility

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Marana Town Council Meeting Report: Annexation Faces Community Resistance

May 6, 2025 Regular Council Meeting

Voices of the People: Residents Unite Against Linda Vista 52 Annexation

On May 6, 2025, at the Marana Town Council meeting, a textbook example of modern colonization was unveiled in suburban Arizona. Nine speakers – representing decades of residence and deep community roots – took the podium to voice their passionate opposition to the proposed Linda Vista 52 annexation, a development scheme that would transform peaceful suburban ranch properties into a high-density capitalist playground of three-story apartment complexes and rental homes.

This is how the slow march of settler colonialism proceeds in 2025 – not with cavalry and rifles, but with rezoning applications and developer profits.

The annexation proposal doesn't just threaten established residents' way of life; it brazenly contradicts the town's own stated policies. As multiple residents pointed out, Marana's Development Services Director Jason Angell previously stated on the town's podcast:

"We prefer to keep things within our town limits and have no plans for further annexation. You better bring something really good or something really unique for us to consider it because annexation for just another residential subdivision, in my opinion, does not make any sense."

Yet here we stand, watching a council entertain exactly what its own director deemed senseless. Why? One must follow the money to find the answer. As one resident pointedly asked: "Who will actually gain by Marana doing this, if not the town of Marana itself?"

Speakers and Their Messages: Voices of Resistance

The call to the public became an impromptu community uprising, as speaker after speaker cataloged the ways this development would devastate their quality of life, property values, and the natural environment they cherish. These weren't abstract complaints – these were the lived experiences of people whose futures hang in the balance.

Randy Karrer (Former Fire Marshal, 21-year resident): With 42 years of experience in the fire department, including service as Marana's fire marshal, Karrer's expertise gives him unique insight into development impacts. Standing before the council that once employed him, he delivered this devastating assessment:

"I can tell you that this type of development really does not meet what your policies are... This is a residential subdivision that's not going to provide you with any revenue. All it's going to do is destroy what we've enjoyed."

The three-story apartment complex planned directly on his property line would obliterate the suburban ranch lifestyle he's maintained for over two decades. Karrer concluded with a plea that seemed to fall on deaf ears: "Please work with us so it can be a development that we can enjoy with our families."

Jenny Debray (Resident, Linda Vista Place): Debray didn't just oppose the development – she exposed potential corruption at the heart of the process. She revealed that Mayor Post, despite his official recusal due to familial conflicts of interest, has allegedly continued promoting the annexation behind the scenes:

"Mayor Post did state that he has recused himself and cannot vote on the issue, but then went on to elaborate after a public meeting that he was in support of the development plan, and even shared that they approached the owner of the roughly 40-acre undeveloped property directly to the south... and that property owner is now considering joining the annexation and development plan."

Ah yes, the time-honored tradition of the "official recusal" that somehow doesn't prevent behind-the-scenes dealmaking. How convenient for those with power and family connections.

Debray also highlighted how the development would completely block her home's view of the Tucson Mountain Range and destroy the spectacular sunset views over Sombrero Peak, which were a primary reason for purchasing her home. The 900 feet of shared fence line with the proposed development means the nearest new house would be just 135 feet from her home.

Angela Cohen (Resident, Linda Vista Place): Cohen elevated the discussion beyond individual impacts to question Marana's very identity:

"Does Marana really want to be known for neighborhood after neighborhood of exclusively rental homes? Don't you want beautiful neighborhoods full of pride of ownership?"

She methodically dismantled the town's justification for the project by citing its own words against it. Referencing a town podcast, she quoted Developmental Services Director Jason Engel: "Annexation for just another residential subdivision doesn't make any sense. They're going to have to come forward with the plan as far as the development's potential, but also a plan that shows how they're going to bring the existing county roads and infrastructure up to our five-star service level."

Cohen also highlighted the town's stated environmental commitments by quoting Deputy Director of Public Works Jennifer Flood: "The environment has to be at the forefront of every single project. We need to successfully manage and protect our natural resources."

Nothing quite like watching officials disregard their own stated principles when developer profits are on the line.

Cheryl Hall (Resident since 2009): Hall and her husband purchased their home specifically to enjoy desert wildlife and open spaces. Now they face the prospect of high-density housing:

"We're greatly concerned about water. We all have wells there. We have already seen a drop in our water levels... We're one of the closest property lines to the post, and we have a 465-foot easement with a 30-foot-wide strip so that the Debrays can get back to their home. So anything on Lindavista 13 is going to be smack dead in our view."

Her disbelief at the proposed density was palpable: "I can't believe that you can take 13 acres that the Posts own and put 56 houses on it. That's just astronomical and totally unacceptable."

John Harky (Resident since 2001): In just a few poignant sentences, Harky captured what's truly at stake – the soul of a place:

"We loved it out there. The views of the Sombreros, the Tucson mountains, and the views of the Catalinas, and the deserts, and the purple ironwoods now, and yellow Palo Verde, and all, even the javelinas seeing them and the coyotes, and it's been great living out there. We raised all our kids there."

This is what capitalism never values on the balance sheet – the purple ironwood trees, the yellow Palo Verde, the wildlife that makes a place worth calling home.

Linda Jimenez (Retired Marana district teacher of 30+ years): After dedicating three decades to educating Marana's children, Jimenez chose to retire in the community she served:

"I was a teacher in this Marana district for over 30 years. I know this town very well, and all of its residents. I have many students who went through my classroom, hundreds and hundreds of Marana students."

After living in a higher-density neighborhood, she and her husband deliberately chose their property on Oasis Road for "more space, a little more quiet."

Now, the very community she helped build threatens to destroy her retirement peace: "This proposal will change our lifestyle. It will become more congested. I'm worried about property value. My husband and I are retired. That's really important to us."

Lindon Roberts (Recent transplant from Los Angeles): In one of the evening's most emotional testimonies, Roberts explained how she fled Los Angeles precisely to escape the kind of development practices now threatening her new home:

"I'm from Los Angeles, and I know what that looks like, because I've dealt with the Los Angeles City Council over and over. That's why I don't live there anymore."

With rising emotion, she described the natural beauty that drew her to Marana – a beauty now on the chopping block:

"I just love this town. I love that I go out every evening and watch wild animals run in my backyard. I mean, don't you understand how special that is? I don't think you do. I go out every morning with my monoculars and look at birds. There are owls and falcons and hawks, and it's just amazing. I don't understand why you don't love it and appreciate it."

How telling that people escape urban California for Arizona's natural beauty, only to watch developers import the very same high-density sprawl they fled.

Mark Brazier (Resident, Linda Vista Place): While others spoke of environmental and quality-of-life impacts, Brazier came armed with hard traffic data:

"I've been talking to some people within the town of Marana, and I've got some information regarding the vehicles per day. And the increase from 2016 to 2024 was 1,106 more vehicles per day. That's eight years. I've done a little bit of research, and I'm thinking within the next couple of years, it might be 1,326 more vehicles going down Linda Vista Boulevard."

His research revealed that the town's infrastructure promises remain vague and potentially years away: "I was told anywhere from 2024 to 2030" for the promised four-lane expansion of Linda Vista Boulevard—far too late for current residents dealing with the immediate crush of development-induced traffic.

Lori Schaeffler (Representative, Run for the Wall): The only speaker who did not address the annexation, Schaeffler invited council members to upcoming events for Run for the Wall, which honors Vietnam veterans.

The Council's Deafening Silence: Procedural Tactics Silence Community Concerns

In a masterclass of bureaucratic stonewalling, Vice Mayor Ziegler informed the public that council members could not comment on topics not included in the night's agenda. This conveniently silenced any direct response to citizens' unified opposition to the Linda Vista 52 annexation.

"The Vice Mayor wanted me to let everybody know that the Council cannot comment on an item that is not on tonight's agenda, so that's why we are only listening and not responding," announced Mayor Post after the passionate citizen testimonies.

How convenient that the rules of order prevent addressing the one issue every citizen came to discuss. Democracy at work, folks!

This procedural maneuver allowed council members to avoid directly addressing the community's concerns, forcing residents to leave without acknowledging their existential fears. The silence spoke volumes about whose voices truly matter in the halls of power.

Development Updates: The Growth Machine Marches On

As if to underscore the council's priorities, Development Services Director Jason Angell proceeded to present updates on various commercial and residential projects moving forward without pause:

Chipotle in Gladden Farms: A freestanding restaurant planned for construction in front of the new Fry's grocery store
Interlinks: A light industrial business for construction harnesses and pulleys in the Adonis neighborhood
Ace Hardware: Currently under construction at Tangerine and I-10, behind Starbucks

With almost casual dismissal of the community concerns expressed minutes earlier, Angell noted that the Linda Vista 3952 Annexation remains "in process," with the applicant gathering property owner signatures.

The message was clear: development continues regardless of community opposition.

Angell highlighted several new business licenses with undisguised enthusiasm:

"My favorite store" – Ace Hardware
Domino's Pizza in the Fry's shopping area
Big Dogs Italian Beef (formerly Jeremiah's/Luke's) near Costco
Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin-Robbins near Dutch Brothers
Chowdown Kitchen moving into the former Monsoons restaurant space

Because what every community needs is another Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts. Who needs owls and falcons when you can have mediocre chain restaurants?

Prison Property Sale: From Minimum Security to Potential ICE Detention

In a jarring pivot, Town Manager Terry Rozema casually dropped a bombshell about the Marana prison property: Senate Bill 1294 regarding the lease of the Marana prison had failed "spectacularly" in the legislature, but the facility has been sold to MTC (Management & Training Corporation), the company that previously operated it for decades.

MTC plans to reopen the prison, with discussions suggesting it may become an immigration detention facility – a prospect with profound implications for Marana's immigrant community.

Vice Mayor Ziegler's reaction revealed the council's blindsided position: "Will the town of Marana have something to say about who goes in there or not?" she asked, noting the facility was originally designed for minimum security prisoners, not potentially housing individuals involved with gangs or violent crime.

"Unlike when we found out about the prison, we got a phone call or saw it in the paper. So I'm a little, you know, I'm not my favorite way of being told to see it in the paper that we're no longer using that, taking that building away," Ziegler said.

From community development that ignores residents to prison decisions made without local input – the pattern of disempowerment is consistent and telling.

THE MARK: Council's Pride Project Amid Community Division

With remarkable tone-deafness to the community concerns expressed earlier, multiple council members devoted their reports to effusive praise of the MARC, the town's new recreational facility:

Council Member Officer: "That was a great turnout we had over there, and I've been down there twice when there were not as many people down there, and it's still very active in there. We've got a great facility."
Council Member Murphy: "Just want to give a shout out to the MARC because it really is amazing and I've been out there every day too."
Council Member Kai: "Little for me, I thought the MARC was amazing, grand opening. We've seen that building empty and how big it was and everything, but it was just a good sight to see our residents come in, wide-eyed, enjoying everything."
Council Member Kavanaugh: "Yeah, thank you, Mayor. I was really impressed with the grand opening on Saturday. My goodness."
Council Member Cumberford: "Thank you to Parks and Rec and all the different departments, including everyone who had their touch on that. Yet you guys did it. We asked, and you definitely provided some."

Town Manager Rozema boasted that the facility had already registered 829 memberships, representing 2,757 individuals, in just three days of operation—as if this recreational amenity somehow compensated for the environmental destruction and community disruption documented by citizens just minutes earlier.

Amazing how quickly they transition from ignoring pleas to save people's homes and livelihoods to celebrating a recreation center. Bread and circuses, 2025 style.

Votes and Outcomes: Rubber Stamps and Procedural Theater

The meeting included several votes, all of which passed unanimously without substantive discussion:

Each liquor license was approved with robotic efficiency – "Motion to approve," "Second," "All those in favor?" "Aye." "Item passes." – without a single question or comment. The contrast between this perfunctory approval process and the complete non-response to citizens' heartfelt pleas about their homes and livelihoods couldn't be starker.

The message is clear: Want to sell alcohol? We've got you covered. Want to protect your home, environment, and way of life? Sorry, not on the agenda today.

Notably, no votes were taken on any of the development issues that concerned citizens spoke about during the call to the public. The council effectively sidestepped addressing the concerns about annexation by not including the topic on the formal agenda, despite significant community interest.

Systemic Issues Exposed: The Mechanics of Modern Colonization

This meeting laid bare several disturbing patterns in Marana's governance that should concern anyone who values democracy, environmental protection, and community self-determination:

Procedural Silencing: Using agenda rules to avoid responding to citizen concerns while creating the illusion of public participation
Development-First Mentality: Prioritizing growth and corporate profits over environmental protection and existing residents' quality of life
Potential Conflicts of Interest: Serious questions about Mayor Post's recusal, yet alleged continued involvement in the annexation process over a property his family owns
Infrastructure Lag: Roads and water resources are unable to keep pace with development approvals
Environmental Disregard: Despite official statements about environmental protection, the town appears willing to approve developments that threaten desert ecosystems and wildlife
Surveillance Capitalism Expansion: The potential conversion of the prison into an immigration detention facility raises serious concerns about Marana's role in the prison-industrial complex and immigration enforcement apparatus

In this meeting, we witnessed nothing less than the mechanics of modern colonization: Local government processes that create the appearance of democracy while systematically disempowering long-time residents in favor of development interests.

A Path Forward: Community Organizing and Resistance

Despite the council's procedural stonewalling, the unified voice of concerned citizens demonstrated the potential power of organized community resistance. The residents who spoke represent just the beginning of what could become a powerful coalition to demand development practices that respect existing communities, protect the environment, and prioritize quality of life over corporate profits.

As the Linda Vista 52 annexation moves forward in the bureaucratic process, residents must organize, educate, and mobilize. While the council may hide behind procedural rules to avoid responding in meetings, they cannot ignore a sustained, visible community movement that shows up not just at council meetings but in local media, neighborhood organizing, and at the ballot box.

Get Involved: Making Your Voice Heard

Marana Town Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Ed Honea Marana Municipal Complex (11555 W. Civic Center Drive). To speak at meetings, you must fill out a speaker card and deliver it to the Town Clerk prior to the meeting.

Stay informed by visiting www.maranaaz.gov for meeting agendas and minutes. Contact the Town Clerk at (520) 382-1999 for questions about council meetings.

But don't just attend meetings – organize with your neighbors. Form neighborhood associations, create phone trees and email lists, distribute flyers, and coordinate your message. Power responds to power, and organized communities are powerful.

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Critical Questions for Community Discussion:

Given the apparent contradiction between Marana's stated policies against annexation for residential subdivisions and the Linda Vista 52 proposal, what specific economic or political interests might be driving this exception?
How can residents effectively organize to ensure their concerns about development, infrastructure, and environmental protection are meaningfully addressed rather than procedurally sidestepped?
What does Mayor Post's alleged behind-the-scenes involvement in promoting the annexation despite his official recusal tell us about transparency in local government?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Together, we can build a movement for accountable, just, and sustainable development in Marana and throughout the Sonoran region.