Mark Napier – Candidate for Mayor

Candidate Response: Mark Napier

Mark Napier

1. You are asking voters for a four-year term that will shape Oro Valley during a pivotal period, including the end of rapid construction-tax growth, a renegotiation of Colorado River operating rules, and a structural shift in Town finances. What specific vision and priorities would guide your leadership, and what measurable outcomes should voters use to judge your performance at the end of your term?

   Oro Valley must be on a sustainable path fiscally and environmentally. We are depleting our fund balance simply to balance the budget. Revenues are coming in 12.5% below projections and we are delaying/eliminating $11 million in capital projects. We are not fiscally sustainable. No amount of political soundbites or overly optimistic projections can change this. We need to enhance long-term revenues with strategic annexations and ensuring we are business-friendly enough to entice sales tax generating businesses to fill vacant storefronts. As mayor, I will seek to ensure that revenues keep pace with the rising costs of providing essential town services. Further, that we end the practice or irresponsible and politically motivated spending. We must ensure Oro Valley is fiscally sustainable for the future. Water is going to be an increasingly critical issue in the S.W. United States. Commensurate with sensible growth we need to ensure that the nature of growth is sustainable. Water will be the biggest challenge here and will need to be addressed on a regional basis. Locally, at the current time, Oro Valley is doing a good job managing our water supply.

2. Construction tax revenue dropped roughly 30 percent between 2024 and 2025, reaching its lowest level since 2016. At the same time, pavement maintenance costs alone doubled from $1.5 million to over $3.1 million per year. In January 2026, the Council passed one new business tax and rejected two others by a 4-3 vote. As Mayor, would you have voted differently, and what is your specific plan to address the gap between declining growth-based revenue and rising maintenance costs?

   I would not have voted in favor of the taxes because they were an ill-advised piecemeal approach. We need to look at the gap between revenues and expenditures strategically, not with easy partial fixes. We must enhance revenues. There is no sustainable way around this reality. No one believes, or should believe, that the cost of providing services and infrastructure maintenance will be less costly in the future. We need to address vacant storefronts and look very carefully at what little developable land we have remaining. We should not grow for the sake of growing or in a manner inconsistent with the character of the town. We must look at strategic annexations that have a clear long-term ROI. This should include commercial land near Ina and Oracle and other sales tax generating locations.

3. Federal rules governing Colorado River operations expire at the end of 2026, and the Bureau of Reclamation plans to finalize post-2026 operating criteria by October 1, 2026. The seven Basin States have not reached consensus, and the Department of the Interior has signaled it will proceed regardless. CAP officials have warned that mitigation tools protecting municipal deliveries end this year. Roughly 65 percent of Oro Valley’s drinking water still comes from groundwater. The winner of the July 21 primary will be sworn in during the most consequential month of these negotiations. What is your plan if the Town’s CAP allocation is materially reduced, and what position will you advocate inside the Coalition for Protecting Arizona’s Lifeline?

   This is a regional issue. The Oro Valley mayor must take a leadership role in advocating for our long-term water needs. I will collaborate with our regional partners to ensure that Oro Valley is not left out of these very important discussions. Locally, we need to work with our Water Department to develop contingency plans for conservation that project well into the future with best- and worst-case variables. Public education about conservation will have to be a part of this. It is clear that water is going to become less available and more expensive in the future. Oro Valley must be prepared for this.

4. On May 6, 2026, the Council approved a General Plan amendment and rezoning of the 141-acre Oro Valley Town Centre parcel at Oracle Road and Pusch View Lane (also known as Rooney Ranch). The approved plan preserves roughly 88 acres as open space, allows limited townhome and commercial development closer to Oracle, reduces maximum building heights, and eliminates the previously allowed five-story hotel option in Area 3. Next steps include appraisal, bid solicitation, and eventual sale to private developers. Do you support the approved plan as it stands, what would you change as Mayor, and what principles should guide the Council’s handling of the appraisal and bid process?

   I do not, and will not, support building heights that obscure mountain views or are otherwise inconsistent with the character of our town. The plan adopted was not the best use of the parcel of property. It was far more of a political decision than a decision based on the strategic interests of the town. There was an opportunity to incorporate a little more commercial sale tax generating development on the parcel while still maintaining open space and single-family housing.

5. The mayor sets the tone for how the Council functions as a body. The current Council split 4-3 on major revenue decisions in January, and public input on Town Center has divided the Chamber’s pro-commercial position from residents’ preference for open space. How will you build working majorities on contested issues without silencing minority views or the public?

   The mayor, while having a co-equal vote, should provide leadership and direction for staff and council. Having been a senior leader for an exceptionally long time, this is a role I am both comfortable in and can competently assume. As elected officials we serve at the pleasure of the residents of our town. Therefore, we should listen to their concerns and be open to them. At the same time, we are leading the town into the future. We must make strategic decisions that ensure the long-term sustainability of the town. Too often, these are viewed as diametrically opposed. They are not. We can strike a balance here; and we should.

6. Do you believe Oro Valley has reached buildout in practical terms, or do you see meaningful remaining growth capacity? Your answer should address annexation, redevelopment of existing parcels, and whether you would support increased density, vertical or otherwise, as a revenue strategy. The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity projects the Town’s population to stop growing around 2040.

   We are close to being fundamentally built out in our current town boundaries. There is very limited capacity to grow. Those limited areas must be seriously considered with respect to the type and nature of development. Oro Valley is not a place that will, or should, consider significant vertical growth. The community does not support this, and it is not consistent with the character of the town. We need to strategically look at annexation. If we had real leadership on the current M&C we would have been doing this many years ago. There was no forward-looking thought processes at all. This is a liability for the town. Annexations must have ROI. We cannot annex for the purpose of annexing. We should annex sales tax generating areas and consider the strategic development of the “880.” Population growth has already slowed significantly and with that is a diminishing growth of state shared revenues. Our present path is unsustainable from a fiscal standpoint.

7. The Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce framed the 2026 tax debate as squeezing more out of what already exists versus growing the tax base through commercial development. How do you characterize the proper relationship between the mayor’s office and the Chamber, and where should the line sit between being pro-business and being business-directed?

   I agree with the Chamber on this completely. We need to grow our sources of revenue to keep pace with the rising costs of providing services. I do not subscribe to either position; pro-business or business directed. The mayor should work with the Chamber and business leaders to strike a balance. We have for far too long been convinced by both sides that no balance can be struck between all growth and no growth. It is not a dichotomous argument. Some seek to frame it that way for purely political reasons. Both extremes have hurt our town a great deal. I would exercise leadership and bring years of professional experience to ensure we strike the balance that must be struck to ensure the future of our town.

8. Oro Valley residents have told the Council, repeatedly, that the character of the Town matters. Open space. Desert views. Low-density residential. The Catalina foothills. As Mayor, what specific tools would you use to protect that character, including zoning overlays, purchase of development rights, general plan amendments, and acquisition of open space, and how would you pay for them given the revenue picture in question two?

   We already have in place zoning that serves to meet these goals. We are very nearly built out. Therefore, the land for use as additional open space or development is limited. The limited land that is available for development and suitable for development should be a little more focused on revenue generating businesses. These should only be developed in areas that do not detract from our views or otherwise are incongruent with the character of the surrounding area.

9. In late 2025, the Council reduced the General Fund reserve requirement from 30 percent to 25 percent, freeing roughly $2.42 million to help purchase a building for the Oro Valley Police Department. Renovation funding to make the building usable has not been identified. As Mayor, what’s your plan to complete the police facility, where would the renovation funding come from, and how would you evaluate whether the department is adequately staffed and resourced for the next decade?

   First, I am genuinely concerned about the town’s current proclivity to tap into the fund balance. Yes, presently it is healthy. That will not continue to be the case given our current trajectory. I have two benefits with respect to this question. First, and most importantly, as a police captain I was the Capital Projects Manager for the Tucson Police Department and managed the building of the police station at Miracle Mile and Flowing Wells. I converted an abandoned KMart building into a modern police station. Second, I spent more than three decades in law enforcement serving as an executive commander and the Sheriff of our county. I have a very well-developed professional base of experience in this area. I am concerned that a detailed study was not completed prior to the purchase of the building to determine the cost or renovation. Police facilities are very unique and significantly more expensive to develop than standard office space. We are now committed to the project and must locate funding to complete it. That funding should have been identified first. As mayor, I would rely on the Chief of Police to provide information to M&C with respect to adequate staffing of the department. Elected officials should work in cooperation with the agency head regarding these issues, not seek to micromanage it.

10. Describe a substantive decision made by the current Mayor and Council during the last four years that you disagreed with. Explain specifically what you would have done differently, and why your approach would have produced a better outcome for Oro Valley residents.

    In general terms, the complete and total abdication of budgetary oversight and thoughtful consideration about the long-term fiscal sustainability of the town. We should have been looking at revenue trends, population growth, strategic annexations, and the appropriate development of limited space within current town boundaries. Instead, we did not look strategically at budget trends, continued to engage in politically motivated irresponsible spending, and exercised no leadership to ensure we can maintain the town services well in the future. We cannot maintain the path charted by the current leadership. While it is unpleasant and more convenient to paint a rosy picture, we are not headed in the right direction to ensure a bright future for the town I love.

Bio: Mark Napier

My wife Marlene and I have been residents of Oro Valley for more than 30 years. Together we raised our family in Copper Creek and now five of our seven grandchildren attend school in Oro Valley. Oro Valley is my home, and I am passionate about its future.

I have more than 40 years of public service experience with three decades of leadership in public safety, and public administration. 20 years of experience was gained in senior command and executive level positions in law enforcement. Additionally, I have 8 years’ experience as an administrator at the University of Arizona. My most recent position was as an Assistant County Administrator for Pima County, Arizona.

From 2016 to 2020 I served as the 34th elected Sheriff of Pima County, Arizona. Currently, I teach graduate school for the on-line Masters in Criminal Justice program for Boston University and have for 21 years. I bring decades of experience leading hundreds of employees and successfully managing multimillion dollar budgets.

I possess a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Psychology (summa cum laude). I am a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute, National Sheriffs’ Institute, the Senior Management Institute for Police, the Arizona State University Public Executive Training Program and hold a Certificate in Public Policy Management from the University of Arizona. Currently, I am on the Board of Directors of the FBI National Executive Institute Associates, the Vistoso Community Association and a non-profit that supports fallen law enforcement officers.