Rosa Dailey is a 20-year resident of Oro Valley, Arizona. Prior to leaving Maryland, she spent 5 years as an insurance adjuster and 20 years as a technical writer for companies including Random House and IBM, culminating in work supporting a Steve Jobs-backed IT group involved in the Hubble Space Telescope’s first servicing mission at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center. At NASA she later met her husband, Chris Dailey, an aerospace computer engineer. In Oro Valley, Dailey focused on raising her twin daughters, both recent University of Arizona engineering graduates, while leading a medical research nonprofit following her retirement from full-time work.
Dailey’s efforts in Oro Valley have resulted in two visible community assets: the Aquatic Center and the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve. She initiated the feasibility study that led to transforming the municipal pool into the Oro Valley Aquatic Center. Dailey also worked with The Conservation Fund to turn the former Vistoso golf course into a nature preserve. Today, she remains actively involved in restoration efforts. Dailey plans to bring her “get things done” approach to council.
Dailey also participated in most of the recent OV Path Forward meetings to craft the next 10-year plan for Oro Valley. After evaluating statistically valid surveys on topics such as development, parks and recreation and water sustainability, Dailey feels she has a good handle on what the community desires moving forward into the next decade.
ILoveOV 2026 Candidate Questionnaire
Questions for Town Council Candidates
Introduction
Oro Valley voters will decide three four-year council seats on the July 21, 2026, primary ballot. The seats are currently held by Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett (running for Mayor), Joyce Jones-Ivey, and Josh Nicolson. This election arrives at a consequential moment for the Town. Construction tax revenues have dropped to their lowest level since 2016. Pavement maintenance costs have doubled in four years. The federal rules governing Colorado River water deliveries expire at the end of 2026. The Council recently approved the rezoning of the 141-acre Town Center parcel at Oracle Road and Pusch View Lane, setting up appraisal, bid solicitation, and eventual private development.
These ten questions focus on the specific policy judgment and legislative work of a Council member. Please respond in your own words. Be as specific as possible. Your answers will be published verbatim on ILoveOV.com.
Questions
Rosa Dailey
- Please describe your vision for Oro Valley four years from now. Be specific about what you want to see different, what you want to see preserved, and what you believe the Council’s most important work will be during your term.
My vision for Oro Valley is consistent with the current council’s strategic plan, which was discussed in January and March of this year. I was the only candidate who attended both sessions which identified, discussed, and framed the key strategic issues important to Oro Valley’s future. One of the most consequential decisions by the current council with which I agree is the annexation strategy that focuses on acquiring existing retail at the intersection of Ina and Oracle Roads. I believe annexations such as this will be an important focus of future councils and consequential to Oro Valley’s financial success as we approach buildout and rely less on construction sales tax.
- Oro Valley’s 2025-2026 budget projected further revenue declines due to declining residential development, and the Town’s CFO has described a structural deficit in which future expenses are projected to exceed incoming revenue. If elected, which of the following would you support: additional business-side taxes such as commercial lease or use tax, a primary property tax (Oro Valley currently has none), service reductions, more aggressive commercial development to grow the sales tax base, or some combination? Please be specific.
I believe the “structural deficit” reference made during the discussions of the 2025-2026 budget was meant to justify three new taxes that would come before council to increase revenue. When only one of those taxes passed a more conservative but balanced 2026-2027 budget was presented that addresses all the core needs and services of Oro Valley. I do not support a property tax, and I am not in favor of discussing any other new taxes until we have done a thorough evaluation of Town efficiencies. There are other ways to increase revenues without burdening the business community or the citizens of Oro Valley with new taxes. Our annexation strategy discussed above will be important as well as preserving our commercial land for future sales tax revenue.
- Roughly 65 percent of Oro Valley’s drinking water comes from groundwater, with the remainder from CAP (Colorado River) and reclaimed sources. Federal rules governing post-2026 Colorado River operations expire at the end of this year, the Bureau of Reclamation plans to finalize replacement criteria by October 1, 2026, and the seven Basin States have not reached consensus. Tier 1 shortage conditions remain in place. How should the Council balance water availability against future development approvals, and should a project’s water demand be a stand-alone basis for approval or denial?
I believe the council should take a conservative approach to committing any further large allocations of our water portfolio, especially our CAP water which we currently use to recharge our wells. Our focus should be on providing water to the more than 3,000 units already approved but not yet built and ensuring an adequate water supply for our existing residents and their quality of life.
- 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 going forward, and what principles should guide the Council’s votes on appraisal, bid, and the eventual sale?
I approve of the council’s plan for the 141-acre Town Centre parcel. After attending most of the OV Path Forward meetings for the past three years, I believe the plan addressed many of the desires of the Oro Valley community as we move into the future. Residents surveyed for OV Path Forward expressed a desire for more open space, limited building heights and lower priced townhome options, all of which are captured by the council’s plans. The council went out of its way to stress that the housing should be townhomes and not apartments to address the requests made in the new ten-year plan, which citizens will vote on this November. While limiting the housing to townhomes and not apartments may lower the appraised value and eventual sale price of the property, I believe this decision balances the Town’s need for revenue with citizens desires.
- Road maintenance costs in Oro Valley doubled in four years, climbing from $1.5 million to more than $3.1 million annually. Arizona’s shared-revenue formula is declining, and gas-tax revenue is shrinking with EV adoption. What’s your specific plan for funding infrastructure, including pavement, stormwater, and utilities, over the next four to eight years?
Road maintenance costs have gone up all over the county driven by higher prices for raw materials labor shortages and inflation, so it is not a problem unique to Oro Valley. I would direct the CFO to present a budget that takes a conservative but balanced approach to addressing the Town’s core needs. The Town should also look for grant opportunities through the federal appropriations process such as the $7 million grant we were recently awarded for road and bridge repair.
- Short of annexation or significantly increasing residential density, the tools available to grow Oro Valley’s sales tax base are limited. Redeveloping vacant retail. Recruiting specific commercial tenants. Expanding tourism and bed-tax revenue. Which of these do you see as the most realistic, and what concrete steps would you take in your first year to advance it?
I believe the current annexation strategy to capture existing retail along Ina Road is the best way to increase our tax base. In addition, I support our Economic Development Director’s work to try to recruit a large, big box store such as Costco or an innovative car dealership like Carvana, which were both council suggestions that arose from the analysis of a recent sales tax leakage report. I would also ensure that the owners of the Marketplace build the proposed hotel that was to begin construction this year, but is now delayed as that would provide additional bed tax revenue. The current agreement requires that a hotel be built before occupancy can be obtained on the second phase of apartments proposed at Marketplace. I would keep the hotel stipulation in place to benefit Oro Valley’s tax revenues.
- The Town’s CFO has noted that Oro Valley’s aging demographic creates a structural revenue challenge. Older residents consume more medical and professional services, which generate significant income but little local sales tax. How should the Council respond to this demographic reality, through the tax code, through economic development strategy, or both?
Oro Valley currently has a good balance of retired residents and families that contribute to our sales tax revenues. Our economic development should focus on both demographics because I believe that diversification is an economic strength. I would not support a property tax but would continue strategic economic development of local business.
- How do you personally intend to gather resident input beyond formal public comment at Council meetings? Please describe specific practices you’ll commit to during your term, including neighborhood meetings, office hours, digital tools, and written communication.
I will be as responsive as I have always been to residents by whatever means is necessary and appropriate.
- Describe one decision made by the current Council that you believe was correct but politically unpopular, and one decision you believe was popular but incorrect. Explain your reasoning.
I believe the current council has consistently made decisions that are in the best interests of the Oro Valley community.
- Beyond your professional and civic resume, what personal qualities, and what specific limits on your time and other commitments should voters weigh when deciding whether you’re the right choice for Council?
Residents already have my commitment to put them first and my record reflects that fact. I have a reputation for getting things done.
Submission Instructions
Please submit your responses as a Word document or plain text by Monday, June 15, 2026. Include a short biography of 150 to 250 words and a professional photo if available. Email submissions to [email address]. Responses will be published on ILoveOV.com in advance of the July 21, 2026 primary.
Questions about the questionnaire or the publication process can be directed to Michael Burns, Publisher, ILoveOV.com.
