Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy, Candidate for Oro Valley Town Council
An Oro Valley resident for eight years, Mary has enjoyed volunteering with many community organizations. After graduating from the Oro Valley Community Academy, she was appointed to the Town’s Judicial Board of Adjustment, where she was able to utilize her research background to make decisions in complex code variance cases. She served on the Executive Board of Banner Hospital’s, “Banner Friends”, where she was able to pursue her passions for community engagement and medical education. Mary has been an enthusiastic and vocal supporter of the Arizona Heroes Memorial project, soon to be built at Naranja Park. She proudly serves on the Executive Committee for Rockin’ 4 Heroes, a festive annual concert event honoring our community’s First Responders, Active Military, Veterans, and Gold Star Families. This fun community event draws thousands of attendees to Oro Valley each year.
Mary earned her bachelor’s degree in her home state at The University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her professional background in the medical field includes, biomedical research, jail nurse, and dementia-care. She was licensed as a Practical Nurse for fifteen years before moving to Arizona. More recently, she has devoted her time to her family, raising two boys and supporting her husband in his law enforcement and military careers.
Mary’s positive outlook encourages those with differing viewpoints to come together and craft solutions that best serve the community.
Interview Questions & Answers
1. How will you manage Oro Valley's growth while ensuring it is an excellent place for old-timers and newcomers?
Oro Valley has limited remaining growth areas and they must be carefully managed to ensure growth is consistent with the character of the town, and supports our economic future.
2. As Oro Valley experiences population growth, what strategies would you implement to ensure that the town's infrastructure, roads, and utilities are properly maintained and upgraded to accommodate increased demand?
Infrastructure improvements must be accomplished with any new development and concurrent with population growth to ensure we maintain and improve our quality of life. We must use our state shared highway revenue wisely and leverage regional partnerships, and appropriate development.
3. Oro Valley's revenue is derived primarily from sales tax. Do you think Oro Valley needs additional revenue streams? If yes, what are your ideas for revenue diversification? If not, why not?
Oro Valley does not need and should not have a property tax. We must focus on controlled spending, high paying jobs and expanding our sales tax base, and the wise use of state shared sales tax and income tax.
4. How will Oro Valley have sufficient funds to meet its needs and obligations? What strategies would you employ to manage the town's finances effectively and maintain long-term fiscal sustainability?
As discussed above, with good management and proper stewardship the Town can live within its means just as we all have to.
5. Do you think Oro Valley has been fiscally responsible in recent years? If not, why not, and what would you do differently?
We can and must do better. I am a very positive person and will only run a positive campaign, however, I am running because we must bring greater collaboration, community involvement and transparency to town affairs.
6. Is maintaining Oro Valley's unique identity a priority for you? If so, what measures will you take to preserve that identity and aesthetic appeal while accommodating the need for development? How would you balance these two important aspects of the town's growth?
Maintaining our unique identity and our quality of life are some of my highest priorities. We have, and must continue, strict design guidelines and not ever lower our standards. These goals are not in conflict with good development practices. We must know, and insist on, high standards, our community supports that and appropriate developers support that.
7. How do you feel about our current level of public safety services? What is your plan regarding public safety as our population grows and community needs evolve?
I am the wife of a Law Enforcement Officer, I take community safety extremely seriously. In fact, it was my family’s main consideration in choosing to live in Oro Valley. We are one of the safest communities in Arizona. We have an award-winning Chief with an incredibly professional and dedicated staff. It is a priority of mine to ensure that our department receives the funding that is deemed necessary to continue to keep our community safe.
8. With water conservation being crucial in Arizona, what strategies do you propose to ensure the responsible management and sustainability of water resources in Oro Valley?
Oro Valley and much of southern Arizona has been more responsible with water than the Phoenix metro area. However, we must continue our efforts toward lowering per capita water use, water harvesting and other conservation measures. In these ways our OV water future will be secure.
9. How will you engage with residents and stakeholders to gather input and address their concerns?
I already volunteer time to help Town Staff in educating residents about the “OV Path Forward”. This initiative was started to aid in the design of the “10 year plan”. By encouraging residents to complete the survey and participate in the fun “sticky-note” activity, the ten year plan will be reflective of residents’ desires. Thousands of residents have already participated in this process. I also plan to bring “Council on the Corner” back, fostering a transparent “open door” type of policy in which residents will have the regular opportunity to give feedback about issues that are important to them.
10. How will you ensure everyone knows what's happening with the town's finances, budgeting, planning, and significant projects? What specific measures will you take to promote transparency and keep residents informed about the decisions being made by the Town Council?
Transparency is a top priority for me! It must be improved through greater community engagement and communication efforts, such as “Council on the Corner”. In addition to my personal interactions, I would also encourage public engagement with “Ask Oro Valley”, which allows for residents to reach out to appropriate departments to get their questions answered.
11. How do you plan to foster sustainable economic growth in Oro Valley while protecting and preserving the town's precious natural environment, open spaces, and unique desert ecosystem for future generations?
Any growth must be carefully managed to remain consistent with Oro Valley standards. I will strongly encourage the Economic Development staff to ensure that our business community is able to prosper, while also preserving the unique beautiful character that our community offers.
12. In what ways do you envision collaborating with neighboring communities, regional authorities, and state agencies to address common challenges and leverage opportunities for Oro Valley's benefit?
Collaboration among neighboring communities is crucial in order to provide continuity across the region. Working together, we can address important areas of focus, such as transportation, water and roads, ensuring necessary resources are coming back to Oro Valley. It is imperative that we have a seat at the table to advocate for our community.
