“I felt I could make a contribution to the County,” John Fanning said when asked why he ran for Santa Cruz County Supervisor for District 3, which includes Sonoita, Elgin and Patagonia, as well as Tubac, Carmen, Tumacacori, and parts of Rio Rico.
Fanning sat down with the PRT after his win in the November election to share his thoughts about the issues he and the other two Supervisors will be facing when he takes office in January.
Two of the most pressing issues that the Board will be dealing with are the fallout from the embezzlement of $38 million by former County Treasurer Liz Gutfahr, and the development and operation of South32’s Hermosa Mine Project.
“I don’t know enough,” Fanning said when asked about the lawsuit that the County has filed against the State Auditor General, accusing state officials of negligence in not uncovering the embezzlement in their annual audits during the decade that Gutfahr was illegally transferring County funds to her personal accounts. “There’s a lot of fingers pointing in [different] directions,” he commented.
“I have confidence in [SCC Treasurer] Alejandro Paz,” Fanning said. “He has put in place checks and balances to where this would be very difficult to happen again.”
He then quoted from the County website about the responsibilities of the Board of Supervisors. “The very first power of the Board is to supervise the official conduct of all County officers…charged with assessing, collecting, safekeeping, managing, and disbursing the public revenue.
“Do I think that the State has some culpability in this? I think a lot of people do,” he said. “I think if the state has any, they should have caught this, along with the banks, then it’s worthwhile to move forward with that. I have a feeling that the schools are going to seek damages because it hit them the hardest. I’m not for lawsuits, but if it needs to happen, then it needs to happen.”
When asked if he believed South32, the company developing the Hermosa Mine project in the Patagonia Mountains, could be trusted, Fanning responded, “If you look at their track record in other countries, it would be difficult.
“I don’t support the mine, but I know they’re here to stay,” he said. He stressed the importance of establishing the Community Protection and Benefits Agreement between South32 and the County, Nogales and Patagonia. “I want to be able to trust them. What can they do to ensure that the people, the plants, the natural resources, are not in any danger? What can they do to help this community be better than it is?“
Traffic safety concerns, the lack of affordable housing, and pressure from “overtourism” are also areas Fanning plans to focus on. Fanning said one of his priorities when he takes office “is to increase funding of the Sheriff’s Department to have more law enforcement presence in eastern Santa Cruz County. Parking an empty vehicle [to deter speeding] is just a band-aid.”
Fanning pledged to continue County support for the Sonoita Fairgrounds at the present level or “more.”
He is in the process of putting together a community advisory board, which would have three representatives each from Patagonia, Sonoita, Elgin, Tubac, Rio Rico, and Tumacacori. He envisions the group meeting monthly at different locations around the county to share concerns and ideas. “It’s a way for me to find out what’s going on in the county,” he said.
Fanning hopes to be proactive as a supervisor. “I don’t want to hear about something, I want to see it,” he said. ”I want to be in the eastern portion of the county at least once a week.”
“I have a lot to learn, and I don’t have a problem with that,” he said. “I’m a fast learner and I’m not afraid to work.”