Bob Moore
 

Age: 66

Occupation: Retired, McGraw‑Hill Publishing Company/Sales Management; Part time advertising sales representing three publishers

Family: Married, three daughters and six grandchildren living in the Valley

Education:  BS Printing Management, Rochester Institute of

Technology; Cave Creek Planning and Zoning Commissioner for three years, vice‑chairman one year.

Cave Creek residency: Going on 5 years, 10 years within 85331 zip code

Place of birth:  Maywood, ILL

Hobbies: Automobiles, reading
 

Profile

Challenger Bob Moore is waging an aggressive campaign to win a seat on Cave Creek Town Council.

“I worked through college as a Fuller Brush man,” he said. “So I have no problem going door to door.”

Moore’s campaign theme is “choice of voice,” and he’s |promising a stronger voice on the council.

His professional training in speech and sales, he says, gives him the skills necessary to play an advocate for residents of Cave Creek.

“I was trained to probe and to listen and to negotiate where necessary in order to achieve a strategic objective,” Moore said. “I think I can do a better job.”

On the issues:

Commercial Core: “The town core is slowly being developed with unique projects featuring stimulating architecture and businesses, most of which I am pleased with, and the walkway that will connect these businesses is well underway.  This town core is our heart

and soul and we must motivate it with gentle hands and thoughts to keep it unique and non‑conforming. We can be proud that a rider can ride their horse into our town and still dismount and tie the horse to a rail of many of our local businesses.” 

Keeping Cave Creek’s character: “Cave Creek citizens can help retain Cave Creek's unique character by going out to vote and electing council members who take a very active interest in the town's evolution of development and by expressing those interests to the town council and staff.”

Council Pay: “Yes, I do support the modest $300 per month stipend for city council members, not as payment for their hours, but to offset many of the expenses members spend out of their own pockets.”

Purchasing the Cave Creek Water Co.:  “We need to solidify the purchase of the Cave Creek Water Company in order to assure local control over one of our most concerning resources.”

Annexation: “The annexation of the state land to the west and firming up our town's border there to prevent intrusion from Phoenix, as well as providing for significantly more open space for all citizens to enjoy. The successful rezoning of that parcel to provide for residential and commercial development, but only with the respectful interests of our citizens  in that area.”

Day Labor: “Yes, I do believe the day labor situation is an issue. It certainly is not pleasant to have all those men standing on the side of our main town core road each morning awaiting someone to stop and pick them up for employment.  I believe their mere presence causes some potential shoppers to have second thoughts about stopping at some Cave Creek merchants. However, seemingly Cave Creek, nor Maricopa County, nor Arizona, nor any other state has quite as yet figured out what to do about this national issue which the federal government needs to address. It would seem that we all need to make stronger demands upon the federal government to prioritize this immigration issue into a higher mode of consideration and action by protecting our borders.”

Lowe’s: “The southeast corner of Cave Creek and Carefree highway is zoned commercial and part of the financial future of Cave Creek will depend on sales tax revenue coming from that eventual development once the Town of Cave Creek can deliver water and sewer

to that location. I would not expect Lowe's to project some of the problems which its competitor is casting upon the citizens living at the south end of Cave Creek.”
Robert C. (Bob) Miller
 

Age: 66

Occupation: Retired, Vice President of Government Relations, Allstate Insurance Company, 28 years

Family: Married, three children, five grandchildren

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, Hamilton College, post‑graduate work University of Chicago, New York University School of Business and Management

Cave Creek residency: Since 1995

Place of birth: Illinois

Hobbies: Golf, reading, travel
 

Profile

When it comes to illegal immigrants in Cave Creek, challenger Robert Miller takes a tough stance that distinguishes him from incumbents on the town council.

Most council members say the federal government is responsible for controlling illegal immigrants, but Miller counters: “It’s bogus for people to say it’s the federal government’s problem. It’s not a federal problem, it’s a Cave Creek problem.”

Miller said the town’s “non‑residents” are trashing the desert, and creating a public nuisance with day laborers lining Cave Creek Road. “It can turn into a very dangerous situation,” he said.

Miller proposes using part of $5 million the town has in reserve to fund two part‑time deputies and a part‑time special court to enforce anti‑littering and anti‑loitering ordinances.

“They have communities that have grown up in our desert, and the trashing of our beautiful desert has got to be addressed,” he said.

On the issues:

Commercial Core: Miller is fearful that outside developers may seek to turn Cave Creek’s commercial core into another version of Kierland, ruining the town’s “whole funky atmosphere.”

He’s also concerned about the impact of the 252 condos planned in the heart of the community. “That’s not the Cave Creek I moved into years ago.”

Miller said the biggest challenge is the intersection of Cave Creek and School House roads. He said the proposed development agreement calls for the developer to pay 25 percent for improvements at that intersection–about $670,000–and questions whether that will be sufficient.

“If the cost for redoing that intersection is $670,000 per corner of the intersection, and since there is a school on one corner, vacant land on other corner, and a small business on third corner, do these enterprises have the cash flow to contribute the other 75 percent or about $2 million to improve that intersection, or will that cost be borne by the Cave Creek taxpayers? My feeling is that these other enterprises don’t have the funds to contribute to that.”

Keeping Cave Creek’s character: Miller is a strong proponent of preserving open space and maintaining low‑density zoning. “Just because there’s open space doesn’t mean you have to stick houses on it.” 

Council pay: Miller would refuse to take the $300 monthly stipend given to council members. If the town doesn’t rescind the stipend, he would donate it to charities in the town. “I’m not going to make money from the town. I’m running for council as a public service. Not as a second job.”

Purchasing the Cave Creek Water Co.: Miller has been pushing the town for answers to questions that he says are critical to whether he could support the acquisition of the water company. Under the April 25, 2005 west side annexation agreement between the town, the State Land Commissioner and Apache Springs Land LLC, Miller said the town is required to provide water services to any development on State Trust Land within five miles outside the town’s boundaries. Miller wonders whether that would dramatically push up the cost of purchasing and operating the water company. Miller’s question: “Do we have the capacity and infrastructure to deliver?” 

Budget issues: Miller has made a point in his campaign to raise concerns about what he considers substantial increases in the town’s budget. Miller said the town’s current general fund budget increased by 70 percent and administrative costs by 26 percent from the 2005‑2006 budget year. “I’m not trying to imply there’s anything nefarious going on, but somebody has to ask the question, ‘Why?’”