Biology professor offers clarification

I appreciate Mayor Giuliano taking the time to respond to my letter to the editor in the State Press. But some of the mayor's claims miss the main point of my letter.

The mayor claims I believe "there should not be any development at all where there is none today" and I am "among those who believes Sun Devil Stadium, the Buttes Resort and ASU should never been built in the first place." Not so. The fact that these developments have occurred does not speak to the issue at hand. We have precious little native desert remaining in Tempe, and a bit of it happens to reside on a historical, accessible and well-used Tempe landmark. That such little remains speaks to the care that should be exercised before any more is lost. Development in Tempe is not occurring in fragile desert remnants, except on "A" Mountain. No one is arguing against the mayor's sustained development in these other non-desert remnant areas. "A" Mountain is the issue, Mr. Mayor, not development at large.

The mayor argues that "A" Mountain as well as other past desert areas on private property have already been developed (including ASU's own damage to "A" Mountain), claiming that I believe that "an owner ... does not have any rights to develop their land." Wrong, Mr. Mayor. I am a private property owner in Tempe. In fact, I proposed in my letter that the city buy out the developer at a fair price. This was my main point. It is not clear why this option was not mentioned or addressed by the mayor in his letter.

I do not question the mayor's hard work for the city and his love of Tempe. As a long-term resident and employee of ASU, I also care greatly for our city and its future. However, our visions differ. The key question is, which vision does the majority of residents of Tempe and ASU students, faculty and staff hold?

I respectively request the mayor to ask the residents of Tempe: Would you, as citizens and taxpayers, be willing to expend part of the city budget surplus to buy out the developers and preserve "A" Mountain? If the answer of the majority is no, then it is clear that Tempe shares Giuliano's vision of Tempe. However, if the answer is yes, then the mayor needs to revise his vision and act appropriately.

Stan Faeth

Professor & Associate Chair

Department of Biology