By J. Ferguson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Democrat incumbent George Miller said the most important issue facing the community this election season is Proposition 200, the water initiative that would deny Central Arizona Project water to homes and businesses.
"The passage of it will, in my mind, have a detrimental effect on the ability of the city council to cope with the problem of delivering CAP water to everybody," Miller said.
Miller, 73, opposes Proposition 200. He said if the measure is defeated, it will not solve the city's waters problems, but it will allow the city to explore ways to find a solution to effectively deliver CAP into homes and businesses.
Miller said he was told there were three things they could do to solve the city's water problem. He said they could try to blend CAP with Tucson ground water, recharge CAP water into the aquifers or they could try to clean the CAP water with a water-enhancement plan.
Miller said the recharge idea is a bad idea because CAP water introduced into the aquifers would be naturally cleansed except the water would remain extremely salty.
"When you charge the water in the ground, it would take out the corrosive materials except salt," he said.
Miller denied claims that a chemical disinfectant, called chloramine, used to treat CAP water, is harmful. Miller explained the disinfectant is a state-of-the-art solution to help clean the CAP water.
Miller also defended the city's aggressive annexations plans, stating without annexation, the city would have a problem like other major cities. Miller said the city needed to incorporate the affluent homes and shopping centers currently outside the city limits.
He said that thousands of people use the city's resources everyday and they need to pay their share of the service.
Miller also said he supports Proposition 100, which would give the mayor and city council a 50 percent pay raise above their current salary. Miller said the mayor and council last got a raise in 1983.
Miller served four consecutive terms as a city councilman and another four years as mayor, almost 18 consecutive years in public office.