Pima County supervisors name Carmine DeBonis next county administrator

TUCSON — The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to name Deputy County Administrator Carmine DeBonis, Jr. the county's next administrator, effective Jan. 8, 2027. He will succeed County Administrator Jan Lesher.

Chair Jennifer Allen made the motion. She said the board would review DeBonis' contract at its Nov. 10 meeting. All five supervisors attended, with Supervisor Steve Christy participating remotely.

Supervisor Rex Scott said it was the board's first full search for a county administrator in almost 40 years. Allen said the search took nearly a year. Supervisor Andrés Cano said DeBonis has spent more than three decades with the county and thanked the selection committee and Slavin Management Consultants.

"The administrator is the fulcrum upon which the entire county balances," Allen said. She also paid tribute to Lesher, calling her a mentor during Allen's two years on the board.

Earlier Tuesday, the board met for about an hour and a half in a closed executive session on the hire, which the County Attorney's Office had requested, and took no action there. Before the board went behind closed doors, one supervisor said they would leave the session if the discussion turned to the new administrator's contract, saying a matter "of that magnitude and size and importance be done in front of the public." The board had narrowed the search to three finalists on Oct. 13.

DEA task force agreement passes on split vote

The board approved a five-year agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration on a 3-2 vote. The board had continued the item from its Oct. 13 meeting. The agreement brings the county $286,736.25 in revenue and partially funds a sheriff's deputy assigned to a DEA task force.

Vice Chair Matt Heinz, who moved on Oct. 13 to delay the item, said Section 5 of the agreement was the problem. It requires officers assigned to the DEA office to be deputized as federal task force officers under 21 U.S.C. 878. That law lets them execute federal warrants, make warrantless arrests for federal offenses and seize property. Heinz acknowledged Sheriff Chris Nanos' assurance that his deputies do no federal enforcement but said lawsuits had raised questions. "I don't think I'm able to support this," Heinz said.

Heinz and Allen voted no. Allen cited concerns about the task force model "getting local law enforcement complicit with activities that have been devastating in our communities."

Scott moved approval and Cano seconded. In a memo to the board, Nanos wrote that the DEA task force had seized 363.56 kilograms of fentanyl this year. He said that equals more than 3.6 million pills, with an estimated street value of nearly $11 million.

Environmental monitoring framework ordered

On a 4-1 vote, the board directed county administration to develop a framework for temporary, site-specific "special purpose monitoring." The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality would lead the work, which would gather localized data on potential public health exposures.

Allen sponsored the item. She cited Hudbay's Copper World mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, Project Blue and press reports of an active "Project Gravel." She said such industries bring risks to air quality, groundwater, noise and wildlife habitat. She described the framework as at minimum an air quality monitoring program that could expand to include flood control, transportation and health.

A supervisor offered a friendly amendment to shorten the 60-day return deadline to 30 days. The department's director asked for the full 60 days so the department could coordinate with other departments. County administration said it would work within 60 days, consult stakeholders from all sectors and update the board if it could finish sooner. "I don't believe anybody else in Arizona is doing" this kind of monitoring, the director said.

Economic development plan adopted amid skepticism

The board voted 5-0 to adopt the 2026-2029 Economic Development Strategic Plan. The plan had been continued from meetings Aug. 11, Aug. 25 and Sept. 22.

DeBonis summarized the revisions. They expand material on small and rural businesses, add early childhood education as an economic driver and tie each recommendation to a performance indicator. The mining sector's focus also shifted from "sustainable mining" to mining technologies.

Allen said she would support adoption but viewed the plan "with an eye of skepticism." She said economic development had brought Project Blue to the county "in the cloud of secrecy under an NDA" a year ago. She noted the previous three-year plan completed 23% of its 30 items. By her count, 22 of the new plan's 31 recommendations are complex, program-level efforts. "We lack the staff, … we lack the budget, and we lack the track record to implement these 31 recommendations," she said. "I would love to be proven wrong."

Allen asked for several follow-ups:

Quarterly reports that define success for each recommendation
A data-based memo on water, energy and emissions at semiconductor packaging facilities
Inclusion of low-wage worker groups as stakeholders
A rural strategy addressing Lukeville and Sasabe, where she said Sonora plans to expand a connecting highway

Scott noted that asset mapping is complete only for the aerospace and defense sector, finished in July 2026. Staff expects to decide within 60 days how to handle the remaining six sectors. Scott asked for the completed mapping and for details on what the county will ask of The Chamber of Southern Arizona.

Cano praised the plan's inclusion of early education. He said Pima Early Education Program scholarships fund a little over 40% of the region's need.

Evening meetings questioned

The board approved its January-June 2027 meeting schedule 4-1. Before the vote, Allen asked whether the board wanted to revisit its move to evening meetings. She said clerk's office data show call-to-the-public participation is roughly equal to daytime levels once four high-turnout Project Blue meetings are excluded.

Christy favored returning to morning meetings. He cited the burden on staff and residents and asked about costs. Heinz said every other jurisdiction in the county meets in the evening. Cano agreed with Heinz. Scott said there had not been enough time to assess the change. County administration said it would send a memo on actual costs.

Star Valley change approved over HOA objection

The board voted 5-0 to let the planning director grant development waivers on the roughly 16-acre Block 12 of the Star Valley Specific Plan. Under the change, the Star Valley Development Review Authority's recommendation is no longer required. Staff said the change could unlock 99 housing units.

A Star Valley homeowners association representative urged denial or a continuance. The speaker said the HOA was not notified and represents about 2,000 homes. According to the speaker, the original plan called for 105 homes and was cut to 99 because 100 or more would trigger a traffic study.

Cano noted support from San Xavier District Chairman Austin Nunez and Pascua Yaqui Chairman Julian Hernandez. He also acknowledged opposition from the HOA and the review authority. Staff said any setback reduction would still need separate approval and the project would go through full subdivision plat review.

Residents target border wall contractor

During call to the public, four speakers urged the board to end a $3 million Country Club Road contract with a construction company that they said also holds a federal contract, which one speaker put at $443 million, to build 58 miles of border wall through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. One speaker asked the board to adopt a policy barring contracts with border wall builders. No supervisor responded. Another speaker urged a no vote on Proposition 425.

Also discussed:

Christy pulled two consent items, which then passed 4-1 without discussion: a $37,500 amendment with Stratford Art Works for the Teatro Carmen renovation and a $235,987.86 state housing support services grant amendment.
The board voted 4-1 to submit county comments opposing a proposed U.S. Census Bureau rule that would count only citizens and legal permanent residents in 2030 and drop race and ethnicity questions. Heinz sponsored the item.
The board approved, 5-0, an intergovernmental agreement with the Regional Transportation Authority through 2046. Staff documents describe it as covering $600 million in RTA sales tax funding over 20 years.
Height increases to 30 feet on up to 50% of lots in two Canoa Ranch rezonings passed 5-0.
The board denied closure of the Lee Plaza Valencia Road rezoning and granted a five-year extension, both 5-0.
A bundled vote, 5-0, approved the collections report, an auction of 5,113 square feet of surplus Green Valley land appraised at $18,500, a Tucson Water easement, and a $25,854 grant for a ballot drop box camera at the Oro Valley Library.
A Merit System Commission appointment was withdrawn, 5-0. The Tanque Verde Valley plan amendment was continued to Nov. 24, and a Speedway liquor license request was withdrawn.

This report was drafted by Claude Opus 5.5 from a live transcript produced by Deepgram Nova-2, then reviewed and edited by Nicholas De Leon with Claude Opus 5.5, and published at 8:05 PM MST on October 27, 2026. Read more about how this is made.