Oro Valley mayor gives final State of the Town Address

Tucson’s neighbor to the north is entering a transition period as a two-term mayor prepares to leave office while asking voters to approve a new 10-year plan.

Mayor Joe Winfield gave his final State of the Town address Friday at the El Conquistador Resort, reflecting on his tenure since 2018, including major investments in parks, police officers and roads.

Winfield was emotional as he told the packed ballroom that being town mayor since 2018 was “a privilege and honor of my public life.”

Current vice mayor Melanie Barrett won this summer’s mayoral election over former Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier after Winfield announced in 2025 that he would not seek a third term.

He told the crowd he was confident in the leadership transition.

“In a few weeks, the responsibility of elected leadership will pass to others, and that is how it should be…There will be difficult decisions ahead, but I trust this community to face them with the same care and commitment that have brought us this far.”

One of the town’s impending challenges is planning for future growth, Winfield said, as only 12% of the town’s land remains undeveloped.

“For much of our history, the question was, how should our community grow? Increasingly, the question will be: How do we make the most of what we have already built?,” he said.

Nearly 80% of Oro Valley is single-family homes, according to land use data. Future development will be a question of refining existing spaces, Winfield said, which may mean increasing density.

“This next chapter will require thoughtful decisions about housing choices, where additional density makes sense, and how we protect our city views, open space, and the quality of our built environment,” he said.

His speech came as residents are weeks away from voting on a new 10-year plan presented as Proposition 431, which the town is calling Oro Valley Path Forward. State law requires cities and towns to adopt a general plan every 10 years.

Oro Valley’s includes 286 distinct actions related to the town’s priorities, which were shaped with around 11,000 public comments, said Winfield.

Public safety is the top value, with wide goals of maintaining a low crime rate, improving traffic safety, and keeping the Oro Valley Police Department fully staffed, the plan reads. Expanding recreation and preserving the environment are also overarching priorities, according to the document.

When Winfield took office in 2018, he said the town’s police pension fund was underfunded by $27 million. Last year, the town council reached a new agreement with the police unions that increased starting salaries for new officers by almost 14%, and guaranteed annual raises for all other officers, Tucson Local Media reported. The pension fund is also now fully funded, Winfield said.

A major focus of the proposed general plan is encouraging more retail and restaurant development, to attract more tourists and subsequent economic benefits, Winfield said.

Oro Valley officials need to listen to business leaders, and stop treating collaboration as an accomplishment, said Kristen Sharp, CEO of the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, who spoke before Winfield.

“Progress requires more than meetings, partnerships, and a shared method. It requires us to ask difficult questions, challenge decisions that are not serving our community, and be willing to speak up, and more importantly, be willing to listen. Our elected officials need to hear directly from the people who are creating jobs, making payroll, navigating regulations, and investing in our community,” Sharp said.

In the last fiscal year, the town distributed just under 100 new business licenses, Winfield said.

The town’s general plan will appear on Oro Valley resident’s ballots as Prop. 431. Read more about the proposed plan at ovpathforward.com.