State Supreme Court pulls Sabino rezoning referendum off ballot
September 13, 1991
By Joe Burchell

The Sabino Springs rezoning referendum, added to the Nov. 5 special election ballot just last week, was removed by the Arizona Supreme Court yesterday.  The justices gave no reason for the decision, which came almost immediately after a hearing on Perini Land and Development Co.'s appeal of a Superior Court ruling that referendum petitions opposing the project were valid.  They said an opinion explaining the decision will be issued later. Doug Kennedy, head of Perini's Tucson office, could not be reached late yesterday for comment.

Sharon Bronson, president of the Neighborhood Association of Greater Tucson, called the decision "gloomy."  She speculated the decision was based on a dispute over how many signatures were needed for the referendum to qualify for the ballot.

Judge William O'Neil of Pinal County Superior Court ruled that 17,167 signatures were needed.  That's the number that was required before the November 1990 election, when the Sabino Canyon Coalition took out its petitions.  After the election, the signature requirement increased to 20,100.  The petitions were not turned in until three days after the election.  The coalition had enough valid signatures to meet the old requirement but not the new one.