Mayor who can't balance his budget, vows to get tough on seedy massage parlors

08-21-2009 • Arizona Republic

Smith and City Manager Chris Brady dismissed the argument that the illegitimate parlors are "victimless" operations.

Regardless of the morality of what goes on in their back rooms, Smith said, "The way they are operating destroys other people's businesses. That has nothing to do with the morality in play. As a city we have the responsibility to protect people's rights, and when businesses are being destroyed by the way someone else operates, we have a real problem."