Chamber takes Positions? Absolutely!!
After much publicity and fanfare, the Tucson City elections have come and gone. As the Chamber and Chamber PAC endorsements go, we did okay. One thing is for certain though: the level of political discourse in our City has been raised.

We were successful in having voters follow our message of “Change the Council, not the Charter.” As a result, there are two new members joining the City Council and one incumbent returning who barely squeaked by her competition.  Each race for office was closer than anyone had predicted. Hopefully this will remain in the thoughts of those who were victorious as they lead this community for the next four years. We congratulate each of them, and look forward to working with them.

Proposition 200 failed by a large margin, an outcome that was important to the business community. Public safety is something on which we can all agree.  A proper balance of police officers and fire fighters is imperative for the health and well-being of this dynamic community.  Having said that—changing the City Charter to mandate specific personnel levels was not the proper approach.   In fact, we believe that mandating new manpower requirements through a Charter change is just plain poor public policy.  We voiced our opposition to Proposition 200 and have taken some backlash because we did. But it was the right thing to do. In addition to it being poor public policy—remember—this Chamber has never supported unfunded mandates and has no intention of starting now. Government creates enough problems for business in our community and, honestly, it doesn’t need another reason to tax those businesses any more than it already does.

Unfortunately, voters did not support increasing funding for the area’s largest school district, TUSD. Children are the future of our business community. We must now accept that the quality of output received from our schools is linked, to a large degree, on how we voted to fund those schools. What will it take to show the community that the real victims of the recession are not you and I, but rather the current generation of school children and those that follow them?  School funding is irrevocably linked to the State budget, but the electorate often forgets that a large percentage of funding comes from local property taxes. The lesson that the various district Boards and Superintendents should take away from this election is clear, however:  they must work to earn the trust of the voters prior to the next attempt at a budget override.

It is time to move past the most recent elections and get to work. We all face difficult times ahead. We are in the midst of the largest recession in the history of the modern global era, our State is quickly approaching bankruptcy and—not that I need to tell you—many of our local businesses are hanging on by a thread. Rest assured that this Chamber is working hard for you. We will continue to advocate for policies and hold programs that allow you to make a profit, so you can create jobs and provide a lifestyle for Tucsonans.