A new inauguration

By Jack Camper, President/CEO
Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
jcamper(at)tucsonchamber.org

The pomp and circumstance are over and now we have to deal with a new political reality in 2009.

Change has come to Arizona.

The change was made official late last month. Barack Obama, a Democrat, was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States to replace the departed Republican, George W. Bush. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat and loyal supporter of President Obama, was confirmed as the new Secretary of Homeland Security, replacing Bush appointee Michael Chertoff. As a result of that, she resigned as governor of Arizona. Jan Brewer, a Republican and former secretary of state, was then sworn in as the newest Governor of the State of Arizona.

Did you get all that? Needless to say, there is a lot of change with which we will deal.

That not only applies to us as Arizonans and Americans, but also directly to us at the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, our member businesses and their employees.

Before, we had an idea about policies in place and how to work with the politicians to forward business-friendly policies. But now, we are in a feeling-out process, which is nothing new in our world of democratic politics. However, it isn't very often that the election of a new president affects a state's executive branch.

President Obama has been very active in the first few days of his administration, but we're still trying to figure out how he'll come out on many of the most pressing business issues. Gov. Brewer has been in office for just a few days, and has been very busy working on our current budget problems at the state level. But we're struck by one issue in particular that ties the federal government with our governor's office: Immigration and border security.

It is well-documented that Ms. Napolitano, as governor, continually insisted that the federal government has the responsibility to protect the border and control illegal immigration. We're interested in seeing if and how that will change as she becomes an officer of the federal government. And we don't know yet how Gov. Brewer stands on immigration - should it be a state issue, a federal issue, or both?

We at the Chamber continue to press for sound, fair immigration rules that are helpful to businesses and to American workers, and we will continue to push for strong border security. While the political parties at both the federal and state levels have changed, will the policies change? Will we be able to move forward on having a more secure border and a legal workforce in Arizona and the United States?

That would certainly be change we can believe in. And it's change that we will be working hard to achieve.

It is said that the more things change, the more things stay the same. We certainly hope not, and we're not going to change our advocacy efforts on behalf of businesses, their employees and the Tucson region as a whole.

We're changing minds in their perceptions of business and politics.They can - and do - work together. We don't expect THAT to change anytime soon, no matter who is in power.

Ultimately, we know that you, the taxpayers, employees and CEOs, are in power when it comes to the economy. You can control the kinds of jobs that are available, the wages that are paid and the investments you make in expanding and growing your business to ensure a vibrant, growing economy full of good-paying jobs for an educated workforce.

In 2009, help your Chamber help you demonstrate that power.

Let's inaugurate new prosperity - together.