It’s feeling a little bit like a whirlwind around Inside Tucson Business these days. In this week’s issue we have a special section honoring the 2009 Women of Influence selected from your nominations. As if that weren’t enough, today is also the day we embark on our quest to identify this year’s Up & Comers.

Long-time readers of Inside Tucson Business know these are two of our signature events each year. Through a quirk in scheduling this year we find ourselves celebrating the accomplishments of one group of outstanding people while beginning the process to celebrate a second group.

Both events date back to years before I ever got here as editor. But both also have become two of my favorite events. It’s an opportunity to meet some of the most inspirational people in our region. And, goodness knows, we could use a shot or two of inspiration these days of bailouts, Ponzi schemes and fraud.

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Up & Comers seeks to find nine young movers and shakers. A few years back, the idea was to honor three people in their 20s, three in their 30s and three in their 40s. But that got to be too confining so now Up & Comers honors nine people who are early in their careers but are already making a difference in our region.

More importantly, these are people we should keep our eyes on for what they’ll be doing in the future.

Think about people you think fit this bill and should be honored as Up & Comers. There’s a nomination form on page 7 of this week’s printed issue of Inside Tucson Business or click on the Up & Comers icon on the www.AzBiz.com website to fill out the nomination form online.

Because of the timing this year, I promise we won’t drag out the nomination process. Our deadline is April 9 — less than three weeks away. After that look for a special section honoring our Up & Comers in the April 27 issue of Inside Tucson Business.

We’re also planning a special event honoring both past and this year’s honorees that I’m told should be different from anything we’ve before.

And just to get you feeling positive now, be sure to check out the Women of Influence section in this issue. Seeing and reading about this year’s honorees — and what’s happened to those who’ve been honored before — may be just the kind of dose of positive news we could all use right about now.

Then, nominate somebody to be honored as an Up & Comer. It will give us all something more to look forward to.

That would be a ‘no’

Following up on last week’s column and Business Pulse poll, more than half (57 percent) of respondents to Inside Tucson Business’s online poll seem to be in no mood for Pima County officials to be waisting much time thinking about a bond election in November. Another 21 percent responded they didn’t care and only one out of five said they supported the idea.

 E-mail comments for publication to editor@azbiz.com. Contact David Hatfield at dhatfield@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4237.