I heard from natives and other long-time residents, high-ranking executives including CEOs of businesses employing hundreds of people as well as people who run small businesses, representatives of biotech and other industries targeted in Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities’ economic development blueprint, representatives of the financial sector, real estate, tourism and the arts. I even heard from a couple of politicians. Some were frustrated and others ashamed but all agreed with the sentiment.
Tucson is losing population in relation to what’s happening elsewhere in Arizona and that means it’s losing political clout. The lack of direction being shown by the current Tucson City Council members will come back to haunt their successors. This will start to manifest itself after the next census numbers come out when the region loses one, possibly two, legislative districts. And when those district boundaries are drawn, no amount of gerrymandering will keep much of a voice in the Legislature.
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Whether Tucson likes it or not, Phoenix and its mindset are coming.
Now, about that word “pathetic.” It made me sad to use it.
It’s not just Mike Hein being fired as city manager. For all I know he deserved it. But that’s just it; I don’t know. Neither does the public. Karin Uhlich, Regina Romero, Steve Leal and Shirley Scott — the four council members who voted to fire him — have been extraordinarily arrogant on that score. And all but Uhlich stand a good chance of getting away with it because they aren’t up for re-election this year while the issue is still fresh in voters’ minds.
What’s worse, the four haven’t shown they have a clue for what happens next. Oddly it’s Nina Trasoff, a council member who voted to keep Hein, who is pushing for a discussion as to what happens next.
More evidence Tucson is in trouble: last week in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star, acting City Manager Mike Letcher was asked if it were possible the city might face bankruptcy. He denied it, of course, but the mere fact the question is now being publicly discussed is not good for Tucson.
And Uhlich, Romero, Leal and Scott can all continue to mouth the words that Tucson is just fine but that’s not the message that’s getting out.
As John C. Scott said while he was interviewing me on his radio talk show on the Jolt KJLL 1330-AM last week, these council members seem oblivious to what’s happening.
That’s what makes me the saddest. While many others in the region see what’s happening our so-called leadership can’t. That’s failed leadership. There are stories throughout history of it happening over and over. And those stories didn’t have a positive endings.
E-mail comments for publication to editor@azbiz.com. Contact David Hatfield at dhatfield@azbiz.com or (520) 295-4237.
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