Local Opinion: The state of the city is not strong, but it could be

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero delivered her third State of the City on Thursday. The nature of these annual addresses is to spotlight work from the last year, talk about what’s next and assure that the state of the city is strong.

Tucson has a lot going for it. This 33rd largest city in America has found a way to stay incredibly friendly and open. Our history, arts and culture are bar none, our food internationally recognized. Open space and sunny weather are a draw to many from around the world.

I love it here.

But those of us who love Tucson also have a duty to be clear and honest about this place we call home. That’s why I’m running for mayor as an Independent. The state of the city is not strong. Our fundamentals are shaky, and we are failing to deliver on the most basic promises cities make to their citizens: The ability to afford rent or purchase a home, on the wages of good-paying jobs from a strong economy, near good parks, roads, schools and safe neighborhoods.

According to the City of Tucson’s Housing and Community Development Department, median rent has increased by 40% since just 2017, and home values rose 60% in the same period. This is partially the result of population growth that has outstripped the little amount of housing supply we’ve built since 2009.

The University of Arizona’s MAP Dashboard ranks our business growth and employment growth as dead last among our peer metro areas. Real GDP in the Tucson area was in the bottom third. COVID jobs recovery was ranked continually near the bottom in comparison to the state’s six other metros.

And, perhaps felt most deeply by people who call Tucson home, are the crises of neighborhood safety and homelessness. Between 2020 and 2022, homelessness in Tucson/Pima County spiked nearly 70%. Chronic homelessness almost doubled in that time, as did those experiencing mental health and substance abuse issues. 2021 was the deadliest year for murder in Tucson’s history. We have to get these things right, for all that we love and want for this community to be. It will take political courage to change course.

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We can’t solve housing affordability or access until we commit to building enough housing to meet the demands of a growing population. This is a function not of state or federal dollars, but of local governments courageous enough to be innovative with zoning and land use, paired with a streamlined regulatory environment and efficient permitting and policy processes.

Tucson is gifted with strengths in 21st-century industries like space technology and defense, health sciences and more. We need to focus on turning that potential into high-wage jobs that build a resilient local economy that can support our great local businesses and entrepreneurs.

And we need to more critically examine whether or not Tucson’s Housing First strategy implemented in the last few years is up to the size and scope of our homelessness and the growing number of those struggling with substance abuse and mental health. It will take courage to set a pro-human, pro-city policy that honors human dignity, but also our public spaces and the ability of our neighbors and local businesses to go about their lives safely.

We are at a tipping point; our housing crisis, a struggling economy, and surging homelessness need to be urgently addressed at scale, or we risk a problem so large it will take years and decades to recover from.

Yet, I am optimistic for Tucson. In a time where so much seems hopeless and out of our control, we have all the tools and human ingenuity, right here, to tackle our biggest challenges, and I am seeing a cross-partisan, multi-generational movement taking shape with the courage to do just that.

Now, there’s some good news!