Mayor Jonathan Rothschild increased the population of Tucson by one, at least on paper.
He made Gov. Doug Ducey an honorary resident on Wednesday, praising the Ohio-born ASU graduate for all of his work on behalf of Southern Arizona. Since taking office in January 2015, Ducey has visited Tucson 18 times.
Rothschild said Ducey was pivotal in persuading Caterpillar to open a regional headquarters in Tucson.
Ducey would take the honor in stride but not before businessman Fletcher McCusker told the audience at the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce about the time Ducey used his Eegee’s gift card to buy him and his aides something cool to drink.
“You can never have too many reminders that there is life outside of Maricopa County,” Ducey said.
Ducey primarily focused his remarks on Wednesday to promote Proposition 123, which would funnel $3.5 billion into Arizona’s schools over the next decade.
The governor said he worries that a general frustration with government could be a problem for the measure, urging supporters to vote in the next two weeks in the special election.
He said not enough people understand the measure, saying it is easy to persuade them to support it once you explain how Prop. 123 works.
He also touted the budget for next year, calling it a success.
Specifically, he said the state Legislature wants to reward the state’s three universities and that University of Arizona will “win big” in terms of funding next year.
During a question-and-answer session, Ducey said there is a “significant” dollar number allocated for road repairs in Southern Arizona, but he couldn’t recall the exact figure.
Ducey was more cautious with his remarks while talking to reporters.
He wouldn’t discuss the recent news in the Republican presidential race, saying he was focused on being a full-time governor and would support the nominee.
“I’ve been pretty clear on this and I’ve said what I want to say and that I am going to support the Republican nominee for president,” he said.
As for recent dust storms that have closed portions of Interstate 10, Ducey said his administration was looking into any and all solutions.
“We don’t control the weather,” Ducey said, noting it is a major issue affecting Interstate 10.
He said his office could “bring people together” to find solutions.
