Mayor Jonathan Rothschild marked his second anniversary in office by unveiling his new two-year plan to improve the city’s fortunes.
“It’s more ambitions. It’s more of a vision for this community. We won’t complete everything on the list,” Rothschild said during a Friday press conference. “But we will make progress.”
This new plan is the mayor’s third since he assumed office in 2011. Rothschild said while his first plans contained some “low-hanging fruit” as far as goals were concerned, the new plan is much bolder.
The centerpiece of his plan is creating jobs. And Rothschild plans on updating an old Arizona slogan to get there.
“Everyone remembers the Five C’s,” Rothschild said. “But Tucson has a new economy … one that’s based on the Five T’s.”
So what are the Five T’s?
• Technology: Rothschild wants to partner with the University of Arizona’s Tech Launch Arizona to help businesses get off the ground in Tucson. He also wants to ensure Davis-Monthan and Raytheon stay in the area by working with them on land use and other issues. Furthermore, he would like to see solar farms sprout up on closed city landfills.
• Trade: Rothschild’s primary focus is bolstering ties with Mexico. He hopes to attract Mexican companies looking to move their headquarters across the border to setup shop in Tuscon. To further cement the city’s relationship with Mexico, Rothschild envisions opening trade offices in Hermosillo and Mexico City, starting nonstop flights from Tucson to various Mexico cities and hosting conferences and workshops where folks from both countries can network.
• Transportation: Rothschild wants the new highway connecting Interstates 10 and 19 built, more rail-freight activity to Mexico and a high-speed passenger rail between Tucson and Phoenix.
• Tourism: Rothschild wants more festivals, sporting events and an even more vibrant downtown.
• Teaching: The linchpin to Rothschild’s plan is education. In addition to promoting literacy programs and working with local schools on dropout prevention, Rothschild will ask the business community to lobby the state for more education dollars so Tucson can train workers tailored for a high-tech economy.
