Gov. Doug Ducey
The nation’s eyes are on Tucson — and so are mine.
This region and I have a long history, in and out of office. In the ’90s, Cold Stone Creamery — where I eventually served as CEO — opened its first license in Tucson, before we even began to franchise. In 2006, I had the great fortune of being named an Eller Entrepreneurial Fellow at the University of Arizona. And, while running for governor, I made it clear that my administration would focus on smart policies to unleash opportunities here.
That’s what we’ve done for the past two years.
One of the things I heard on the campaign trail is that citizens in Tucson often feel ignored by leaders at the Capitol. I took that to heart. Since taking office, I made it a point to visit the region 30 times, including earlier this year when — at the invitation of fourth-grade teacher Lisa Stachowiak — I met with students and teachers at John E. White Elementary School to talk about the importance of reading.
We knew the Governor’s Office could do better, too. Juan Ciscomani, who oversees our Southern Arizona office, is a key member of my senior leadership staff who provides us with first-hand, on-the-ground insight into the unique issues affecting families in metro Tucson.
Tucson and Arizona have made great progress since early 2015. We’ve cut taxes, removed and streamlined outdated regulations and generally made our region an easier place to find and create jobs.
You don’t have to take my word for it: George Hammond, director of the Economic and Business Research Center in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, announced last year, “We’re seeing the strongest growth since before the Great Recession.”
That’s an optimistic sign of things to come.
Not to mention: Arizona’s unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since 2008. Consumer confidence is up. Our credit ratings have improved. And Tucson is no exception: This city is a glowing example of what happens what you put the right policies in place to attract new and exciting businesses.
In 2016 alone, Southern Arizona was home to a number of major job-creation announcements from companies like Caterpillar (600 new jobs), Vector Space Systems (400 new jobs), Raytheon (2,000 new jobs), and others.
These developments, unleashed by a pro-growth tax and regulatory environment, are only a few reasons S&P announced in December that Pima County has become the fastest job creator in the United States—and why Tucson is enjoying its lowest unemployment rate since 2007.
The real credit goes to the families, workers and entrepreneurs in Tucson whose perseverance through the recession got the city back on its feet and running again.
In my office, we’re working every day to encourage more of that trailblazing spirit by passing common-sense policies to empower it. Whether that means strengthening Arizona’s relationship with Mexico, our state’s largest international trading partner; rewarding teachers and schools for the good work they’re doing; or getting rid of burdensome regulations holding workers back, we want to ensure that the future of Tucson is bright.
We understand that K-12, the University of Arizona, quality of life, agriculture and water policies, and many other issues are just as important to our economy and to attracting and growing businesses.
I want to hear about them from you. I’m excited to keep the conversation going. So send me an email at dougducey@az.gov, and let’s build on the work we’ve achieved and keep the momentum going.
