Tucson Mayor-elect Regina Romero sat down with Arizona Public Media’s Duncan Moon to discuss her agenda and immediate priorities after she takes her oath of office in December.
During her first 180 days as mayor, Romero said she plans to create advisory councils that can help her develop policies around the issues she campaigned on such as climate change, economic development and infrastructure investments. She also wants to meet with leaders of the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe and the Tohono O’odham Nation to put together a memorandum of understanding that would include raising their flags in the City Council’s chambers.
“I want to work in solidarity, for the benefit of our communities, with those nations,” Romero said.
While Romero did not support Proposition 205, better known as the sanctuary city initiative, she said she is open to working with organizers of the failed ballot measure to address their concerns.
“I want to continue working for the betterment of every single one of our residents, including our undocumented residents of Tucson,” Romero said. “If all of the stakeholders sit together ... and write ordinances and laws in the city of Tucson that can continue advancing that agenda, I think that is the best way to go about it.”
Romero also discussed the historical significance of her election as the city’s first Latina mayor and the example it sets for others.
“I’ve understood the past 12 years that I am, to many young women and girls, a model that they have not seen before,” Romero said. “I would hope that young women across Tucson and across Arizona understand that there is a seat at the table for our voices.”
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