Guest opinion
Prop. 401 helps brings results to city government
Proposition 401 inserts best practices from other successful cities into Tucson's government
Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." It's time to break that cycle in city government in Tucson and bring some sanity to the process by voting yes on Prop 401.
Tucson has struggled, weighed down by an outdated governance process that doesn't serve a modern city. Proposition 401 inserts best practices from other successful cities, such as Portland, Ore., and Austin, Texas, into Tucson's governance structure.
Proposition 401 will:
Prop 401 has the support of a diverse group individuals, demographic groups, and organizations that otherwise don't agree on much of anything. In fact, Prop 401 is one of only two ballot propositions in Tucson's recent history that has the support of Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party members, Independents, environmentalists, non-profit executives, labor unions and business leaders.
The four co-chairs of the "Yes on 401" Committee symbolize that diverse support: Carlotta Flores, owner of El Charro Restaurants; Linda Hatfield, chair of Pima Area Labor Federation; former Congressman Jim Kolbe; and Dr. Peter Likins, President Emeritus of University of Arizona.
As you head to the polls Nov. 2 or complete your vote-by-mail ballot, I encourage you to consider the following points and then vote Yes on Prop 401:
It's important to remember that Prop 400 and 401 are unrelated. Prop 400 is a ½-cent sales tax increase, which the mayor and city council initiated it to solve a temporary budget problem. Prop 401 was initiated by a diverse citizens coalition to bring better government to the city of Tucson.
I support Prop 401 because I believe it is an opportunity to bring genuine improvement to the processes of city government and, ultimately, improve our city. With Prop 401, our city government will stop doing same thing over and over again, and we can expect different results.
I hope you will join me in voting "yes" on Prop 401.
Peterson is a member of the “Yes! On 401” Committee.
Lea Márquez Peterson is president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.