TUCSON, ARIZ. (KGUN) — In her State of the State address, new Governor Katie Hobbs made a strong commitment to statewide issues like education at the school district and college levels. But Arizona Governors traditionally bring their State of the State messages out of the Capitol building to areas like Southern Arizona.
Governor Hobbs' visit to Tucson Tuesday gave KGUN 9 On Your Side’s Craig Smith an opportunity to ask about issues of special concern here.
There’s a perception in Arizona that Maricopa County is the ten ton gorilla that gets everything it wants from state government while every place else is an afterthought.
Governor Katie Hobbs came to Tucson and said Southern Arizona will be a priority for her.
Talking with KGUN 9 reporter Craig Smith, Governor Hobbs said, “I want to make sure that we are including all of the communities across our state especially, the chances to bring economic development where a lot of the communities down here have been shut out of that.”
The Southern Arizona version of Governor Hobbs’ State of the State address was a chance for her to hear one on one, what people here hope the State government can do for them. She understands border concerns are more acute in smaller communities closer to the border. She says she will work to hold Federal authorities accountable.
“I don't intend to have an antagonistic approach about the issues we're facing, which I think you know, political stunts tend to bring about and so certainly, we're going to focus on what real solutions are.”
She says she’s invited Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to visit Arizona, and says that should help local authorities feel Washington is not ignoring their border concerns.
The Governor claims people are asking her for help with homelessness and high housing costs. She’s reestablishing a council to co-ordinate state, local, private and non profit resources to help ease homelessness and high housing costs.
Gov. Hobbs says, “That's gonna go a long way towards building partnerships to work together on solutions, how the state can be a better partner, working with local communities, how we can free up resources and eliminate red tape that's keeping communities from building more affordable housing.”
Hobbs is a Democrat. Republicans hold a slim majority in the State Legislature. She says even in politics where divisions can be strong and angry, she thinks she can get her programs through.
“I've had meetings with legislative leadership on both sides of the aisle. I'm encouraged by those meetings. There's recognition that we need to come together to find common ground, that the issues that I've talked about on the campaign trail and now as governor are not Democrat or Republican issues, they're hearing the same things on the Republican side from their constituents and we have to work together to tackle them.”
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