Category: Advocacy

Tucson Young Professionals supports Proposition 411 on the City of Tucson May Election ballot because our members have told us they want better roads and infrastructure in Tucson.

 

TYP’s Advocacy Committee surveys TYP members on what issues are priority to them in staying and thriving in Tucson, and creating a prosperous, inclusive and innovative region. In our 2021 survey, members put “Transportation and Communication Infrastructure” as a Top 3 Priority. In our TYP Advocacy Platform that read “TYP supports efforts that will maintain and improve transportation infrastructure for Greater Tucsonans.” 

 

Tucson Young Professionals (TYP) is one of the largest organizations serving and representing all working professionals aged 21-45, in the state of Arizona, over 800 members-strong. Our mission is to retain, attract and promote these professionals in Greater Tucson, with a vision of creating the most prosperous, inclusive and innovative region possible. 

 

The data is clear – young professionals and families prioritize quality roads and infrastructure as one of a few key criteria in their decision to come and stay in communities, and our members have said the same in our most recent local survey. 85% of neighborhood roads in the City of Tucson are in poor or failing condition, needing $600 million to repair and preserve them. 

 

20% of the funds collected will also be used to” invest in bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements, sidewalks, lighting, traffic signal technology, and traffic-calming infrastructure.”

 

For that reason, TYP will be urging its members, and fellow Tucson families, to continue investing the $3 per month they have been for the last 5 years under Prop 101, into Prop 411 for the next 10 years to tackle the neighborhood road repair problem. We have taken a careful look at whether the promises made to voters 5 years ago, in 2017, are being delivered on, and by-and-large feel comfortable that they are and will be over the next few years. We intend to keep advocating for the most efficient and effective use of these dollars going forward.

 

The quality and maintenance of our local streets are a reflection of our community’s intention to provide an affordable cost of living, with economic opportunity, and family-friendly amenities such as good parks, quality schools, and safe neighborhoods. 

 

Vote YES on Prop 411.

 

Heath Vescovi-Chiordi, TYP Advocacy Committee Chair

John Winchester, TYP Advocacy Committee Co-chair

Devon Underwood, TYP Board President 

Zach Yentzer, TYP Executive Director

 

 

Tucson Young Professionals strongly supports Proposition 410 on the City of Tucson November Election ballot because we believe that we need to pay our elected leaders like professionals.

 

Proposition 410 will give voters the chance to give the Mayor and Council Members a raise for the first time in decades, adjusting salaries from the current $24,000/year for Council Members to $36,000/year, and the Mayor’s salary from $42,000/year to $54,000/year and would in future years be increased based on the national consumer price index, mirroring Arizona’s 2016 voter-approved minimum wage statute. 

As the largest network of young professionals in Arizona, Tucson Young Professionals seeks to build a prosperous community where all have an opportunity to thrive. We provide programming, events and services around three pillars; Connection, Professional Development, and Advocacy. 

Our Advocacy Committee considers the impact of community issues aligned with our members’ interests and surveyed priorities, and then votes whether to take positions on them. Positions must be approved first by the full Board of Directors before becoming public statements.

Through this process, we have decided to strongly support Prop 410. TYP encourages its members and all young professionals who live within the limits of the City of Tucson to vote YES on this ballot item.

TYP calls on young professionals across Tucson and Southern Arizona to get involved in the civic life of our community, including running for office. The current low wages paid to Tucson’s Mayor and Council discourage otherwise qualified individuals from pursuing public service. Young working professionals who are balancing service to the community with the needs of their families. 

Tucsonans cannot expect a diverse and competitive field of candidates for elected office without providing competitive compensation. This is not a referendum on current seat holders but rather a referendum on the sort of future we want to see in our community

Tucson Young Professionals recommends voters approve this charter change to open the door wider for the next generation of leaders in our community. 

 

John Winchester, TYP Advocacy Team Chair 

Devon Underwood, TYP Board President 

Zach Yentzer, TYP Executive Director