Regina Romero

BizTUCSONApril 19, 2026

2 minutes read

Mayor
City of Tucson

What opportunities do you see for the City of Tucson in the next five years?

My key priority through the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is economic development. Over the next five years, we have an opportunity to create an economic development strategy driven by our residents and stakeholders. Together with our community, through innovation, ideation and prototyping ideas, we are creating a strategy that will bring us together around what we want to say YES to. In addition to our traditional clusters, we have an opportunity to expand our Creative Economy, Sports Tourism, Logistics and Space Research. Creating more generational wealth, high quality jobs and a great quality of life is good for everyone.

What issues keep you up at night?

As mayor, I feel a deep responsibility and care for all Tucsonans. I am concerned about our ability to stay safe, to be able to afford groceries, healthcare and housing, and to end homelessness and fight the opioid and fentanyl crisis on our streets. Through our Safe City Initiative and the recent action plan draft we released, we are working on bringing tangible solutions, increasing community safety, and building affordability in Tucson. We have many willing partners in these efforts, and I am confident that we’ll make significant progress.

Any exciting updates/accomplishments within the City of Tucson you want to highlight?

With the voter approval of Propositions 418 and 419, we are making significant investments in our transit and transportation infrastructure. Creating the Community Corridors Tool is an important part of bringing needed investments along our commercial corridors. We declared a Housing and Homelessness Emergency and cleared the way for more low barrier shelters to be created within Tucson by the city as well as by nonprofits, community partners and faith-based organizations. Working with Pima County, we’ve been able to expand services at the Transition Center and create a SAFR Center for people needing immediate detox.

How do you envision a collaborative relationship with The Chamber of Southern Arizona, working to advance economic development efforts?

I am grateful for the participation of The Chamber in our Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. Their staff participation in our Individual Interviews and our Community Ideation sessions has been very valuable. I believe that when we can work together, focusing on shared goals and agreed-upon priorities, there are tremendous benefits for Tucson’s businesses and residents. Continuing to build a collaborative relationship between the City of Tucson, our elected officials and The Chamber is key.