A new era begins in Tucson: Mayor Jonathan Rothschild

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Jonathan Rothschild is Tucson's first new mayor in 12 years, replacing Mayor Bob Walkup. Rothschild was sworn in this morning along with the other council members elected in November, Shirley Scott, Regina Romero and Paul Cunningham.

An Inauguration Celebration Luncheon was held at Noon. I couldn't make it to the luncheon, but I am sure it was well attended, in particular, by the Tucson business community who want to start off with some good will with the new mayor.

Outgoing Mayor Bob Walkup's chief of staff, Andrew Greenhill, has agreed to stay on in the mayor's office for at least six months. New staff hires are expected to be announced by the end of the week. Tucson's soon-to-be mayor: Changes at city hall start this week:

“Every other person will, it looks like, will be coming from the outside of city hall,” the attorney told KGUN9 News, expecting a staffing announcement Friday. “We're going to have a communications person. We're going to have a small business advocate–like we promised the community. We're going to have an outreach coordinator. Then, I'll have an executive assistant.”

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Why bring people from outside city hall?” “I wanted to get a fresh start,” he replied. “It didn't necessarily have to work that way. We were overwhelmed with applicants. I'm trying to just choose the best people where ever they came from. But part of it is we want a new look and a new energy.”

Rothschild also hopes to channel that energy into making the city's work more public to the city. The Democrat says he's open to meetings and will start something else new: weekly news conferences.“It's real important right now that people know,” he said. “I think they'll have a better view, quite frankly, of the city when they know more what's going on.”

As I posted back in August, (Update) The Man With a Plan: Jonathan Rothschild fo Mayor of Tucson:

Democratic candidate for mayor of Tucson, Jonathan Rothschild, has a guest opinion in Inside Tucson Business Weekly this week explaining My plans for the first 180 days if you elect me mayor (excerpt):

This week I released my "180 Day Work Plan for Tucson" – a job description of what I would do in my first 180 days if elected mayor. I want Tucson to be a community where our children want to stay and can stay, with good jobs and a high quality of life. My wife and I certainly want our children to settle here.

But how do we make that happen? Running for mayor is more than making promises; it's also about making a plan. My plan has four sections, the first being jobs and economic development.

Tucson needs quality jobs that are compatible with our values. My plan lists specific steps I intend to take to develop those jobs, including bringing a Small Business Advocate into the mayor's office, and personally recruiting new employers. I also plan to give preference to local businesses in obtaining city contracts.

My plan lists steps to streamline permit applications and inspections, so that builders, homeowners and taxpayers can save money. A city government that's user-friendly and problem-solving is part of how we bring jobs here and keep them here.

My plan also focuses on neighborhoods, open government and environmental leadership.

To keep neighborhoods safe, I will review the city's 9-1-1, dispatch and radio systems to make sure first responders have the tools and information they need to respond quickly. We have to improve the condition of our streets. I will look into available funding and new technologies for pothole repair.

I am committed to running an open city government, including posting budget and contract information online in usable, searchable, standard formats, and using traditional and social media to keep Tucsonans informed.

To make sure I hear from Tucsonans, I will hold Town Hall meetings in each ward, and I will take questions at weekly press conferences. I will speak regularly with elected officials at the city, county, state and federal levels.

Finally, Tucson's sunny climate and desert environment put us in a position to lead in solar energy and water conservation. I want to make sure we have the right incentives to bring these industries here, along with the jobs they create.

As a business lawyer who has managed a 55-person law firm, I know how to run a business. I understand fiscal responsibility. Taking good care of other people's money is a responsibility I take very seriously. I have a deep respect for the law and following rules. I know how to bring people together to get things done.

My plan is available on my website – jonathanformayor.com. Please take a look at how I plan to approach the important job of mayor. If you vote for me, I encourage you to hold me to it.

Will Jonathan Rothschild get a "honeymoon" grace period from the local news media, or will the media immediately begin to try to undermine everything the City of Tucson and its new mayor tries to do? — someting of a sport for the local Tucson news media in recent years.