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
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