>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO SEND A SQUARE OFF, I AM
BRAHM RESNIK.
BRAHM RESNIK. THE 2020S ARE JUST AROUND THE
CORNER.
CORNER.
CORNER. SO, TODAY, WE TAKE A LOOK AT
THE 12 MOST IMPORTANT ARIZONA
STORIES OF THIS STORY, IN THIS
DECADE. 2010S.
DECADE. 2010S. THE FINEST LECTURE WAS MINE
ALONE AND IT WAS NOT EASY,
SINCE YOU THINK, WE STARTED THE
TOP OF THE LIST.
AT NUMBER ONE, ARIZONA BOUNCES
BACK.
BACK.
BACK. WE
BACK. WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE
THE DEPTHS OF THE GREAT
RECESSION.
RECESSION. THE HOUSING BUST SLAMMED OUR
STATE. ARIZONA HIT BOTTOM IN
JANUARY 2010, RECORD NUMBERS OF
HOMEOWNERS WERE FACING
FORECLOSURE, 11% OF US WERE OUT
OF WORK.
OF WORK.
OF WORK. TODAY, THE PHOENIX AREA IS THE
FASTEST GROWING METRO IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. ARIZONA'S ECONOMY IS HUMMING,
AND THE BOOM IS BACK.
NUMBER TWO, SCHOOLS RULE.
THE HISTORIC TEACHER STRIKE IN
2018 WAS THE!
ON A DECADE WHEN EDUCATION
EMERGED AS A TOP ISSUE.
TEACHERS AND PARENTS UNITED IN
A GRASSROOTS EFFORT TO PRESSURE
THE GOVERNOR TO FULLY FUND
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. SCHOOL ADVOCATES HAD THEIR OWN
CHAMPIONS EXPANDING PRIVATE
SCHOOL VOUCHERS AND FUNDING FOR
CHARTER SCHOOLS.
CHARTER SCHOOLS. AT NUMBER 3, THE TRAGEDY IN
TUCSON, CONGRESSWOMAN GABBY
GIFFORDS WAS GRAVELY WOUNDED IN
A 2011 ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
WHILE MEETING CONSTITUENTS.
18 OTHERS WERE SHOT, SIX OF
THEM DIED.
THEM DIED. AMONG THOSE KILLED, A FEDERAL
JUDGE, A GIFFORD STAFFER AND A
9-YEAR-OLD GIRL, CHRISTINA
TAYLOR GREEN.
TAYLOR GREEN. TODAY, SHE IS A NATIONAL GUN
SAFETY ADVOCATE AND TWO OF THE
PEOPLE WHO SAVED HER LIFE NOW
SIT IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
>>> JENNINGS NOW, LORNA ROMERO
A CONSULTANT AND ELEVATE
STRATEGIES AND ALSO REPUBLICAN
SENATOR AID. AND ALSO HE HAS
SERVED AT EVERY LEVEL OF STATE
GOVERNMENT LEGISLATURE
GOVERNMENT LEGISLATURE DEPARTMENT HEAD AND GOVERNOR'S
CHIEF OF STAFF.
WELCOME TO YOU BOTH.
>> MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY
NEW YEAR.
NEW YEAR.
NEW YEAR. >> SAME TO YOU.
WE COULD SPEND ALL DAY TALKING
ABOUT THE TOP 12 BUT WE WILL
PICK OUR SPOTS AND FOCUS ON A
FEW OF THE STORIES.
LET'S START WITH THE TOP STORY.
ARIZONA'S COMEBACK.
ARIZONA'S COMEBACK. AS I WAS PUTTING THIS TOGETHER
IT IS EASY TO TAKE FOR GRANTED
AND I WILL SAY NO WHEN I ASKED
FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS BUT
THIS AT THE TOP OF THEIR LIST
BUT FOR ME, THIS WAS A
FORMATIVE STORY, ONE THAT
PLAYED OUT OVER A WELL, MAYBE
THAT IS WHY.
THIS IS ALSO A STORY WHERE
GOVERNMENT PLAYED A ROLE IN
BRINGING US BACK.
SO, LORNA, I WILL START WITH
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. WHAT
YOU. WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS ONE OF
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STEPS
TAKEN TO HELP GET ARIZONA OUT
OF THE DEEP, DEEP HOLE.
>> THIS IS A PERFECT NUMBER ONE
STORY PICK FOR THE DECADE
BECAUSE ARIZONA WAS PROBABLY
THE HARDEST HIT STATE WHEN THE
ECONOMY TANKED, AND TO SEE
WHERE WE ARE NOW IS QUITE A
TRANSFORMATION.
TRANSFORMATION. ANSWER QUESTION, WHAT I WOULD
PINPOINT AS ONE OF THE
FOREFRONT ISSUES THAT HAS LED
TO THIS TRANSFORMATION WITH
GOVERNOR BREWER AND THE
LEGISLATURE MADE SOME TOUGH
DECISIONS TO TRY TO GET THE
STATE ON TRACK, INCLUDING WHAT
AT THE A LOT OF THE TIME PEOPLE
CRITICIZED A TAX REFORM
PACKAGE.
PACKAGE.
PACKAGE. I THINK WE CAN SAY THAT THAT
HAS CREATED THE ECONOMY.
IT WAS INTENDED TO DIVERSIFY
THE INDUSTRIES THAT WE HAVE IN
THE STATE, CREATE HIGHER-PAYING
JOBS, AND I THINK WE ARE
STARTING TO SEE THAT.
>> I POINT TO SOMETHING MORE
SPECIFIC AND URGENT, HER $3
BILLION TAX INCREASE.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GO
THERE, BECAUSE THAT WAS HUGE.
>> IT WAS HUGE, IT WAS THE
EMERGENCY TAX INCREASE THAT
WENT AWAY.
WENT AWAY. BUT FRANKLY GOT US THROUGH THE
RECESSION.
RECESSION. IT BRIDGE DOES THAT AND THE
OBAMA STIMULUS PACKAGES.
IT'S REALLY WEIRD HOW THE
CONSERVATOR GOVERNOR BREWER,
HER EMERGENCY TAX, A PENNY ON
THE SALES TAX, AND THE
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT DOING A
MASSIVE STIMULUS PACKAGES GOT
US THROUGH THE RECESSION, BUT
THE GREATEST THING -- I AGREE
IT'S THE NUMBER ONE STORY, BUT
THE GREATEST THING IS I LIVED
WITH DECADES AT THE STATE
CAPITOL WHERE WE WERE BEMOANING
THE LACK OF THE DIVERSIFIED
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY. WE WERE BEHOLDEN TO REAL ESTATE
, CONSTRUCTION, AND RETAIL.
SO WE WOULD ALWAYS GET HIT THE
HARDEST WHEN THE RECESSION HIT,
THE BOTTOM WOULD FALL OUT THE
BUBBLE WOULD BURST.
WE HAVE EVOLVED IN THE LATE
STAGES OF THIS DECADE AND TO
REALLY ADVANCED INDUSTRIES THAT
ARE NOW REALLY DRIVING THE
PHOENIX METROPOLITAN AREA AND
TO A LESSER DEGREE TUCSON, I'M
TALKING ABOUT RENEWED
MANUFACTURING, HEALTHCARE,
MANUFACTURING, HEALTHCARE, TECHNOLOGY, THE FINANCIAL
INDUSTRIES.
INDUSTRIES. THESE ARE INDUSTRIES THAT ARE
DRIVING OUR ECONOMY, NOT REAL
ESTATE.
ESTATE.
ESTATE. THEY ARE BRINGING HIGHLY
EDUCATED YOUNGER PEOPLE TO
ARIZONA.
ARIZONA.
ARIZONA. THE MEDIAN AGE HAS CHANGED IN
THIS STATE.
THIS STATE. WE ARE NOW AT 33, OUR MEDIAN
AGE.
AGE.
AGE. WE
AGE. WE ARE 5.1 YEARS BELOW THE
NATIONAL AVERAGE MEDIAN AGE.
WE ARE NOT A BUNCH OF AGING WHY
PEOPLE IN RETIREMENT ANYMORE,
WE HAVE GOT A VIBRANT NEW
WORKFORCE THAT HAS DEVELOPED,
AND I THINK IT IS THE NUMBER
ONE STORY.
ONE STORY. >> TO PIGGYBACK UPON THIS, DO
YOU THINK THE STATE LEADERS AT
THE TIME TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY
WHEN WE WERE AT OUR LOWEST
POINT TO DECIDE WHAT IS THE
ECONOMY WE WANT TO CREATE FOR
ARIZONA.
ARIZONA.
ARIZONA. SO, IT WAS IN MULTIPLE PRONGED
APPROACH TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE
TODAY BUT THEY TOOK A VERY BAD
SITUATION TO SAY WE WANT TO
DIVERSIFY OUR ECONOMY WANT TO
ATTRACT HIGH-TECH, WE WANT TO
BE THE RESEARCH HELP OF THE
U.S. AND WE ARE SEEING THAT.
AS CHRIS MENTIONED IT IS NOT
JUST HAPPENING IN PHOENIX,
TUCSON IS HAVING A LOT OF
ATTRACTION WHEN IT COMES TO JOB
CREATION.
CREATION.
CREATION. YUMA, WHEN IT COMES TO
AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE SECTORS,
THE STATE IS DOING REALLY WELL
AND IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
THINKING WHAT IS THE DIRECTION
WE WANT TO GO IN, NOW CAN WE
REBUILD?
REBUILD?
REBUILD? >> THE RURAL AREAS ARE STILL
HURTING.
HURTING.
HURTING. >> THAT IS AN IMPORTANT POINT.
>> THE RECOVERY BACK IN 2010
THEY WERE HURTING THEN,
MARICOPA COUNTY AND THAT STILL
--
--
-- >>
-- >> THAT IS STILL A TOUGH ARE
NOT CRACK.
NOT CRACK. >> THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE
IMPROVING BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
STARTING TO SEE HOW MUCH
ARIZONA IS GOING AND HAVING
BEEN CLOSE TO PHOENIX, TUCSON,
AND OTHER AREAS, THEY ARE
SEEING THE BENEFIT OF IT, HAS
IT TAKEN MORE TIME, YES.
>> I WANT TO ADD ANOTHER THING,
THE MEDICAID EXPANSION
>> MEDICAID RESTORATION.
>> THAT GAVE THE ECONOMY A CAKE
.
.
. >>
. >> BIG
. >> BIG TIME.
MY OPINION -- I AM A CRITICIZED
LATER, BUT THAT IS HER NUMBER
ONE ACCOMPLISHMENT, IN MY VIEW,
WAS THE MEDICAID EXPANSION.
BASICALLY WELCOMING AND
OBAMACARE TO ARIZONA.
THAT REALLY HELPED AND DROVE
THE WHOLE DEAL.
>> WE COULD GO ON FOREVER, BUT
CHRIS MADE A GREAT POINT, HE
WAS PROTECTING THE HEALTHCARE
INDUSTRY IN THE STATE AND
PROTECTING PEOPLE WHO WERE
CURRENTLY ON THE MEDICAID ROLLS
TO MAKE SURE THE SICKNESS AND
THE SICK WERE NOT GOING TO --
>> AND BIPARTISAN, WHICH IS
UNUSUAL IS STATE CAPITOL THESE
DAYS.
DAYS.
DAYS. >>
DAYS. >> IT WAS GREAT.
>> THIS WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE
FOR NUMBER ONE.
>> WE AGREE!
>> THE HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR
OUR TOP