Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are entering 2024 with a sense of hope for the year ahead. Last year was a very challenging year for me and my family, and I’m grateful for the fresh start that we all have in this new year.
As we enter the new year and I begin my second term on the Tucson City Council, I want to share my primary focus areas in 2024. I will be placing the bulk of my time and attention toward these key areas:
- Excellence in Core Services: Local government exists to deliver specific services to residents, and we must do these things well. Between staffing shortages and budget/resource constraints, I am committed to working hard to make sure we’re delivering high-quality services to our residents and businesses.
- Financial Stability and Transparency: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Tucson, as well as state and local governments across the US, received federal funding to help navigate the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding is sunsetting. As we approach our 2024-2025 budget, we will begin to feel the impacts of losing these funds, and we will need to be very strategic and intentional in how we approach the budget. I’m committed to transparency and keeping you informed and involved in our decision-making processes. Be on the lookout for a Budget Town Hall in the coming months.
- Economic Prosperity: Economic growth and ensuring that Tucsonans have access to opportunities is a priority for me, as it has been for the past four years. I’m committed to continuing my efforts around economic and workforce development, ensuring that Tucson is a business-friendly city where employers can plant roots and grow, and people from all backgrounds and professions have opportunities to thrive in Tucson.
- Preparedness and Emergency Resiliency: I’m sure we all remember the nitric acid spill that impacted our community almost a year ago. Since that event, I have continued to push for optimal emergency preparedness and improved collaboration with other jurisdictions so we can be best positioned to respond to future emergencies. Whether it be another chemical incident, loss of power for extended periods of time, severe weather incidents, or any of the other emergencies that our community may face, I’m committed to continuing my advocacy around emergency preparedness so we can best handle emergency situations with minimal impact to Tucsonans.
- Technological Innovation and Cybersecurity: The world is changing, whether we’re ready for it or not. In the past year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) exploded on the scene for the everyday person to engage with. AI presents opportunities for the City of Tucson government to support our hard-working employees and lighten their load, particularly in areas where we have staffing shortages. I will be driving initiatives that support a people-centered, secure approach to funding and adopting the right technologies, with the goal of delivering better services to you. Cybersecurity will be paramount to protect our city’s infrastructure and data, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue bringing my expertise in these areas to the table.
As your Ward 4 representative, I am dedicated to advancing the City of Tucson organization and our community in these areas to help ensure a prosperous and resilient Tucson. Here’s to a year of progress!
As always, please let me and my team know how we can support you by emailing us at ward4@tucsonaz.gov or calling us at 520-791-3199.
Have an outstanding January everyone!
Nikki
City of Tucson Ward 4 Councilwoman Nikki Lee
520-791-3199
Ward4@tucsonaz.gov
www.tucsonaz.gov/ward4
/CouncilwomanLee
@nikkilee_az
@CouncilwomanLee
or: www.facebook.com/cotward4
