Charter Change Coalition to Discuss Proposed Tucson Charter Changes April 30

April 20, 2010 - PRLog -- The Tucson Charter Change Coalition (TC3), a diverse group of community organizations and individuals dedicated to strengthening the City of Tucson’s governance structure, will  host a free, public meeting to openly discuss proposed city charter changes.

“Creating a More Effective City Government” will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, April 30 at the Tucson Convention Center’s Copper Ballroom, 260 S. Church Avenue.

Nationally recognized city management experts Dr. James Svara from Arizona State University and Dr. John Nalbanian from the University of Kansas will offer their perspective and experience regarding charter changes that make municipal government more effective.  They will be joined by Dr. Joseph P. Kalt, international political economy professor at Harvard University, who will lead a highly anticipated discussion of the proposed changes and other ideas that emerge during the session. Participants will have the opportunity to give their opinion on four proposed changes to the Tucson city charter and suggest other changes for consideration.

The TC3 was initiated by the CEO leadership group Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC).

“It is time to review and update the Tucson city charter which was enacted in 1929,” said Ron Shoopman, president of SALC. “Our members are crafting changes to help ensure the City of Tucson’s leadership has the tools and structure to help our region reach its full potential.”

Shoopman and other TC3 members have developed draft recommendations that will be presented for discussion on April 30. They include changes that will make the city manager more accountable by allowing the manager to hire and fire department heads, turning the mayor and city council positions into full-time jobs, creating the possibility to add new wards as the population increases and strengthening the mayor to have at least the same authority as other city council members.

“Our current charter limits the ability of top city officials to effectively meet their responsibilities,” said Shoopman. “The success of this effort depends on community involvement.  It is our hope that concerned citizens and groups will attend our meeting on April 30, listen to the experts and share their opinions on these charter changes.”

Seating for “Creating a More Effective City Government” is limited; attendees are encouraged to RSVP at http://www.TucsonCharterChange.org.

ABOUT THE TUCSON CHARTER CHANGE COALITION (TC3)
TC3 is a fast-growing coalition of community groups and individuals in Southern Arizona dedicated to strengthening the City of Tucson’s governance structure and positioning the city and its residents for prosperity and a higher quality of life. It is a diverse coalition, committed to an open and inclusive process. The creation of TC3 was initiated by the Southern Arizona Leadership Council. For more information, visit http://www.TucsonCharterChange.org or call (520) 327-7619.