Monday evening’s “Roast” at the Loft, featuring 12 prominent local government officials, organized by Councilman Steve Kovachik and emcee’d by David Fitzsimmons, was an outstanding success!

Packing the auditorium with close to 400 attendees, the event treated the audience to a 2-hour truly bipartisan exchange of a variety of issues including gun control, improving the economy, the Rosemont Mine, immigration and the need for Medicaid reform in Arizona.  Fitzsimmons was in rare form and kept everything moving along at a lively and fun-filled pace.

I found out about this meeting at the last minute and am sure glad I attended.  It was heartening to see a truly good-natured, bipartisan exchange on important issues facing our community, our state and our nation. Highlights from my perspective included:

• The introduction of Victoria Steele, recently elected State Representative (D – District 9).  This young woman follows on the heels of Gabrielle Giffords and is a real dynamo.  She is certain to go far in her fledgling political career.  Already she is working across the aisles to collaborate with Ethan Orr, a Republican also newly elected to the State Legislature, on plans to introduce important mental health legislation.
• A spirited and cogent discussion concerning gun control that included included testimony from Ron Barber, who was severely wounded at the Giffords shooting, concerning model legislation he is preparing to introduce at the federal level concerning mental health first aid to help curb gun violence; a statement by State Senator Olivia Cajero Redfond that she supports gun control because “children are more important that the Second Amendment”, and a statement by State Representative Bruce Wheeler that he would rather see more counselors in schools than cops as a way to curb gun violence.  Wheeler’s statement drew heavy applause.
• Compelling testimony from a number of panelists concerning the need for our state to apply for federal assistance to enable us to dramatically increase our Medicaid safety net.  Both Steve Farley and Victoria Steele emphasized the need to apply a substantial portion of the state budget surplus toward this end.  Steele testified to the need to use part the surplus to reinstate AHCCCS eligibility for childless adults, citing that the glut of uninsured patients being forced to use hospital emergency rooms is a key factor that is jeopardizing the solvency of a number of Arizona hospitals.  State Senator David Bradley (both Steele and Bradley are counseling professionals) stated that it is imperative that these benefits be restored, adding that “We think that if we cut resources to people, we think these people will go away.  But in reality they don’t.”  Bradley’s statement generated a resounding applause.  And Rep Steve Farley emphasized that our state’s opting to choose to accept federal assistance under the Affordable Care Act is a no-brainer: If Arizona were to apply $500 million of our budget surplus toward that end, we’d be eligible for $20 billion in federal aid to expand our Medicaid program!

I commend Councilman Steve Kovachik, Mayor Rothschild, and others for orchestrating a truly civil, informative and lively bipartisan exchange by key government officials.  This event definitely makes me feel proud to be a Tucsonan!

Recommended posts and op/eds:

•  Tucson Citizen, Carolyn’s Community, “Remembering January 8, 2011″
• Arizona Daily Star, January 8, 2013, op/ed by Victoria Steele, “From tragedy we can find the strength to act, create change”