🗣️ Tucson and Pima County Leadership Criticized for Failure to Address Homelessness and Crime
State House Speaker Steve Montenegro Discusses GOP Agenda
Based on the 11/23/24 Inside Track show on KVOI-1030AM.
🙊 Notable quotes from the show
"Tucson and Pima County is a blue and packet region of crime, filth, danger, low incomes, dead-end jobs, crappy streets, lousy parks, except for the greeting card company and the U of A." - Bruce Ashton, on the challenges facing Tucson and Pima County
"We're going to focus on three areas. We can name them the pillars of freedom if we want. The first one is we need to protect the American dream." - Speaker Steve Montenegro, on the Republican legislative agenda
"The voters spoke loud and clear. So from the moment you exit your front door to the border, we want safe communities, safe neighborhoods, and we're going to focus on delivering whatever, whether it's law enforcement, whether it's our counties, whether it's border patrol to secure the border." - Speaker Steve Montenegro, on public safety priorities
"There's things like that that we can do that immediately. I think we can all agree that there are common sense solutions to these things, and we're going to try to tackle that right out of the gate." - Speaker Steve Montenegro, on addressing election integrity issues
"What we're seeing is a good indication. We're going to have somewhat of a surplus. But again, the point is we have to make sure that we're taking care of Arizona. We can't be looking at where we can spend money. You know, we have to be wise with how we allocate these funds." - Speaker Steve Montenegro, on the state budget
"We need to teach certain lessons that they may not be learning in school. And that is patriotism, respect, dedication, support of the community." - Onita Davis, on the importance of Wreaths Across America for children
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
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🗳️ The show talked about what the new leaders in Arizona want to do, like keeping the economy strong, making sure people are safe, and protecting people's rights. They also discussed making sure elections are fair and secure. 🌊 Another important topic was making sure farmers and ranchers have enough water for their businesses. 🎥 The hosts also talked about a cool movie director who made 12 different Western movies in just 1 year, even during the pandemic! ⭐ The show highlighted groups that honor our military veterans and get kids involved too. 🗣️ Finally, the hosts were pretty upset about the leaders in Tucson and the county, saying they aren't doing enough to fix problems like homelessness and crime.
🗝️ Takeaways
📜 Republican-led Arizona legislature prioritizing economic protection, public safety, and individual rights in upcoming session
🗳️ Addressing election integrity issues, such as unsupervised ballot drop boxes and vote counting delays, a top focus
💧 Safeguarding water rights for agriculture and ranching is a major legislative concern
🎥 Independent filmmaker Travis Mills showcasing creativity and resourcefulness in producing "12 Westerns in 12 Months" during pandemic
⭐ Organizations like Wreaths Across America and Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans honoring veterans and engaging youth
🗣️ Criticism of Tucson and Pima County leadership for failing to tackle issues like homelessness and crime, call for stronger Republican presence
📻 What They Discussed
The Inside Track radio show, hosted by Bruce Ashton and Ed Wilkinson, aired on November 23, 2024.
The program featured a lineup of distinguished guests, including Arizona State House Speaker Steve Montenegro, who discussed the Republican majority's legislative priorities for the upcoming session.
Harry Alexander and Bunker de France from the Voices of the West radio program also joined the show. They shared insights about the work of independent filmmaker Travis Mills and his ambitious "12 Westerns in 12 Months" project.
Additionally, Onita Davis from Wreaths Across America provided updates on the organization's efforts to honor veterans in the local community.
🗳️ Arizona Legislative Agenda and Election Integrity
Speaker Steve Montenegro outlined the key pillars of the Republican-led legislature's agenda, which included protecting the state's economy, ensuring public safety, and safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.
When discussing election integrity, Montenegro emphasized the need to address issues like unsupervised ballot drop boxes and long delays in vote counting, stating:
"We have a working group right now, right out of the gate, we put together a working group. We'll be making some more announcements in the next week or two. Still, we're taking this seriously, putting together a working group, but task force specifically looking at these issues, what we can do to make sure that the county is at the chain of custody, that the drop boxes that we're doing everything possible to raise the bar on this."
💧 Water Rights and Management
Water issues were highlighted as a major priority for the state legislature, with Montenegro stressing the importance of protecting agricultural and ranching water rights.
He noted, "We have a group of legislators that are looking at this in depth. We want to respect those rights, and we want to make sure that we're being responsible for the resources we have here in Arizona."
🎬 Independent Filmmaking and "12 Westerns in 12 Months"
The conversation turned to the work of independent filmmaker Travis Mills and his ambitious "12 Westerns in 12 Months" project. Harry Alexander and Bunker de France shared insights into Mills' creative process, filming methods, and the themes explored in his movies.
As Bunker de France remarked, "This guy is so creative, and he tells a great story. There is a great documentary on Tubi, the Tubi streaming service, about the 12 Westerns in 12 months. It's a four-part series, and in it, he goes through his ideas. He talks about how sometimes they do a scene and they're writing another and the next scene at that same time."
⭐ Honoring Veterans and Community Service
The show also highlighted the efforts of organizations like Wreaths Across America and Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans to honor and support the local veteran community.
Onita Davis discussed the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony, emphasizing the importance of involving children in the experience.
She stated, "We need to teach certain lessons they may not be learning in school. And that is patriotism, respect, dedication, and support of the community."
🗣️ Political Commentary and Local Challenges
The program concluded with a segment dedicated to political commentary, where the hosts criticized the leadership in Tucson and Pima County for failing to address issues like homelessness and crime.
They called for a renewed focus on Republican engagement and competitiveness at the local level, with Bruce Ashton emphasizing, "Tucson and Pima County is a blue and packet region of crime, filth, danger, low incomes, dead-end jobs, crappy streets, lousy parks, except for the greeting card company and the U of A."
👯 People Mentioned
Steve Montenegro
Arizona State House Speaker
"We're going to focus on three areas. We can name them the pillars of freedom if we want. The first one is we need to protect the American dream."
"The voters spoke loud and clear. So from the moment you exit your front door to the border, we want safe communities, safe neighborhoods, and we're going to focus on delivering whatever, whether it's law enforcement, whether it's our counties, whether it's border patrol to secure the border."
Travis Mills
Independent filmmaker who created "12 Westerns in 12 Months"
"This guy is so creative, and he tells a great story. There is a great documentary on Tubi, the Tubi streaming service, about 12 westerns in 12 months. It's a four-part series and uh in it he goes through his ideas he talks about how sometimes they do a scene, and they're writing another the next scene at that same time." - Bunker de France
Onita Davis
Representative from Wreaths Across America
"We need to teach certain lessons that they may not be learning in school. And that is patriotism, respect, dedication, support of the community."
Ed Honea
Former Mayor of Marana
"Our community has lost a remarkable leader and advocate for those who served Marana for 40 years. Mayor Honea was not only a champion for Marana, but also a friend and mentor to many of us."
Regina Romero
Mayor of Tucson
"I am deeply troubled by President-elect Trump's plans for mass deportation. I believe they are cruel and immoral. I will work with our police chief to make sure that our focus remains on protecting and serving two souls."
Victor Riches
Representative from Goldwater Institute
Discussed Proposition 314 and its impact on addressing homelessness and property damage
Harry Alexander and Bunker de France
Hosts of "Voices of the West" radio program
Provided insights on Travis Mills and his filmmaking projects