Gov. Brewer picks Tim Bee to head S. AZ office

Tim Bee is Gov's man in SoAZ.

TUCSON -- New AZ Governor Jan Brewer had an event today downtown. I talked with her briefly, urging her to please help me and other concerned legislators protect education and health care funding.

Brewer has hired former AZ Senate President Tim Bee to lead her southern Arizona office, which could be a good pick. We'll see how much influence Bee may have with Brewer and her staff at the Capitol, especially on issues critical to Tucson and southern Arizona.

If I heard her correctly, the governor mentioned in her speech taking an airplane to Tucson, which is expensive, much more costly than driving like the rest of us do. If she did indeed fly from Phoenix to Tucson and back, how much did this flight cost the state? I have no problem with the governor of a big state using a private plane when truly needed, but private planes are very expensive to fly and should only be used for long trips, not 120 miles.

Business leaders in Tucson are supporting protecting education and health care funding from drastic cuts, and some are even calling for revenue enhancements to improve state services, I heard this morning at the Southern Arizona Leadership Council's legislative breakfast.

People want a great state, not a wasteland, and they are willing to invest in Arizona's future.