Six mayors from Arizona – Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, Mesa Mayor John Giles, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott, Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls and Nogales Mayor John Doyle – are working overtime on their trade mission to Mexico City to tell Arizona’s positive story.
Mayor Stanton has been on his “A” game, ensuring that Arizona businesses are highlighted and encouraging everyone he meets with to check out Arizona as a great place to invest.
Highlights from Day 2:
Mayors on stage. The mayors did a town hall-style forum with students at the prestigious Universidad Iberoamericana. They fielded insightful questions on a host of topics, ranging from immigration, to drug trafficking to America’s startup culture. All of the mayors were well received at the beautiful campus in Santa Fe, just outside Mexico City.
Mexico’s body electric. At lunch we heard from Dr. Hector Moreira, a former cabinet member in the Fox administration, about the revolution occurring in Mexico’s energy sector. According to Dr. Moreira, the future is smiling on North America.
Before its energy reform, Mexico’s energy sector was almost totally closed. But in this new era, CFE (the state-run electricity utility) Pemex (the state petroleum company) and private companies will compete on equal footing. Expect new private investment, joint projects with CFE and Pemex, higher domestic content, new agreements with organized labor and more transparency.
Put it in writing. The mayors headed off to SEDECO, the Secretaria de Desarollo Economico de la Ciudad de Mexico – the economic development agency for Mexico’s largest city – for Mayor Stanton to sign a memorandum of understanding between the agency and Phoenix. The conversation was very encouraging, and there was positive discussion about the need to increase student exchanges between the two countries. There was also talk of Puerto Peñasco’s profile growing in Mexico, which could be a big component of a two-nation vacation for visitors from Mexico’s interior who want to visit Arizona as well as the growing beach town.
Mayor Stanton at the MOU signing with SEDECO.
The real Arizona on display. The day wrapped at the historic Hacienda de los Morales, where our mayors addressed the assembled dignitaries from Mexico’s public and private sector and discussed the incredibly close relationship between our state and Mexico. It was also a chance for our tourism promotion agencies from Tucson and Phoenix to show off all they have to offer. The night also highlighted the fantastic work of Pinnacle Transplant Technologies, a Phoenix company whose tissue transplant technology is changing lives in the US, and now in Mexico.
We head back home tomorrow, but Mayor Stanton, who made this his 13th trip here, has committed to continuing to forge even stronger ties with this dynamic city and country. Arizona is fortunate to have his leadership working to grow this important binational relationship.
