Last week Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll and Rocky Point Mayor Kiko Munro switched rolls last week. Carroll says it was one of the first ever bi-national exchanges of elected officials.
Carroll was back in town at the end of last week, today he spoke to Nine On Your Side about his experience.
One of the first things the supervisor addressed in our conversation was a recently updated travel warning to Mexico issued by the state department for the state of Sonora. It advised visitors to Rocky Point to only travel during daylight hours. It also references U.S. citizens who have been victim of violent crime while traveling in Mexico . Carroll says it is a complete misrepresentation for the city of Rocky Point.
"Dozens and dozens of times I've driven to rocky point, of course you're going to travel during daylight hours and it's going to be a safe ride on good pavement and good amenities and security all the way up and back," he said.
Carroll met with Rocky Point city council, toured a water reclamation facility, and met with business leaders among other things during his time there. The district four supervisor says they discussed topics that impact both regions like water security.
As for the government there, Carroll says he learned they are often able to compromise on decision affecting the city.
"There are no split votes, everything they have on their agenda is usually brought to compromise," said Carroll.
Since returning to his Tucson office, Carroll says other cities and regions in the U.S. have reached out to him, interested in doing something similar. He says a city in Florida expressed interest in a similar exchange with Cuba, a city in Texas possibly exchanging with Mexico.
"It is something necessary and I think they also see it as something that is productive and novel," said Carroll.
In a board of supervisors meeting Tuesday, they will discuss joining Pima County and Rocky Point into a "sister region" which is similar to what cities have in "sister cities."
