ARIZONA & MEXICO

The 108th Arizona Town Hall, which convened at Casino Del Sol Resort in Tucson in April 2016,
developed consensus on the topic of “Arizona & Mexico.” The full text of these recommendations
is contained in this final report. Prior to the statewide gathering in Tucson, a number of
Community Town Halls and Future Leaders Town Halls were convened on the same topic.
These precursor sessions provided valuable insights and ideas to the participants of the 108th
Town Hall as well as to the communities where they took place.
Reports of these sessions are on the Arizona Town Hall website at www.aztownhall.org. An
essential element to the success of these consensus-driven discussions is the background factual
information provided to all participants before Town Hall sessions convene. The Morrison
Institute at Arizona State University coordinated this informative background material, in
partnership with Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona and other industry
professionals who have lent their time and talent to this effort. Together they have created a
unique resource for a full understanding of the topic.
For sharing their wealth of knowledge and professional talents, our thanks go to the report’s
authors. Our deepest gratitude also goes to Sapna Gupta, Senior Policy Analyst, Morrison Institute
for Public Policy, who marshaled authors, created content and served as editor of the report.
The 108th Town Hall could not occur without the financial assistance of our generous Professional
Partners, which include Premier Partner Arizona Public Service (APS); Collaborator Partner
Arizona Lottery; and Civic Leader Partners Agnese Nelms Haury Trust, Jennings Strouss &
Salmon, and Snell & Wilmer LLP.
The consensus recommendations that were developed during the course of the 108th Town Hall
have been combined with the background report into this single final report that will be shared
with public officials, community and business leaders, Arizona Town Hall members and many
others.
This report, containing the thoughtful recommendations of the 108th Town Hall participants, is
already being used as a resource, a discussion guide and an action plan on how best to leverage
economic ties and develop partnerships across Arizona and Mexico for the benefit of the region.
Sincerely,
Linda Elliott-Nelson
Board Chair, Arizona Town Hall
1 • ARIZONA & MEXICO • ARIZONA TOWN HALL • APRIL 2016