In social organisms vs. individuals, ‘Institutional thinking’ is the direct result of longterm patterns that have ossified into a kind of collective “mental given”…i.e. something just taken for granted as people go about their daily lives.
And simultaneously, there’s also an urban version to Newton’s first law: “objects in motion remain in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force.” It applies to cities as well, making them vulnerable to highly negative futures when that ‘outside force’ hits.
With that in mind, below is my humble attempt to categorize 4 of Tucson’s major institutional pathologies that need some immediate attention.
Institutional Failure #1: Lack of political competition: Virtually everything negative about Tucson’s Metro is the direct result of a lack of political competition. This underpins the entire organic path forward to the present. It flows from the terribly flawed 1929 charter change that voters passed on the eve of the Great Depression, in March of 1929 (voting population then: ~13,200 vs. ~595,000 today). From that point forward it was all downhill; had there not been a depression, a world war and a cold war, chances are this disastrous charter would have been repealed long ago. Unfortunately, it cemented extended periods of no political competition that acted to stifle effective policies about growth, development, the Metro’s general role in Arizona, and in the American border southwest. It engenders a deep distrust still, of those in unincorporated Pima County, active to this day in any [much needed] attempts to incorporate separate, standalone municipalities (see #2). For Tucson proper, going to a “Ward-only” council election format would dramatically heal this vulnerability.
Institutional Failure #2: Lack of effective Metro-wide structures for a trade & tech-based future: When the final, post-covid 2020 Census data is assembled, I suspect it will show the Tucson Metro’s population is now [much] more than 40% unincorporated (vs. 3% for Metro Phoenix). Aside from those who cling to romantic nativist beliefs that we’re still homesteading the frontier Old West, this is no way to run a modern Metro. And having an incompetent, expensive, bureaucratic, and corrupt Pima County government as its replacement is an open invitation to civic disaster. It greatly exposes that same Metro to the predations of competing cities that will steal, and/or siphon-off talent & investment. It’s astounding that six adjacent unincorporated CDPs of the Metro’s 13 unincorporated CDPs (census designated places) could be combined into 3 standalone cities of 80-100,000 people apiece. Given what $$$ Pima County robs them of currently, they wouldn’t need one penny of additional taxes to be up & running. The County has been spectacularly ineffective when it comes to guiding the Metro’s general development; it’s become simply a PimaCo ‘gubbmint’ jobs scheme that’s metastasized into an unproductive tumor.
Institutional Failure #3: Fighting the forces of change vs. ‘surfing the wave’ of change: this goes directly to my long-standing criticism of the Metro’s dominant print media, the out-of-state-owned news rag, a.k.a. Arizona Daily RedStar. Their knee-jerk anti-growth, insular and atavistic world-view has promulgated the mentality of an inward-looking Tucson. And it’s on dangerously complementary terms with dystopic local cultural themes—like xenophobia, passivity, and fatalism. Moreover, they’ve cheerfully used their perch to viciously intimidate & attack those with differing views, while “making policy” at the same time. So-called journalists, with J-school “advocacy journalism” indoctrination, should never be allowed to ‘make policy’. 50% of the leadership failure here is directly the fault of Tucson’s timid business community, and elite organizations like SALC, SunCorridor, and other mush-headed nonprofits. They should be sanctioning the wacky urban pathologies promoted by the RedStar, by embracing growth & change. It’s coming whether you like it or not; be on the positive side of that wave.
Institutional Failure #4: Belief in blinkered academic experts: As we transition, hopefully in a peaceful non-warlike manner, to a multi-polar world order from the post-WW 2 unipolar world order, American universities will be called-upon as never before–to “step-up.” This cannot help but affect the City’s first institutional octopus, the University of Arizona, founded in 1885. The UA needs to cease its ridiculous involvement in every Tucson-based, Tom-Dick-and-Harry cause with their hands out. If that’s the way you manage & evaluate your vast bureaucracy of unproductive educrats, you’ve failed ‘Management 101’. The parents, taxpayers, and voters of Arizona, and their elected representatives funding this #1 state budget item are in no mood. Get serious about developing Tucson’s potential, attracting businesses, retaining young people, and actually managing your employees better. You’re still miles behind ASU. And everyone [outside your local, group-think sycophants] …knows it.
So endeth the lesson.
Sellers is a Southpark Republican living in incorporated Oro Valley; his background is federal technology commercialization