Bob Walkup, who announced today that he won’t be seeking reelection to a fourth term, told The Range after his State of the City speech that he’ll miss being mayor of Tucson.
“It’s a great job,” Walkup said. “Contrary to what people think, the mayor has a lot of power for establishing the vision and the direction of the city and it takes patience and perseverance to pull everybody together.”
Walkup said that over the last 12 years, he feels he has “moved the city to a sustainable position where we can realize being a great city for the benefit of the quality of life for all of its citizens. That was the primary objective and I think I’ve done a good job of that.”
He said he won’t miss his critics.
“I can tell you the relentlessness of the assaults is wearing,” Walkup said. “Somebody is always going to object to a position in our political environment, so you have to prepare yourself. You have to move to where the majority of people want you to be and not being mesmerized by a skillful assault by a sub-minority.”
Ward 3 Councilwoman Karin Uhlich said she’ll miss working with the mayor.
“I’m sad about it,” said Uhlich. “He’s been very good work with.”
Ward 2 Councilman Paul Cunningham praised the mayor for his years of service.
“Despite roadblocks along the way, he’s been a soothing and positive presence,” Cunningham said.
