Regina Romero

Regina Romero
Regina Romero
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Birthplace	Somerton, Arizona, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Known for	First Latina mayor of Tucson, Arizona
Education	University of Arizona (BA)
Spouse(s)	Ruben Reyes
Children	2

Regina Romero (born 1974) is an American politician serving as the 42nd Mayor of Tucson, Arizona, a position she has held since December 2, 2019. Born in Somerton, Arizona, to a family with roots in agricultural labor, Romero rose through local politics to become the first woman and first Latina to serve as mayor of Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served on the Tucson City Council before winning the mayoral election in November 2019. In addition to her role as mayor, Romero serves as Chair of the Latino Alliance of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an inaugural member of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, and a member of the Climate Mayors Network. Her tenure as mayor has been marked by a focus on housing, climate action, and municipal budgetary issues, including the passage of a significant city budget addressing those priorities.

Early Life

Regina Romero was born in 1974 in Somerton, Arizona, a small city in Yuma County near the U.S.–Mexico border. Somerton is a predominantly Latino community in the agricultural heartland of southwestern Arizona. Romero grew up in a family connected to farming and agricultural labor, an experience that shaped her understanding of the economic and social challenges facing Latino communities in Arizona's rural areas.

Romero's upbringing in Somerton provided her with firsthand exposure to the realities of life in a border community, including issues related to immigration, labor rights, and access to public services. These formative experiences would later inform her policy positions as a municipal elected official. She eventually moved to Tucson to pursue higher education and became involved in civic life in the city.

Education

Romero attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. The University of Arizona, a major public research institution, is located in the heart of Tucson and serves as one of the city's largest employers and cultural anchors. Romero's time at the university connected her to the broader Tucson community and provided the foundation for her subsequent career in public service and local government.

Career

Tucson City Council

Before becoming mayor, Regina Romero served as a member of the Tucson City Council, representing Ward 1. Her tenure on the council spanned multiple terms, during which she established herself as a prominent figure in Tucson's political landscape. Election records from the City of Tucson document her participation in multiple council election cycles. She won reelection to her council seat in the 2011 primary election and again in the 2015 general election cycle.

During her years on the council, Romero developed expertise in municipal governance and built a record on issues including neighborhood development, public safety, and environmental sustainability. Her long service on the council gave her substantial institutional knowledge and name recognition that would prove advantageous in her eventual bid for the mayoralty.

2019 Mayoral Campaign

Democratic Primary

In 2019, Romero entered the race for mayor of Tucson following the decision of incumbent Mayor Jonathan Rothschild not to seek reelection. The Democratic primary attracted significant attention, with polling indicating that more than a third of voters remained undecided as the primary approached. The competitive field tested Romero's ability to distinguish herself from other candidates and consolidate support among Democratic voters.

Romero won the Democratic primary, a result that positioned her as the strong favorite to become Tucson's next mayor given the city's historically Democratic-leaning electorate. NBC News reported on her primary victory, noting that she was poised to become the first woman and first Latina to lead the city. The primary results were certified by the Tucson City Clerk's office.

General Election

In the November 2019 general election, Romero won the mayoral race decisively, becoming the 42nd Mayor of Tucson. The unofficial results from election night confirmed her victory. Her election was a historic milestone for Tucson, as she became the first woman and first Latina to hold the office of mayor in the city's 244-year history. The Arizona Republic and other media outlets highlighted the significance of her victory, particularly in a city with a large Latino population that had never before been led by a Latina mayor.

Romero assumed office on December 2, 2019, succeeding Jonathan Rothschild, who had served as mayor since 2011.

First Term as Mayor

Romero's first term as mayor began just months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which posed extraordinary challenges for municipal governments across the United States. As mayor, she was responsible for guiding Tucson's response to the public health and economic crises that accompanied the pandemic.

Beyond the immediate crisis management required by the pandemic, Romero focused her administration on several key policy areas. Climate action became a signature issue, with Romero joining the Climate Mayors Network, a coalition of U.S. mayors committed to addressing climate change at the local level. Tucson, located in the Sonoran Desert, faces particular vulnerabilities related to extreme heat, water scarcity, and drought, making climate adaptation and mitigation policies especially relevant to the city's long-term sustainability.

Housing affordability also emerged as a central concern during Romero's tenure. Like many cities across the southwestern United States, Tucson experienced rising housing costs and increasing pressure on its housing stock. Romero's administration worked to address these challenges through budgetary allocations and policy initiatives aimed at expanding affordable housing options.

In 2023, the city approved a significant budget that reflected many of Romero's priorities, including investments in housing, climate initiatives, and employee compensation. The approximately $2 billion budget represented a comprehensive approach to the city's fiscal and policy challenges.

Proposition 413 and Mayoral Pay

During Romero's tenure, Tucson voters approved Proposition 413, which provided for significant pay raises for the mayor and city council members. The measure reflected a broader discussion about municipal compensation and the need to attract and retain qualified individuals in local government leadership positions. The passage of the proposition was a notable development in Tucson's municipal governance, as it addressed longstanding concerns about the relatively low compensation for elected city officials.

2023 Reelection Campaign

In 2023, Romero sought reelection as mayor of Tucson. She announced her campaign for a second term, running on her record of accomplishments during her first four years in office. The race attracted several challengers, and the Arizona Republic profiled the candidates vying to unseat the incumbent mayor.

The Arizona Daily Star reported on the election results, covering the outcome of the mayoral contest. Official results were tabulated by the Arizona Secretary of State's office.

National and Regional Leadership Roles

In addition to her duties as mayor, Romero has taken on several leadership positions within national and regional organizations of municipal officials. She serves as Chair of the Latino Alliance of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a role that positions her as a leading voice for Latino communities in discussions about urban policy at the national level. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is one of the most influential organizations representing the interests of American cities, and Romero's chairmanship of its Latino Alliance underscores her prominence within the organization.

Romero also serves as Co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition focused on reducing gun violence through municipal-level advocacy and policy coordination. Her participation in this coalition reflects her engagement with public safety issues beyond Tucson's borders.

As an inaugural member of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, Romero has been involved in efforts to address food insecurity among children, an issue with particular resonance in communities like those where she grew up in southwestern Arizona.

Her membership in the Climate Mayors Network aligns with her focus on environmental sustainability and climate resilience as key priorities for Tucson. The network brings together mayors from across the United States who are committed to upholding the goals of the Paris Agreement and implementing climate action plans at the local level.

Romero's public appearances and statements have been documented by C-SPAN, reflecting her visibility on the national political stage. Her voting record and political positions have been tracked by Vote Smart.

Personal Life

Regina Romero is married to Ruben Reyes. The couple has two children. They reside in Tucson, Arizona. Romero's personal background as the daughter of agricultural workers from a small border town has been a recurring theme in her public biography and political identity. Her journey from Somerton to the mayor's office in Tucson has been cited as an example of upward mobility and civic engagement within Arizona's Latino community.

Recognition

Romero's election as the first woman and first Latina mayor of Tucson received significant media attention both locally and nationally. NBC News covered her Democratic primary victory as a notable milestone for Latino political representation. The Arizona Republic similarly highlighted the historic nature of her election to the mayoralty.

Her leadership roles within the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, and the Climate Mayors Network have further raised her national profile as a municipal leader engaged in policy issues extending beyond Tucson. Her appearances on C-SPAN have provided her with a platform to discuss Tucson's priorities and challenges before a national audience.

The approval of a nearly $2 billion city budget during her tenure, with significant investments in housing and climate initiatives, was covered by the Arizona Daily Star as a major accomplishment of her administration.

Legacy

As the first woman and first Latina to serve as Mayor of Tucson, Romero holds a distinctive place in the political history of both the city and the state of Arizona. Tucson, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Americas and a city with deep roots in Mexican and Native American heritage, had never before elected a Latina to its highest office despite its significant Latino population. Romero's election in 2019 broke that barrier and represented a shift in the city's political landscape.

Her emphasis on climate policy in a desert city facing acute environmental challenges has positioned Tucson as a participant in broader national conversations about urban climate resilience. Similarly, her focus on housing affordability has addressed one of the most pressing issues facing growing cities in the American Southwest.

Romero's trajectory from a small agricultural community on the U.S.–Mexico border to the leadership of Arizona's second-largest city illustrates broader patterns of Latino political mobilization and representation in the southwestern United States. Her multiple leadership roles within national organizations of mayors suggest an influence that extends beyond Tucson's municipal boundaries, contributing to policy discussions on gun violence prevention, childhood hunger, climate change, and the concerns of Latino communities across the country.

The city's official records, maintained by the Tucson City Clerk's office, document the electoral history of the mayor's office stretching back decades, placing Romero's tenure in the context of Tucson's long tradition of municipal self-governance.