“Puerto Peñasco is a safe place to visit and invest,” assured Pima County (AZ) Supervisor Ray Carroll on Monday as he stepped into the symbolic role of “Peñasco mayor” as part of an unprecedented exchange between Puerto Peñasco and Pima County (AZ).
During a Monday morning conference with local press, Carroll stated he did not agree with the recent travel alerts issued by the U.S. State Department, highlighting his frequent travels to Rocky Point. Former Prescott, AZ mayor Marlin Kuykendall was also in the audience, similarly acknowledging support for travel to Rocky Point.
Contrary to the recent warning, based on Carroll’s own experiences of visiting Puerto Peñasco and other cities, the region is safe to visit and now with the rising peso-dollar exchange Puerto Peñasco has become a spot offering the “four B’s” – bien seguro, bueno, bonito, and barato. (safe, good, beautiful, and inexpensive).
Furthermore, he noted, once he reaches retirement he would like to retire in Mexico and specifically in Puerto Peñasco with his family.
Carroll emphasized the importance of changing the mentality of people in the U.S. with respect to periodic travel warnings, noting helpful recommendations as to border crossings and travel during the day.
Carroll indicated, “It is necessary to share testimonials and our own experiences about places like Puerto Peñasco, which is also a good site to invest, just as many North Americans are doing.”
During his two-day “mayoral” period in Puerto Peñasco, the District 4 Pima County Supervisor is accompanied by Teresa Bravo, Coordinator of Economic Development and International Projects for Pima County (AZ). The two-day agenda has included tours through City Hall, to the local water department (OOMAPAS), the DIF (office on Family and Children Services) along with the Amores de Peñasco Children’s Home and Community Centers, gatherings with a number of local business leaders, and a visit to the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve, among other activities.
For her part, the Pima County Coordinator of Economic Development remarked, “We are very pleased to be here, not just for a cultural exchange, but an educational one as well and to identify projects such as tourism in Peñasco, not just to promote our region on the U.S. side but in Mexico as well given that both negative and positive impacts effect us all. We have no concerns about traveling to Puerto Peñasco and in fact the Supervisor has come to Peñasco several times over the last few months, and we are also here to provide the message it is safe to come to Mexico.”