What’s Wrong, Cochise County? Spotlighting Arizona’s Thorniest Problems

• We looked at the biggest concerns for Cochise County.
• Bad roads, border issues, and crime were some of the things our listeners said we should address.

Arizona is a great place to live. But take a look under the hood, and you'll spot some thorny issues casting a shadow on the Grand Canyon State.

With high-speed chases, bad roads, human trafficking, and political leaders who refuse to certify a national election, some things put Arizona and Cochise County on the map. Some fear this isn't painting our little corner of the state in the best light.

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The Top 3 Things Concerns in Cochise County

While some of these issues are troubling to everyone in Arizona and even extend across the United States, we focused on social media responses to our question:

What are the top 3 things you're most concerned about in Cochise County right now?

Our Facebook followers had a lot to say about what they believe is wrong with our little corner of the state. Most of the answers fell into the following categories. Here's a list of the most serious challenges facing Cochise County:

• Borders and immigration issues
• A spike in drug use and crime
• Bad roads throughout the county
• Lack of good-paying jobs
• Bad drivers and red-light runners
• School overcrowding
• Lack of school funding
• Water issues
• Wildfires
• Homelessness
• Affordability of goods and services
• Affordability of housing
• Rising prices and unemployment

Addressing the Problems

Lawmakers in Cochise County can tackle some of the issues, but many of the problems extend beyond Southeastern Arizona. The roads with the biggest problems are the highways covered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).

While a mayoral candidate in Sierra Vista vowed to fix those roads, in reality, there was little he could have done to speed the state of Arizona along in making these improvements.

Issues like border security extend

to the federal level. While our local citizens face the fallout of federal policies, our local officials do their best to handle them sensibly.

How will these problems be handled in Cochise County? That remains to be seen.