Bolding announces final appointment to WIFA board

Arizona’s new Water Infrastructure Finance Authority Board is complete after House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, announced the final appointment of the nine-member board Monday. 

Bolding appointed Tucson Assistant City Manager Tim Thomure to the board, House Democrats announced in a Monday news release. The board will oversee a $1.2 billion budget passed in the bipartisan water infrastructure deal during the 2022 legislative session. 

“Water security is critical to Arizona’s economy, environment, and our quality of life,” Thomure said in the release. “I am honored to be selected by Representative Bolding to add Southern Arizona’s voice to the WIFA Board as we work on sustainable water solutions for our state.”  

The board is responsible for addressing water issues the state is facing by providing loans and grants to water providers and entities for the purposes of importing water into Arizona, conservation, efficiency and reuses and new technologies, according to a Oct. 3 news release from Gov. Doug Ducey’s office. Water Infrastructure Finance Authority will also be able to acquire, store and sell new, imported water while also engaging in private and public partnerships. 

Thomure has worked with the city of Tucson since 2016, where he also served as director of Tucson Water. He was also the associate vice president of HDR Engineering, a multi-state company with offices in Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque and Las Vegas. 

“So much of Arizona’s future depends on how well this board performs its mission of funding projects that help conserve our current water supplies and secure additional long-term and sustainable sources of water for our growing state, which continues to bear the brunt of the region’s ongoing aridification,” Bolding said in the release. “Tim Thomure has dedicated his life and extensive expertise to making smart water policy decisions. I have no doubt this dedication will extend to the WIFA Board. This Board is the future of water policy in Arizona – and Tim has more than earned his place at that table to make big decisions for the future of our state and people.”   

The other members of the board include appointees made by Ducey, House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa; Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott; and Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix. 

The board will have its first meeting on Thursday. In addition to Thomure, the eight other appointees are Andy Tobin, Jonathan Lines, Buchanan Davis, David Beckham, Pete Kim, Susan Montgomery, Dr. Theodore Cooke, and Richard Lunt.