Phoenix, Ariz. Mayor Greg Stanton (D) said on Wednesday that even though he was sure Gov. Jan Brewer (R) would veto the controversial anti-gay bill, the measure passed by the legislature already hurt the state’s reputation.
“I’ve got to be honest with you. Much damage has already been done,” he told the Huffington Post in an interview conducted before the governor vetoed he legislation.
Numerous organizations and Republican lawmakers condemned the bill before the veto, shedding negative light on the state.
“The negative national and international publicity that our state has already received — it sends a message that our state is not a warm, welcoming place,” Stanton said. “And the truth is, we are!”
Stanton fears that the bill helped to paint a picture of a hostile culture in Arizona even without the actual law in place.
“If you’re making a decision about where you’re going to ask your top employees … to locate, some of them, because of the things they’ve read recently about Arizona, they may have a second thought about moving there. That’s how this hurts us,” he said.
