A professor left an Ivy League university to work in city government. What he learned in city hall was important, but what he missed was even more important.
A Mayor’s Test for Good Decisions
Is there a checklist you could apply to a major decision the night before making it so you could sleep better? There is, and if you follow this simple but demanding checklist, you’ll steer clear of making most bad decisions. The best part: I learned it from a mayor.
Lesson Four: The Art of the Compromise
Compromises are ways of opening the door to change by reducing the objections of interest groups. They are at the heart of decision making in city halls and are the closest thing in politics to an art form. Here’s what reporters should know about how compromises come about . . . and why.
Lesson Three: Seeing the Unseen City Council
Perhaps the most underanalyzed but important part of local government is the city council. The key is knowing how much councils are shaped by their form of government and election processes. Here’s a look at how council members work with mayors, city managers, and one another, and how these habits are influenced by structure and representation. Don’t worry: There are some good story ideas here, too.
The Leader as Strategist and Persuader
The best leaders see unnoticed assets, find ways of making these assets greater and far more apparent, and bring others along on the journey. Cities need an army of such people, but at some times and in some places, just one will do. Here’s how one leader did all of that and changed his city in four years’ time.