5 Good Governing Mayors

Focused on the issues most important to their constituents, mayors have to ensure public resources get used wisely and in a way that achieves results while respecting the law and democratic values.
As mayors from across the nation gather for The United States Conference of Mayors’ Annual Meeting this weekend, here are five that are practicing good governance in small and mid-sized cities.

Mayor Mick Cornett supported a one cent sales tax to fund projects that enhance the quality of life for Oklahoma City residents, such as the construction of RIVERSPORT Rapids.

Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City

Once dubbed one of the five most innovative mayors in the country by Newsweek, Cornett has been credited with helping his city shed a collective 1 million pounds through an ambitious health campaign. He’s also invested nearly $2 billion to improve schools and infrastructure and boosted civic engagement by including residents on various subcommittees. Cornett, who’s been mayor since 2004, is now the longest-serving leader among the 50 biggest cities in the U.S. and is hoping to take his changemaking ways statewide by running for governor.

Mayor Svante Myrick takes a selfie with the Child Development Council after his proclamation of Child Development Council Day in Ithaca, N.Y

Svante Myrick, Ithaca, N.Y.

First elected at age 24, Myrick – now 30 – is known for hanging an LED sign in his office that displays text messages from constituents. But more importantly, he’s tackled the heroin epidemic by proposing a detox center, methadone clinic and supervised safe injection site. “It’s a great example of good governance because although it’s experimental, there are early signs of success where it’s been done (like Vancouver, B.C.),” says Alex Torpey, former mayor of South Orange, N.J., and visiting professor of governance and technology at Seton Hall University. The idea may seem counterintuitive, but Torpey says Myrick’s team “brought in all possible stakeholders, did appropriate research and made a really brave decision to try something to help attack this problem.”

Local Louisville high school seniors discuss their post-graduation plans with Mayor Greg Fischer.

Greg Fischer, Louisville, Ky.

This Bluegrass State inventor turned businessman turned politician was elected mayor in 2010. Last year, he was voted the country’s “most innovative” mayor in a Politico survey and credited with driving the creation of a new economic development agency and an innovation office. One of his administration’s top goals includes making the city more compassionate, as well as improving education and creating “good-paying” jobs. “Throughout this tenure, the city of Louisville has moved from an old industrial town without a lot of industry to a modern creative class magnet in the Midwest,” says William Hatcher, associate professor of political science at Augusta University.

Mayor David Bieter congratulates new enlistees in the United States Navy at Boise City Hall.

David Bieter, Boise, Idaho

This fourth-term mayor – the longest in Boise’s history – has expanded access to childhood education programs and affordable housing while taking a bold stance to protect immigrants and refugees. His city does better than many others at ensuring the safety of residents and providing them access to hospital beds and certain health outcomes, helping Boise rank at the top of the America’s best-run cities study.

In Washington D.C., Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed participates in a panel discussion on the economy and job opportunities for Americans.

Kasim Reed, Atlanta

Under his leadership, the local government of this bigger city has strengthened its economy and developed urban amenities “in a manner that is effective, efficient and fair,” notes Hatcher. The second-term mayor established a bike share program to help with traffic congestion and pushed for new transit infrastructure. Recently, Reed pledged to uphold the Paris climate accord and joined the Global Parliament of Mayors, which is tackling local issues resulting from worldwide problems. “Mayors need to be at the forefront of global challenges like immigration, social mobility, climate change and resiliency,” Reed has said.
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The Latest (and Maybe Greatest?) Way to Propose Legislation to Your Lawmakers

Politicians have long been scratching their heads on how to restore the increasingly fractured relationship with constituents. So as more Americans migrate online, lawmakers are experimenting with crowdsourcing as a means to better understand voter needs and to create policy that answers their concerns.
In states such as New York and California, code repositories such as GitHub and writing workspaces like Wikispaces are fast becoming mediums for politicians to field feedback or help drafting legislation, Government Technology reports.
In fact, California Democrat Assemblyman Mike Gatto gained great fanfare for his Wikispaces initiative, which enlisted residents to help draft legislation on probate law. The measure, which enables a court to determine who becomes guardian of a deceased person’s pet, may have been a small contribution to the state, but it motivated Gatto to further pursue the idea of crowdsourcing policy. Gatto contends that crowdsourcing could bridge the longstanding gap between elected officials and frustrated constituents.

“When you put out a call like I did and others have done and say ‘I’m going to let the public draft a law and whatever you draft, I’m committed to introducing it … I think that’s a powerful message,” Gatto said. “I think the public appreciates it because it makes them understand that the government still belongs to them.”

New York City Council Member Ben Kallos uses GitHub to collect public commentary on much of his technology-related legislation. Kallos finds crowdsourcing as an empowering tool that creates a different sense of democracy, he told Government Technology. 
And that’s not all. The Catwaba Regional Council of Governments in South Carolina and the Centralia Council of Governments in North Carolina are surveying local insight how leaders should plan for growth in the area. Earlier this year, residents were given iPads at a public forum to review four ideas for growth and provide feedback.
MORE: Why Boston Asked Its Youth to Determine How to Spend $1 Million
Of course, there’s a chance that special interest groups can manipulate these digital tactics to dictate how policy is shaped. Crowdsourcing expert Trond Undheim cautions that while the concept is great for public engagement, lawmakers should be careful with whom is influencing how laws are written. But Gatto maintains that Wikispace provides safeguards about editing a crowdsourced bill if it is apparent someone is changing legislation for the wrong reason.

“I think as long as there is sufficient participation, and that’s the big key, then I don’t think anyone can pull a fast one,” Gatto said.

But perhaps that’s the point of crowdsourcing: underscoring the very idea of democracy and giving everyone an opportunity to speak up.

This Plug-in Makes it Easy to Track Campaign Donations

Campaign finance laws have made it easier for politicians to shadow donors, but despite a national push toward more transparency, most Americans remain unaware of who’s handing out cash to elect their local, state and federal lawmakers.
Which is why the new plug-in Greenhouse is an exciting development in helping citizens make connections between their elected officials and special interest groups or industries.
Created by 16-year-old Nick Rubin, Greenhouse collects data from the nonprofit Center of Responsive Politics project Opensecrets.org and lets a user track a politician’s funding portfolio simply by hovering over his or her name. Users can immediately see a scorecard for any member of Congress who pops up in an article or online site, breaking down not only which industries are supporting the candidate, but also how much money they give in total, as well as percentages of donations from individuals contributing less than $200.
“Even though I am only 16 years old, not quite old enough to vote, I am old enough to know that our political system desperately needs fixing,” the Seattle native said on the Greenhouse website.
Self-taught in computer coding, Rubin was in seventh grade when he first took interest in how money shapes politics. He pursued his idea after participating in a project on corporate personhood and hearing Harvard professor and campaign-finance activist Lawrence Lessig speak. According to Fast Company, Lessig consulted with Rubin on the launch of the beta version.
Since the plug-in went live in June, it’s amassed more than 41,000 users.
The project has garnered interest on both the left and right and helped illuminate an issue that’s important for American politics in general, regardless of ideology. As Greenhouse’s tagline states, “Some are red. Some are blue. All are green.”
“What it signifies is that the influence of money on our government isn’t a partisan issue. Whether Democrat or Republican, we should all want a political system that is independent of the influence of big money and not dependent on endless cycles of fundraising from special interests,” Rubin said.
Indeed, it’s refreshing to see the next generation — especially one that is not even of voting age — taking interest in reforming the political process into one that all Americans can be proud of.
MORE: Washington Needs to Be Fixed. These Innovators Aren’t Waiting for Congress to Do It.

 
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