The mayor Atlanta needs

By Larry M. Dingle

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

I have had the great privilege of knowing and working with mayors Ivan Allen, Sam Massell, Maynard Jackson (over his three terms), Andrew Young, Bill Campbell and Shirley Franklin.

The city of Atlanta gave each of these leaders unique challenges and unique opportunities to move Atlanta forward. Each mayor has had the ability to manage those challenges and define for themselves and our community those unique opportunities.

Whether maintaining calm in Atlanta during the civil rights struggle, implementing an economic policy of broader distribution of city contracting, campaigning for and executing the 1996 Olympic Games, encouraging people to move back into the city with new urban land use policies or repairing the city sewer system, these challenges and opportunities required the same skill set and perspective.

Our new mayor must continue to be a collaborator and consensus builder.

Not one of Atlanta’s great achievements would have been possible without the ability to build support within and among the City Council, Atlanta residents and the business sector.

One trait common among our great mayors is their willingness to challenge convention, stand tall in the face of unpopular opinion, articulate public policy goals based on sound analysis and do so with such conviction and sincerity that others are able to join in their missions.

Leadership is not always about popular choice comforted by where the crowd is at a given point in time. But all of our great mayors have been able to articulate their public policy rationale, to inspire cooperation and to ultimately encourage people to follow their lead. They did not rely on the legitimacy of their office as the sole or primary basis for their credibility.

For instance, one large problem our community faces is our water supply. Which of the candidates will be best at working with our congressional delegations and state leaders to construct agreement within Georgia about water? Which can bridge the divide between Atlanta and the rest of the Georgia? The voters must decide.

Finally, but most important, leadership within City Hall must be addressed.

Mayor Jackson emphasized within City Hall the importance of public service. He asked employees at every level to commit themselves to the idea of public service as a high calling and excellence in their work as the expected standard.

Our new mayor must establish an environment in which excellence in the performance of one’s job is embraced by every employee; an environment in which people come to work early and work late because they care about doing the people’s business as best as they can; a place where different points of view are respected and considered in decision making.

If the next mayor can inspire and lead in such a way, then perhaps together our public servants can resolve many of the remaining internal issues at City Hall.

Larry M. Dingle, a former Atlanta police officer, is a partner in the law firm of Wilson Brock & Irby.