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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > November > 04
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Editorial: Leitzell’s first moves matter
Gary Leitzell’s education about the work ahead — and efforts to reach out to him — can’t start too soon.
His request to start sitting in on the city’s budget discussions is a good sign. Of course, he’ll be welcomed. If he hadn’t asked, he would have gotten an embossed invitation from Mayor Rhine McLin and City Manager Tim Riordan.
They understand how transitions occur. They know they are only temporary custodians of their offices.
Being a good winner is harder even than being a good loser. How Mr. Leitzell starts off with people — his fellow commissioners, the city administration and the many people in the community who don’t know him — will set the stage for the next four years and the relationships he’ll need to be successful.
The mayor has ceremonial power, but after that, the position doesn’t come with much authority. Mr. Leitzell’s ideas and agenda will rise or fall on their merits and the relationships he has.
He isn’t being picked on or singled out if he quickly finds out that not much happens in government if you can’t persuade others of the wisdom and value of your plans.
Mr. Leitzell also has to understand that people are already taking stock of him. He has been around his neighborhood block, but not the wider community. If he approaches his victory by reminding people that he has a lot to learn, that humility will go a long way toward building bridges.
Outsiders always have overly simplistic views about complex enterprises and how to improve them. That’s the benefit — and the curse — of being a fresh face.
Absolutely, complexity can be used as an excuse not to do hard or unpopular things. But making the stunning budget cuts Dayton is facing, for example, will not be easy.
Creating a new organization chart, which was one of Mr. Leitzell’s campaign pitches, would have limited value in getting there.
More important, the mayor doesn’t get to decide how City Hall is organized. That’s the city manager’s responsibility.
Finally, Mr. Leitzell’s naivete — for example, when he suggested that half of the $15 million to $20 million budget deficit could be eliminated with new revenue — is real.
He needs to listen to city administrators who can be a reality check for him; the city’s financial problems are so immediate that he can’t afford to go down blind alleys.
In her last months in office, Mayor McLin can honor her career and Dayton by ensuring Mr. Leitzell feels brought in. But he has to understand how tough this defeat is for her.
For more than 40 years, a McLin has been in some office serving Dayton. Mayor McLin’s paternal grandfather was the first black to run for city commission in 1947; her father was a reluctant candidate who was elected in 1966 and went on to have an influential 22-year career in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Mayor McLin succeeded him, and then became the first black woman to serve in the Ohio Senate, and finally the first female mayor of Dayton.
Rhine McLin is a warm person who won the appreciation of past city administrators for recognizing their expertise and for her willingness to give them political cover when their recommendations would please few but were necessary for Dayton’s health.
Though the mayor has her faults, there still are things Gary Leitzell can learn from her.
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