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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 > 12 > Entry
Martin Gottlieb: Can Leitzell avoid being Carter?
Let’s compare Gary Leitzell with Jimmy Carter. No offense intended. To either.
It’s just that certain similarities present themselves.
When Carter was elected, a fellow Georgian who had worked for him all along said that if Cyrus Vance became secretary of state, he, the Georgian, would eat his hat, or words to that effect.
Vance was a Washington insider and was one of the first names to come up for the job. But Carter had run as an outsider, an alternative to a Washington establishment that had given us Watergate and Vietnam.
But Vance got the job. And no hats were eaten.
Carter knew that campaigning is one thing and governing is another. He was going to need some local expertise to help him.
But the story is misleading. Carter never really worked out relations with Washington. The instinct about the Washington establishment that animated his aide in the discussion of Vance represented something in Carter, too. And it never went away. Carter did bring a lot of Georgians in with him: chief of staff, press secretary, political adviser, attorney general, budget director.
In that context, he pretty much had to appoint a couple of Vances just to keep the peace. It didn’t quite work.
His presidency was not successful and was not renewed.
The Leitzell connection? Welll, Carter had been a relatively obscure, one-term governor before launching a presidential bid against much better known people and against long odds.
If you win a race like that, the tendency must be powerful to stick with what worked, to trust your own instincts and your own people, to look upon the establishment as the people you beat, the people the public rejected.
Leitzell, too, came out of no place on his own instincts and with his own friends to get elected mayor of Dayton.
He’s got to feel pretty good about what got him here.
Thing is, though, there’s a lot of luck in campaign outcomes. And luck tends to run out.
Anyway, governing will be a very different undertaking. It will be less about winning than about working things out. He’s only one vote on a five-member commission.
He’ll need support from a commission that is otherwise all Democratic. To get it, he’ll need support from outside: from the general public, the business community and others on a case-to-case basis.
Alternatively, of course, he could just go to war against the commission majority. He could aim toward election of like-minded commissioners in two or four years.
But it’s a dicey, dangerous path. And little in his 2009 campaign suggests the necessity of that course.
Little even suggests what being “like-minded” would consist of.
Leitzell is fortunate about one thing: His campaign didn’t lock him into ideological stances or promises that rule out cooperation. That’s the upside of a campaign that was mainly just about being the alternative.
When Mike Turner defeated a Democratic incumbent in 1993 to become mayor, he was pretty much committed to a house cleaning at City Hall. That made things a lot tenser than they need to be now.
Still, tensions there will be. After all, more elections will be coming up, and people do have their ambitions.
Another thing that could work out nicely for Leitzell is the independent label. It makes him freer than most to reach out in several directions and expect sincere help. He should be able to talk with Rep. Mike Turner and Paul Leonard. Former city managers could be helpful, too, including Rashad Young and Jim Dinneen. Though gone from Dayton, they both know the personalities and issues he’ll confront.
Important among the things he might learn from them is whom to ignore. Every city has some very insistent people seeking the mayor’s ear, people who are fueled by misinformation and misunderstanding. Listening to them will send a public official down multiple dead-end paths.
Leitzell doesn’t have to abandon his own nature to become some cookie-cutter, establishment version of what a mayor should be. He just has to recognize his strengths — neighborhood affairs especially — and weaknesses.
In some realms, he is a fairly blank slate, as was, no offense, Jimmy Carter.
Permalink | Comments (30) | Post your comment | Categories: City of Dayton, Columns, Elections, Martin Gottlieb, Miami Valley Politics
Comments
By Rob
November 12, 2009 5:16 PM | Link to this
Wow…still bitter and full week has passed. Face it Martin, your horse lost. And the DDN is looking kind of smallish with all the snippy and snide commentary.
By Lloyd Bentsen
November 12, 2009 7:57 PM | Link to this
Martin, I knew Jimmy Carter and Gary Leitzell is no Jimmy Carter….Martin, I knew Billy Carter…
By Concerned
November 13, 2009 1:38 AM | Link to this
Martin, you are absolutely right. Mayor-elect Leitzel must learn whom to ignore and right now, no one seems more insistent than you.
By David McDonald, Co-Chairman, Leitzell Transition Team
November 13, 2009 7:40 AM | Link to this
Your report is fair Martin. Maybe still a little tainted toward the Left, but fair questions exist here. I would like to tell your readers that I know Gary Leitzell well, and he is in fact no Jimmy Carter - he is a much better man! I would like to tell the City Commissioners (the ones who do not already know it) that Gary and his team wants to work with them and needs to work with them. “cleaning house” at City Hall is not only not needed, it is a very bad idea. A new vision and a new direction is a critically good idea if the city is to survive, and I can tell you all that we have both. The term “everyone needs to work together” is over-used and under-fulfilled, but I can tell you that if we all do not work together this time, the future of Dayton is very, very dim. The word”change” is over-used, but we need a lot of it in policies and actions. Dayton has been going down hill fast for 8 - 10 years. Just about every policy and plan of action devised during that period is ineffective. Doubt me? Just look at the City’s statistics. We will truly work to globally and significantly impact Dayton in a positive manner.
By joe_mamma
November 13, 2009 8:26 AM | Link to this
What the hell are you talking about? If anything you should be comparing Rhine McLin to Jimmy Carter for being ineffective while being in the majority and in power during an economic decline.
By David Esrati
November 13, 2009 10:36 AM | Link to this
I’ve got a better idea for you Martin, why don’t you quit your job at the DDN and ask for a job at City Hall. I’m sure your great counsel would be highly valued. You could also take Ellen Belcher- I’m sure her good friend Nan Whaley could find a cushy patronage job for her like she has for her friends and Mr. Whaley. And, btw- when are you actually going to sit down and talk to the Mayor Elect, instead of just throwing garbage from the sideline? The nice thing about being an independent- Gary can talk to anyone he wants- including all the local mayors- who are still in office instead of has-been’s like Leonard or someone like Turner who created a mini-exodus of talented people like Tim Riordan. Why didn’t you include Richard Clay Dixon too on your list- he came after Leonard- hmmmm- racial bias? Please do us all a favor- stop writing about the City of Dayton, you don’t bring anything new to the conversation- ever.
By Raoul
November 13, 2009 11:44 AM | Link to this
Martin, you are sounding petulant and snippy. I hope the Mayor elect does clean house if they are not willing to take a fresh look at the City’s issues. Other than the successful era of Mike Turner, (no matter how contentious the politics were then) the city has been run by Democrats for a long time. You cannot argue that Republicans or Independents have been the cause of the city’s problems. Let’s have a fresh look and maybe we can turn that frown of yours upside down.
By just thinking
November 13, 2009 12:24 PM | Link to this
I think you are right about finding out who to ignore from those who are in the “KNOW”, and then listen to the one who have been ignored for so long and maybe we can have some real change.
By just thinking
November 13, 2009 12:26 PM | Link to this
I think you are right about finding out who to ignore from those who are in the “KNOW”, and then listen to the one who have been ignored for so long and maybe we can have some real change.
By just thinking
November 13, 2009 12:26 PM | Link to this
I think you are right about finding out who to ignore from those who are in the “KNOW”, and then listen to the one who have been ignored for so long and maybe we can have some real change.
By amazed
November 13, 2009 9:15 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe people get paid for writing this garbage. Marty - did you ever hold down a real job at any time in your life?
By amazed
November 13, 2009 9:15 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe people get paid for writing this garbage. Marty - did you ever hold down a real job at any time in your life?
By stop the madness
November 13, 2009 9:18 PM | Link to this
How long must we read Martin Gottlieb’s “expertise” on the recent Mayoral election. For goodness sake Martin, just admit that you screwed up and move on. Must you write a new Lietzell-related article EVERY DAY??? what a joke.
By Abner
November 13, 2009 9:32 PM | Link to this
Hard to tell which is the bigger a-hole. Martin or Leitzell. At least Martin has consistently been an a-hole for years.
By emperorlotku
November 14, 2009 12:15 AM | Link to this
Mayor Leitzell (sounds good doesn’t it) should only listen to those who have Dayton’s best intirests at heart. No special intirest groups who want to pad their pockets and no agency bureaunazis that want to pad their budgets. If the remaining councilmen can’t cooperate Mayor Leitzell should be on the news every day pointing out the incompetency and corruption. I’d rather have a hell raiser Mayor than a political a$$kisser. Mayor Leitzell doesn’t need the approval of a amatuer journalist either.
By Emmett Thornton Beaver
November 14, 2009 1:00 AM | Link to this
I think Smarty Gottlieb should be compared to Jerry Springer, so that he may be inspired to be a far more entertaining arm-chair windbag than he is now. ZZZZZZZZ
By Emmett Thornton Beaver
November 14, 2009 1:01 AM | Link to this
I think Smarty Gottlieb should be compared to Jerry Springer, so that he may be inspired to be a far more entertaining arm-chair windbag than he is now. ZZZZZZZZ
By Flapjawman
November 14, 2009 1:28 AM | Link to this
I can’t see what this article is trying to say. Does this writer want a new Mayor to fail like Carter? OR…does the writer think Carter is a failure and hopes no one else will be? Either way the writer exposes his desire for a new Mayor to fail, in a way, by falling in line and bowing to special interest. Allow the man to settle in and do what he needs to do. Dayton can be great, as long as the citizens get a handle on the corruption. Let me suggest that this writer (hopefully he is a journalist with some sort of ethics) start investigating the corruption of city council and city governement. Shine a spotlight on all and keep it all tranparant. Then it will not matter how the Mayor is, because he will only be one of many citizens who are after honesty and the revival of Dayton. Intelligence discourse: YES!
By Tony
November 14, 2009 7:41 AM | Link to this
Wow. DDN cannot get past the fact that their incompetant candidate lost. I found it amusing that the tenuous connection made between Jimmy Carter and the mayor-elect works nicely for connecting Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. On a positive note, the article did contain some good stuff, such as reaching out (a condition that goes BOTH WAYS) for advice and working for the greater good of Dayton as opposed to ego boosting and ego stroking, something the commission and city admins have issues with.
By RETIRED SGT
November 14, 2009 8:48 AM | Link to this
Based upon teh comparisons brought out in this article, I think a better comparison is Carter-Obama.
By MM
November 14, 2009 8:58 AM | Link to this
We can expect more trash writing from Martin,Belcher and the DDN for the next four years. They just can’t believe that their political intelligence is flawed. Sore losers all of them.
By Will Brooks
November 14, 2009 9:00 AM | Link to this
Ya, I’m sure Mayor-elect Leitzell needs to read your goofy editorial and take advice from it. You talk of another’s inexperience, another that is willing to do something to make our city a better place (not your city I hear you live in the suburbs) but what experience do you have? Oh, you WRITE about things…probably been WRITING about things for a long time. Keep on talking. You are an arm-chair quarter back. With no real significance on the things you pontificate about.
By Barry
November 14, 2009 9:14 AM | Link to this
my advice is this; ask yourself one question when dealing with a problem. “what would McHat do?” and then do just about anything else because you don’t want to do the wrong thing. the other city councilmen can either shape up and start doing the right thing (or at least stop doing the wrong thing) or they can be replaced. we need GOOD change, not more of the same with a different face on it
By flipper
November 14, 2009 10:28 AM | Link to this
Marty, Your comparison between a city mayor and a govenor elected as president is skewed. Leitzell has no political baggage as did Carter. Carter affected the whole U.S. and Leitzell can only affect Dayton. He may or may not succeed. Carter failed miserably despite political backing.
By dclay
November 17, 2009 11:54 AM | Link to this
It is quite amazing that Gottlieb is still bitter about the mayoral election. He writes “He (Leitzell) will need support from a commission that is otherwise all Democratic. To get it, he’ll need support…from the general public, the business community and others…” Notice, however, that Gottleib did not include any support from the Dayton Daily News. This will no doubt be the modus operandi of the DDN; withdraw support from the Leitzell administration in hopes of failure. This attitude is summarized by Gottleib’s phrase that “luck tends to run out.” One would think that an editorial board that wants Dayton to revive and succeed would want the mayor to be successful as well.
By fortressdayton
November 17, 2009 10:17 PM | Link to this
Still sounds like sour grapes. Just so you know: I and others that believed in and voted for our new mayor are more than ready to show up at the dog and pony show (City Commission) in the rquisite numbers to remind our commissioners what direction we have chosen. Our mayor is not alone!
By Joey
November 22, 2009 6:09 PM | Link to this
From the day after the election the DNN has cried like babies about the results. The editorial staff has a high opinion of their opinions and think little about the opinion of the voters. I’m not surprised that this so-called writer would know and recall so much about the failed ex-president Jimmy Carter. One of his favorites no doubt. Yes, Marty let’s bash the white guy – they’re always in-season.
By Joey
November 22, 2009 6:11 PM | Link to this
From the day after the election the DNN has cried like babies about the results. The editorial staff has a high opinion of their opinions and think little about the opinion of the voters. I’m not surprised that this so-called writer would know and recall so much about the failed ex-president Jimmy Carter. One of his favorites no doubt. Yes, Marty let’s bash the white guy – they’re always in-season.
By Joey
November 22, 2009 6:18 PM | Link to this
BTW Marty, if the DDN cares so much about Dayton why did they build their print production facilities in Springboro and move the “editorial” offices out of downtown Dayton? Hmmmm makes me wonder about how much you and the staff really care about Dayton. How do you spell Hypocrite?
By riverat
November 26, 2009 10:09 PM | Link to this
No offense Martin, but Carter gave the Panama Canal to CHINA. James T. Dinneen and Paul Leonard are part of who that DESTROYED Dayton. Do you even read Joanne Huist Smiths columns in your OWN paper????