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Do IT this week: Layering
Study shows the value of leadership in a tough economy
By Steve Hoffman
Beacon Journal editorial writer
Published on Thursday, May 14, 2009
Except in the movies (Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life comes to mind), it's impossible to assess just how Bedford Falls, or anywhere else for that matter, has been affected by the life of a particular person.
In the real world, social experimentation on a mass scale is out of the question. While it might be interesting to duplicate Akron, put a different mayor in charge and measure the differences after a decade or so, the practical and ethical obstacles are far too daunting.
Instead, voters are left to assess who might best move things forward, then cast their ballots accordingly.
Sometime before mid-July, petitions having been certified, Akron voters will be asked whether to recall Don Plusquellic, the city's longest-serving mayor.
This is a political experiment run amok, one based largely on the hypothesis that Plusquellic has left a city in decline, in debt, with boarded-up neighborhoods and jobs going to China. Is there any objective way to tell whether the mayor's leadership has made a difference in the city's economy since he took office in 1987?
The question was addressed in a recent case study by Ned Hill, Cleveland State University's vice president for economic development and interim dean of the well-respected Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.
Denied the special effects of Hollywood or a replica of Akron with which to experiment, Hill did the next best thing: He looked at the six other large cities in Ohio and 23 other large cities in surrounding states, all in the industrial Midwest, all buffeted by roughly the same economic winds, covering the period from 1990 to 2007.
Plusquellic was in the mayor's office in Akron for the entire period, actively seeking a new direction for the city after the closing of the rubber shops.
How did he do? Hill's conclusion is that Plusquellic's leadership has made a positive difference.
In the crucial measurement of jobs, Akron and Columbus were the only Ohio cities studied that experienced a growth in the number of employed residents. Only seven other cities in the group had an increase. Columbus enjoyed an 18.1 percent jump (to 379,930), compared to Akron, which had a 4.4 percent increase, to 101,468.
Then again, in Cleveland, the number of employed residents dropped by 6.6 percent, to 172,845.
Hill found Akron's growth all the more remarkable when looking at common drivers in other comparison cities. Most enjoyed at least one of three advantages over Akron: a flagship state university in the core city, exit ramps from a ring highway located in the city or a policy of aggressive annexation.
Without any of those factors, Akron had to hustle. ''The residual explanation for the city's success in economic development is that it did many small things right that encouraged job generation and maintained a working residential population,'' Hill wrote.
''The city courted investment to encourage job formation, invested in neighborhoods to retain an employable residential population, and connected residents to work,'' Hill continued. ''In other words, Akron has scrapped and fought to revitalize its employment base.''
Among its strategies, Akron has invested in its downtown, formed joint economic development districts with suburbs and vigorously pursued foreign companies willing to locate in the city. Hill also noted Plusquellic's push for a tax increase to help rebuild city schools, close work with the University of Akron and revitalization of old industrial sites such as the Goodyear headquarters project.
Change Akron Now, the group seeking to recall Plusquellic, has a far different vision. Its members have fought many of the mayor's initiatives, most recently helping to kill a plan to lease the sewer system to fund a college-scholarship program.
Former Councilman Joe Finley, who challenged Plusquellic in the 2007 primary, advocated a kind of back-to-the-basics approach, focusing on little else beyond providing essential services.
Finley, now seeking an at-large seat, has distanced himself from the recall. But his run in 2007 was one of the rare times dissidents have managed to get beyond criticizing the mayor to outline how they would act once inside the Municipal Building.
Hill does not address the recall in his study. He does conclude that Akron cannot afford to sit still, describing the city as ''on a knife edge.''
In other words, Akron needs to keep hustling. ''It either invests in a disciplined way in its future,'' Hill wrote, ''or faces certain decline.''
Hoffman is a Beacon Journal editorial writer. He can be reached at 330-996-3740 or e-mailed at slhoffman@thebeaconjournal.com.
Except in the movies (Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life comes to mind), it's impossible to assess just how Bedford Falls, or anywhere else for that matter, has been affected by the life of a particular person.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 05:47 AM, 05/14/2009
"Leadership?" What's the value of thuggery, over-spending and boorish behavior. Good luck Akron.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:30 AM, 05/14/2009
It seems that even wealthy Republicans from Fairlawn have benefitted from Plusquellic's leadership.
Posted 08:26 AM, 05/14/2009
This recall effort is being spearheaded by a group who have morphed from being part-time malcontents into full-time professionals!
I'll happily vote against recall and then, in a real election, vote against Mayor Don if he has a legitimate opponent with something substantive to offer. If none develops, then "The Don" gets my vote.
All these malcontents offer is a "black hole" and all the have to gain is their own puffed-up egos. All, by the way, at taxpayer expense!
stow, ohio
Posted 08:52 AM, 05/14/2009
@IrishLou...I think you make a valid point ...these thugs don't seem to realize that not everyone who is opposed to the recall likes Plusquellic. There are simply people who think that the recall is the wrong way to go about change. The city is being held hostage by a small percentage of it's population who are chronic whiners led by their own personal Jesus, Warner Mendenhall.
We have elections for a reason ....run someone against Plusquellic and tell us what you would do differently. The Mendenbots don't have vision they only have have a whining uneducated mob that is clueless about what it takes to run a city.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:57 AM, 05/14/2009
Boorish behavior does not necessarily make for a bad mayor although it can, and often does, reflect upon the city as a whole. I have to agree with Irishlou, however.
This is a huge boondoggle led by master boondogglers! I see no substance to this thing but pettiness and change for change sake. As the old Wendy's ad one stated.."Where's The Beef"?
stow, ohio
Posted 09:39 AM, 05/14/2009
@TrueRepulican...given your view of Plusquellic perhaps you can enlighten us as to why your party failed to field a candidate against him in the last election....Good luck Republican Party.
Fairlawn, Oh
Posted 10:07 AM, 05/14/2009
I am amazed that because some people can see what is really going on in the mayor’s office that they become boondogglers. If this is as about saving the city any money then the mayor can resign and run again if he has the following. We know there are several people already interested in becoming the next mayor.
The mayor likes to use sports metaphors when talking so here is one to describe his behavior. Alan Iverson stated he did not have to show up like the rest of the team. The mayor spends a great deal of time away from his post. Iverson was traded and it was called addition by subtraction. Akron can have addition by subtraction by getting a mayor that can actually create the Akron brand. The crass, non-transparent brand we have not is not selling. We need someone who can take the “bully” out of the bully pulpit.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:18 AM, 05/14/2009
((chucklin')) Well well, the cheerleaders are out early today. And look, several who would vote the city hall out of office in an election, but not in a recall. Hypocrisy knows few bounds.
Folks are still waitin' for the city hall hero to produce evidence that refutes the claims made by the recall folks.
Seems to be a simple process. Produce the evidence and this all goes away.
Some say he doesn't have to. And in a sense, that's true. But to not produce the evidence, also lends merit to the allegations.
Akron, Oh
Posted 10:44 AM, 05/14/2009
Excellent reference and I would like to point out another... Brookings Institute Study of last September
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2007/05metropolitanpolicy_vey/200809_Akron.pdf
Quoting...
brookings September 2008
Time and time again we found that in cities that had successfully transformed their
economic and residential base, vigorous leadership was present and was driven by
a well-articulated vision…. In city after city where progress had occurred, vision and
leadership, sustained over time and backed by resources, played a decisive role.
Akron, Summit County, and the greater Akron region have had this quality of leadership and
vision of its economic future and possibilities. Almost without exception the stakeholders
interviewed identified the leadership, determination, and tenure of Mayor Don Plusquellic
as the essential catalyst and driving force in the economic development of the city and re-
gion. He has served as mayor since 1987. Stakeholders identified this continuity of more
than 20 years of leadership as an important component of success in local and regional
economic development. Recognition of the sway and significance of the leadership of this
mayor extends beyond the city to the County and MSA.
Throughout his tenure in office economic development has been one of the two highest pri-
orities of the mayor, the other being education. Plusquellic has not been afraid to propose
controversial ideas to advance his agenda.
I don't care if you like the guy or not (cuz he really can be a jerk) but you have to respect the LEADER who will stand for something instead of the one that will fall for anything. The recall effort should never have made it this far. Its time for the Mendi-clowns to go away and let this City get back to working for the people.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:55 AM, 05/14/2009
Another fluff piece by Mr. Hoffman. Again fails to look at any of the for removing the Mayor and rather uses an academic and statistics to show some kind of progress in Akron. Then despite all of this progress, the source for the piece still concludes that Akron is "on a knife edge." And that Akron needs to continue to "hustle" and "It either invests in a disciplined way in its future," Hill wrote, "or faces certain decline."
The assumption being that we have invested wisely and we should keep the Mayor.
The employment growth since 1990 is an interesting statistic, especially with no details as to the methodology used. A growth of 4.4% of employed citizens over a 17 year period. One would think that the growth of government and quasi government jobs (Education and health care for example) would easily cover that number.
Maybe Mr. Hoffman could do a little more work and give us a little insight into where this reputed job growth is.... How much of this job growth is government, education and health care? Maybe even look at where jobs have been lost too....
Can we expect another pro Mayor piece soon? Methinks they will continue to appear regularly.
Akron, OH
Posted 11:05 AM, 05/14/2009
The Brookings Institute pretty much holds the core belief that all progress is done through government, so their "findings" are not a surprise to me.
akron, oh
Posted 11:07 AM, 05/14/2009
I think it is worth noting that the study Hoffman cites compares "the number of employed residents" and not how many jobs were created in the city itself. Has anyone noticed the trek north from Akron to work in the morning. Residents of Youngstown don't have thet option being 60 miles from both Cleveland and Pittsburg.
Sure there has been some job growth at the University and the hospitals, but it takes a real streach to say the Mayor's so called "economic development" has been responsible for this.
We have gotten very little bang for our $764,000,000 worth of bucks (debt) when it comes to creating perminant high paying jobs in Akron (construction jobs are not perminant). What we have gotten is a little nicer looking downtown that is in reality just a facade of prosperite for the lawyers, polititions, and chattering class like Hoffman to go on and on about how great we are doing. If you talk to working class people of Akron they would disagree, and they will probably have a different perspective in this referendum on the Mayor if they have the time to vote.
Akron, OH
Posted 11:18 AM, 05/14/2009
Big D,
And I think that the debt figure is from 2007. They have not released the numbers for 2008 yet....
Akron, Oh
Posted 12:08 PM, 05/14/2009
blkswn,
I am sorry to use a valid reference like Brookings to offer information on the success of Akron under the Mayor's watch. We all should remember unless it says akronwatch.com its just jibberish.
Mendi-clowns and fools please except my apologies for trying to "educate" the masses with facts. I know how these little things like facts get in the way of your message. I'll try and be better to conjure up speculations and lies and avoid the truths from now on.
Akron, OH
Posted 12:47 PM, 05/14/2009
Mr Jest,
I did not see any facts in the post. Just opinion.
Akron, Oh
Posted 01:31 PM, 05/14/2009
Swanny, swanny, swanny, I guess if you could read you would have read the report and "discovered" the facts presented by Brookings, but instead you like so many other continue to listen to the Chicken MendiLittle and ignore or embellish facts.
Here's one to chew on...Almost 30% or $210 million of that debt was VOTED on by the citizens of Akron for the schools. This was in order to get well more than $210 million in matching funds from the state (that came from the tobacco settlement and would have been spent elsewhere). Was Mendenhall against this? Or does he only dislike the teachers...(see his website for that little fun bit of information). I'm sure that all of the "hate everything" people on the site are probably against the schools, but what about Warner? Did he actually have an opinion? Was he actually for once in favor of something. I know it is fun to throw around the "almost a billion in debt" scare tactic (which I guess means that a certain someone has "almost $200,000 in federal tax liability)...but the single biggest piece of debt exists because the citizens of Akron voted for it.
Lastly... its MS. JEST to you
Akron, OH
Posted 02:23 PM, 05/14/2009
Ms Jest,
Yes I am sure the unions and construction companies liked it too.
Posted 08:50 AM, 05/15/2009
OH Steve, remove your lips from Plusquellics behind. That isn't chocolate your tasting.
Posted 08:56 AM, 05/15/2009
fargoz
stow, ohio
Posted 09:39 AM, 05/14/2009 @TrueRepulican...given your view of Plusquellic perhaps you can enlighten us as to why your party failed to field a candidate against him in the last election....Good luck Republican Party.
I can give you an answer to that quite easily. Mayor Don has basically made running against him impossible due to campaign laws where you can't raise money. He already had his war chest stocked full of cash when these laws were passed and still violates the election laws by taking contributions far exceeding what he's allowed. he had fanagled the whole election process in Akron much like Saddam Hussein did in Iraq. How could he possibly lose? By getting trumped by Warner Mendenhall!!!
Go Mendenhall
stow, ohio
Posted 01:21 PM, 05/15/2009
@TrueRepublican....well one thing is for certain...you are a True Republican in that your lack of electoral success can easily be explained by paranoid conspiracy theories....how else can you come to grip the fact that you didn't field a candidate against Plusquellic, you lost every state wide office except 1, you lost 18 Senate seats and 58 House seats, and you lost the Presidency in the last 2 elections.....yeah right its the campaign finance laws that did that and not the fact that your party screwed the pooch while in office.
And for the record...Mendenhall is a liberal Democrat...glad you found someone you can support since your party apparently had better things to do.
Posted 09:38 AM, 05/16/2009
It was the same recall nut cases that created the campaign finance fiasco that you now say caused Plusqullic to go unopposed.I am amazed at how illogical some of you posters can be.
Posted 06:21 AM, 05/19/2009
Fargoz: Sure I'll give you an answer. The local Republican Party is no longer the party of the people but one fatcat using it to line his pockets. At least we are attempting change aand likely will get it this time.
If you want to fight about the lack of local success for Republicans you won't get it from me. To not field a candidate against Plusquellic was pathetic.
