Are y'all aware that I really like Spartanburg's Mayor? Well, I do. And I REALLY like Charleston Mayor Joe Riley too.
I am a sucker for a good mayor.
What is up with that? I figure it's because these are the folks on the ground handling the problems at the grassroots level. They can see with their own two eyes how the problems like no jobs, no healthcare, failing schools, etc. (that most politicians just talk about fixing) are destroying our communities. And they can see that something has to be done.
Unlike the majority of elected officials, mayors get calls, emails and complaints everywhere they go in their communities because they are accessible. I respect and thank these leaders for doing these jobs. I don't know why they do it when they could just run for a State or national position where they could totally ignore their constituents wishes and do nothing…but nope…they choose to be at ground zero trying to help us fix our communities. Our cities are the hearts of our communities and over the years…America has turned our backs on our urban cores and our country is suffering because of it. These are the people that realize that.
So, I wanted to share an op-ed from today's NYT's by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg… [I'm Not Running for President, but…] who, it had been rumored, that he might run for President as an Independent, He assures Americans in this post that he will NOT be running but will support the candidate who puts America first. Is it a good thing he's not running? Depends on who's asking. I would actually consider him as a candidate. So that wouldn't be good for Democrats but as I type that…I think…could I ever really crossover? I don't know to be honest…but he'd be one to tempt me…that's for sure.
I like Bloomberg. Always agree? Heck no. But I have a great deal of respect for him and when he stresses the need for things like a new urban agenda…y'all know that really turns me own. Hehe. But this is such important stuff and they know it in the big cities and the mayors of our smaller cities know it but no one seems to want to hear about it. We'd be smart to listen though.
For instance, the article I sighted above states: "the largest 100 cities and their surrounding communities are home to 65 percent of the nation’s population and account for about 75 percent of the country’s gross domestic product."
WOW. That is wild. 100 cities home to 65% of the nation's population and account for 75% of the GDP? Yes…a new urban agenda IS important to America. We certainly don't hear enough about it in the current election. A little from the Dems but no where near enough.
So does all of this affect me and you in little ole' SC? Of course…so why aren't we talking about it? Because it's a lot to know and learn.
I am somewhat familiar with the issues plaguing my own City of Spartanburg but not as much as should and how to fix the problems? Where to start? For instance, we have a population of approx. 40,000 people. We have 100,000 people that live within 2 miles of our City's border. Those 100k people use the City infrastructure and institutions daily yet the 40,000 residents foot the bill for the maintenance of it all and our City is struggling, our public urban schools are failing, we need jobs, etc. The City is the core and if it's not thriving…young professionals aren't going to want to come here so jobs aren't going to come here either. Where did I get all that? A powerpoint presentation Mayor Barnet gave at a League of Women Voters meeting I attended a couple of years ago. What do I with it? Well…hell…I don't know. But it's about MY community, my livelihood, my children's home…so just hearing that information has made me want to learn and understand more about it all and I think that is the most important thing.
So, I encourage you to learn more about the work that is being done out there in regard to "New Urban Agendas" and how it relates to your community. There's lots of stuff out there and it's interesting and even if it is about NYC or DC today…rest assured, one day it WILL be important to remaining US Cities. One of my favorite blogs ever is Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space. Yeah…they're doing this in the larger Cities NOW but what if we started applying some of this stuff in smaller cities NOW instead of waiting 10-15 years after NYC and LA try it? I call that being pro-active. It couldn't hurt.
Anyway, how in the world did I get all of that out when I simply wanted to share the Bloomberg piece? Y'all know me…I have my moments.