During the early days of his administration, Mayor Ashton Hayward was fond of proclaiming, “Perception is reality.”
Unfortunately, perception is only reality until reality comes crashing down. We saw the danger of the city dysfunction last August (Dysfunction Junction) and how it could negatively impact the city’s recovery and future growth. No one listened.
In our mid-term analysis (Being First Isn’t Easy), we warned that it was poor operations that could bring down this administration, as well as lack of transparency in its public information office and the failure to land any of his economic development projects.
The mayor has confused leadership with pep talks, cliches and press clippings. Staying positive doesn’t make neighborhoods safer, create jobs, make up budget shortfalls, boost airport bond ratings or get new tenants for the maritime park. Leadership is hard, filled with the difficult decisions, unpopular stances and long hours.
Last summer, I gave a speech to the downtown Rotary Club. The message was Mayor Hayward needed to get more engaged in governing his city and be willing to get his nose bloodied fighting for his positions.
Since January 1, he has been so bloodied that his administration is completely unrecognizable from its first 18 months. These past three months have been some of the worse for any elected official in recent memory and his administration doesn’t seem to comprehend how badly it is doing. And it doesn’t know how to fix it…other than create another ribbon-cutting.
As one county official has joked, “No one has worked harder to give people reasons to run against him.”
There are no solutions or innovations coming out of the seventh floor of city hall. None.
The Pensacola City Council doesn’t trust or believe the city administrator or city attorney. The mayor has shown up for three consecutive council meetings- two COW and one regular–and lost major votes at each.
Monday the Pensacola City Council took over the leadership role for the city. We appear to have returned to a ceremonial mayor and the business leaders are adjusting to the shift in power, trying to figure out how to get things done in the city.
Maybe the city council can fix the process and figure out a system that encourages development.
Time will tell.