1 June, 2017 0 Comments

It Don’t Come Easy

June 1, 2017 By Leave a Comment

I spoke to an urban planning class at FAU last night.
Adjunct Professor Glenn Gromann invited me and I enjoy speaking to students so I said yes. (And it doesn’t hurt when the adjunct professor makes your book required reading…wink, I will work for book sales).
It’s not the first time I’ve had the privilege of speaking to college students. Usually I tell the story of modern Delray Beach taking them through the decisions, policies and leadership choices that brought Delray out of the dumps. We cover the ups and downs, the mistakes and triumphs and the rationales behind decisions that to some may seem counter-intuitive.

I don’t have any formal training in urban planning–but I do have real world experience. I am so interested in the subject that I have read everything I could get my hands on and listened to smart planners, architects, urbanists and good developers at every opportunity. I even created a few–by reaching out, by attending seminars, joining the Urban Land Institute, visiting Seaside, joining the Congress for New Urbanism and studying placemakers like Jane Jacobs and Delray’s own part-time resident Fred Kent, founder of the Project for Public Spaces.

I also understand the politics that go into moving an agenda forward–because change and new urbanism isn’t always embraced. Today, I find myself in the strange position of having to defend policies that clearly worked–that created vibrancy, value, quality of life, jobs, opportunities and future potential if we would just open our eyes to the possibilities. Often, I’m debating new residents who moved here attracted by what they saw (I suppose) but vehemently against everything else and resentful of those who played a role in building our town. It reminds me of the phrase: “I’m in the boat, pull up the ladder.” My main point to them: we aren’t done and we have a responsibility to the future to manage change and do it intelligently.
There are many planning and leadership principles to convey to tomorrow’s planners, developers, department heads and architects: the merits of new urbanism, the importance of visioning, the need to engage the community and the value of making investments. Every city needs to be able to provide running water and trash pickup but the cities that make a ruckus are those that do more: art, culture, dynamic downtowns, sports, festivals, food scenes etc.
We did that.
It took 20 years of hard work by a multitude of people. But it happened.
So I shared that journey. And as many times as I share the story, it never fails to move me. Because I know what it took and I have deep respect and admiration for the people who made it happen and I’m privileged and proud to tell their story and I suppose defend their efforts. Some previously important people (PIPS) go away, I’ve decided not too. It’s my town and I love it.
But I’ve started to add to the narrative. I’ve started to talk about what can go wrong. How cities can give back gains and how as aspiring planners or public administrators having great ideas, state of the art policies and stellar execution won’t be enough to make a lasting and permanent  difference.
In fact, you won’t be able to get to the policy part if you don’t understand politics. I shared how good ideas get squashed and how even sound policies suffocate if the wrong elected officials show up to stifle and or choke the life out of progress.
Students need to understand this. As citizens they need to know this and get involved. They need to vote. They need to run. They need to insist that elected officials serve them, not the other way around.

As prospective planners they need to know how corrosive “leadership” can impact their careers and if they go the private sector route they need to know how this can cost them. How it can break their spirits and their bank accounts.
As a result, they need to know that progress can be ephemeral and they need to be able to articulate to citizens why the planning principles they learn are good ways to build communities and manage growth.
But sadly, good planning principles often don’t cut it on their own.  You need to market those policies, constantly sell their rationales and educate voters as to why your plans and visions make sense.
Take for example, new urbanism or the newer “strong towns” movement. Both philosophies have sound thinking behind them and eloquent manifestos.
But…
It don’t come easy, as Ringo once  sang.
Students need to know that and prepare to engage the future communities they will serve.
Because you can guarantee that regardless of how much success you enjoy or how far you’ve come there will always be forces lining up to stop you and in some cases roll it all back.

We used to call it municipal math…30 years to build, two years to screw it all up, no guarantee you can get it back.
That’s the hardest lesson of all to learn and the most important.

30 May, 2017 3 3 Comments

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

May 30, 2017 By 3 Comments

“The hard thing about hard things.”
I overhead that line last week at Donnie’s Place.
I also heard “love is a good thing, but you can’t take it to Winn Dixie” but that’s a subject for another column.
Early morning wisdom over eggs.
I didn’t hear the answer to the first line. So I don’t know what  the hard thing about hard things is about.
But the line struck me. So I thought about it.
I was waiting for my breakfast guests on Northwest Fifth Avenue, a street that was rebuilt and beautified when I was on the commission by the CRA and a group of very committed citizens who came to meeting after meeting to plan the street.
The citizens worked with an artist from Miami on the project. He tried to incorporate the ideas of people into the streetscape including bits of local history inserted in the terrazzo sidewalks.
It was hard work.

To plan, to fund, to engage, to choose and to build. But it’s even harder to create a sustainable local economy on that street to support the effort.
Fifth Avenue has enormous potential. It looks and feels good. There are assets to build on.
The Carolyn Quince Apartments is one of those assets. It looks good, a whole lot better than the derelict building it replaced.

A block over, on Fourth Avenue, sits the historic La France Hotel.  Seniors now get to age in place– thanks to the CRA– on a site of a once neglected hotel that once served a south scarred by segregation and Jim Crow.

But that morning my mind was on the namesake of the Quince Apartments.
The building was named after Carolyn Quince Holder.
She worked for the CRA as a property manager. But before that she was a neighborhood leader, she stood tall against drug dealers who terrorized her street and grew close with police officers who tried to help clean up her part of Delray.
She was a good woman. We shared a birthday and so we spent a few together. She invited us in and we gladly entered her world and learned a lot.
About life in southwest Delray. About what’s it’s like to chase drug dealers off your lawn. About what it means to believe and to be fearless. I lived a mile and a world away –if you know what I mean. Same city. Different experience.
When Carolyn died of cancer, a part of Delray died because it’s all about the people. The people who live in the village. We forget that sometimes. I don’t.
Carolyn understood the hard things about hard things.
When she passed, the CRA named a building after her.
That act of love and respect would probably earn the CRA a tongue lashing from a few of our elected officials these days. They are good at dishing it out.
Good at sitting in judgment, playing politics with each other and engaging in games of gotcha.
Sadly, they aren’t as good at delivering results.
Every ounce of progress in this town was hard fought. I’m not sure that’s recognized in some quarters and that’s a shame.
The mayor loves to send out directives (correctives) lecturing others about the old ways.
He uses big words, drapes himself in words like accountability and aligns himself with the taxpayers.
But his syntax is off and he doesn’t hold himself accountable.
His letter to the CRA chair and director was widely circulated last week. It came less than a week after he voted to keep the agency’s board independent.
In it, he puts down a marker. Do this or else. Or else you can’t count on my support. As if they’ve ever had it.
Fair enough.
The lines are drawn. It’s in writing. You may be “independent” but you are on the shortest of short leashes CRA and if you step off the patio you’re done. Operate this way, my way, or else.
Does bullying encourage innovation and creativity?  I don’t believe so.
Why do you vote to keep something “independent” but then follow up with a letter that spells out exactly how you should operate or else?
Commissioner Shelly Petrolia was quick to line up behind the screed. No surprise there. They have more in common than either would comfortably admit.
She labeled it a directive. Which is spot on. Only  in a council manager form of government, mayors can’t issue directives. At least directives that carry the weight of official city policy.
So where does this leave us?
The CRA, which should be a symbol of civic pride, has been beaten like a piñata.
Volunteers who serve on the board have been maligned by the very people who appointed them. One of the better CRA commissioners took his name out of the running for re-appointment last week because he didn’t like what he was seeing. And so we lose yet another solid contributor. Is that a win? It’s most decidedly not.
Careers have been threatened and the mission goes unserved.
Meanwhile, the house (City Hall) that commissioners are supposed to lead struggles.
And struggle is a charitable word.
Turnover, inability to issue timely permits, endless staff shuffling and lawsuits.
When your house is on fire, most of us would try to douse the flames and save the contents. We probably wouldn’t wander down the block and criticize a neighbor’s wallpaper.
But in this case, the political arsonists are just lighting other agencies on fire.
What we are experiencing is not the strength of confident leaders. It’s the opposite.
You exude strength by standing up for people not beating them down.
The targets of these small people  didn’t suddenly become stupid or incompetent they’ve just been beaten down by bullies who have no game.
And the damage it does is incalculable. And that’s a hard thing to witness, a hard thing indeed.

11 May, 2017 3 3 Comments

10 Signs: Houston We Have A Problem

May 11, 2017 By 3 Comments

Ten signs of electile dysfunction. (Or how to know if an elected official has jumped the shark).

 

  1. An inability to lose a vote. In an ideal world when the vote is called, you state your position yay or nay. Then you accept the decision and move on. If your elected official can’t accept that he or she may lose an occasional vote you’ve got a problem. Key signs of being a sore loser: endlessly litigating the same issue, looking for loopholes to reverse the decision, attacking opponents, whining, blocking and bloviating. Sadly, there is no known cure other than beating the offender at the polls the next election cycle.
  2. Above it All Syndrome– Symptoms include pretending to be separate from your staff. So when a citizen approaches the mic and complains about an issue or problem you immediately blame staff and take no ownership of said issue.
  3.  Rule of Law Disease-A deeply fatal condition in which elected officials pretend that ordinances, processes and policies are mere “guidelines” or “suggestions” to be applied only when convenient or relating to people they like or who back them. Leads to symptom four.
  4. Litigation fever–An expensive malady in which: armed with taxpayer (i.e. your) money elected officials hire attorneys to battle anyone who doesn’t bend to their will regardless of rules, laws, processes and policies.
  5. Narcissistic Personality Disease–Those afflicted suffer from multiple of the above symptoms. It’s about them and only them. Do not. We repeat. Do not dare feed this affliction lest you become its victim. Symptoms include: Repeated use of the word “I” , a strong belief that you were sent to right all past “wrongs” and only you can fix things. This disease is accompanied by a deep seated belief that every idea has to be yours in order to be worthy of consideration or valid. Those suffering from this serious malady believe time began when they took their seats. Hint: It didn’t.
  6. My Way or the Highway Disease—This refers to elected officials who believe their personal preferences should take precedence over community input which is treated as annoying or inconvenient. Symptoms: town halls become lecture series and presentations replace community input sessions.
  7. That Won’t Work Here Disease. Symptoms include a bedrock belief that their city, village, town, hamlet or burg is somehow immune from facts, best practices and what has been demonstrated to work elsewhere. Frequently used to reject policies related to development, parking, civic engagement and or anything innovative or new.
  8. The Precedent Test. Closely related to that won’t work here disease. Easily determined by how your elected officials treat new or novel ideas. If the word precedent is used this way you have problems: “We can’t do that. It will set a precedent.” If the official answers with: “let’s set a new precedent, that’s how we find progress.” He or she does not suffer from the malady.
  9. Seeking perfection disease. Symptoms include an inability to compromise, an inability to trust staff and an unwillingness to accept even 9/10ths of a loaf.
  10. Grandstanding Disease. Symptoms include grand speeches at public meetings, blindsiding colleagues, inflating minor issues into major imbroglios and calling the press every time you lose a vote to allege a taxpayer rip-off knowing that your blindsided opponents will either be unprepared, unavailable or afraid to refute you.

If you are an elected official with one or more of these symptoms you won’t seek help and your “service” (sigh) won’t amount to much.

If you serve alongside any of these characters and fail to stand up to them you will be swept up in their dysfunction and also fail to move the needle on behalf of the community.

And if you are a community that has to endure any one of these types you are out of luck–unless of course you ditch them. If you don’t….

It won’t be fun to volunteer. It won’t be fun or productive to work for such a city and it won’t be safe to invest.

The antidote is to organize and insist on better leadership and ultimately to have the courage to step forward and take them out at the ballot box.

Remember: you stand for what you tolerate.

 

21 September, 2016 2 2 Comments

A Call For Servant Leadership

September 21, 2016 By 2 Comments
Sums it up, right?

Sums it up, right?

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.” – Herbert Swope

Last week, the Delray Chamber of Commerce wrapped up a four week session on civic engagement and leadership.

The 8 hour program was designed to share information with those who aspire to serve on city boards, take leadership roles in local organizations and or run for political office.

I attended three of the sessions and had the privilege of speaking at the last class. I found the participants to be attentive and passionate about Delray. The discussions were terrific and I think those involved found it to be a valuable experience. (Special kudos to Chamber President Karen Granger and Chamber COO Todd L’Herrou for their leadership regarding the program).

I’m one of those people who fervently believe in the transformative power of leadership.

I just don’t think it’s possible to succeed in any endeavor without leadership and I strongly believe that just about every challenge we face can either be solved or made infinitely better through strong leadership. Conversely, bad or corrosive leadership makes progress darn near impossible.

Leadership is the foundation for success and yet we don’t spend a whole lot of time teaching what it looks like and just as importantly what it feels like because great leadership evokes a certain feeling in a community, business, school or non-profit.

While we don’t seem to focus on leadership development, we do spend a lot of time lamenting the lack of leadership or the poor leadership we are often forced to endure. While good leaders create value, corrosive leadership is costly both in a financial sense and in emotional terms.

I wanted to share snippets of the last class because we are heading toward elections both national and local (in March) and it’s important to choose wisely. If we are well led, the sky is the limit, if we are poorly served we end up compounding our problems and missing out on opportunities. Here are some thoughts that were shared last week:

“When we talk about leadership here in Delray and nationally we never talk about love…but we should… because love is essential to leadership. If you want to be a good leader, you better love your city and you better love people…if you don’t, you won’t make it…you won’t resonate..and we need more leaders who resonate..

Connection is essential to leadership, empathy and passion for your city is just not negotiable…the best leaders touch your heart, they inspire you, they instill pride in the mission and they make you feel supported, appreciated, nurtured and yes loved…Now, I get that some of you will think that is sappy….and that’s Ok….but I would argue that over time people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how they made you feel. Leaders inflate, they don’t deflate…

If you make those you serve feel supported and appreciated you will be able to accomplish anything in your city, your business or your organization. But if you disrespect people, if you bully them, lie to them, fail to connect and fail to appreciate and involve them….you will spin your wheels and you will not be remembered fondly….your time in office will come and it will go…and you will have wasted what I consider to be a unique privilege and honor…to take care of your community, to move it forward and leave it better than you found it.

So I had a simple matrix for success…because being a commissioner or a mayor or a CEO or a board chair…is as complicated as the day is long….but if you want to simplify a complex job…the formula to determine success is pretty simple…

First, it is a job to do, not a job to have.

 To be effective, you have to be willing to risk your position to do what you believe to be the right thing…the commission’s  I served on and the people I worked with and for…were ambitious people. We wanted to make a difference…we wanted to deliver on the people’s vision….and we wanted to tackle or attempt to tackle what we called the big rocks…race relations….civic engagement, a master plan for the downtown.. we wanted to invest in our poorest neighborhoods and we wanted to take the good work done by prior commission’s on education and other important subjects and go even further…I think we did.

We moved the big rocks….but we didn’t solve every problem and we didn’t declare victory on ANY issue….even when Atlantic Avenue became a nationally renowned street, even when we moved the high school, dealt effectively with hurricanes and kept the community intact and safe in the wake of a racially charged shooting…We didn’t declare victory because in community building— in the world of cities and in the world of business— you are never done. And if you are complacent, you will pay a high price. Complacency is a killer.

So…if you have a vision it becomes easier to make the tough calls…because you have something larger than your personal preferences or political ambitions to link too….your citizen driven vision is your true north.

But even if you have hundreds of stakeholders who show up to forge that vision –you have thousands of citizens who don’t show up— and as soon as change is proposed you will be guaranteed to hear from them…and it’s usually not because they are thrilled with the change…

At that point, you have a choice…do you risk it? Do you do your job or do you cave ….or just as bad…. do you play dodgeball and kick the can down the road?…

Remember, It’s a job to do, not to have….so I would argue that you go for it, you stay true to the vision because that is more important than your next election..

My other success gauge is also very simple… I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

I believe this secret is the key to being a successful local elected official.

Ready. Here it is: if you support, encourage and help those who work, invest and volunteer for your city you will succeed. You will get things done and you will be appreciated by the people who make your city work. If you make those who work, invest and volunteer unhappy and or cater to the complainers you will fail and in many cases the complainers will turn on you as well.

Pretty simple eh?

But you’d be surprised (or maybe you won’t) by how often this pretty basic formula is violated.

Fearful of losing their seat or willing to say or do whatever gets them applause from the loudest voices, we often see elected officials make bad decisions to gain favor with the loudest voices in the community while abandoning the most important voices which are often not the loudest, just the smartest.

Now that does not mean you don’t listen to everyone…especially the critics. They may have something to teach you and you need to listen.

But…chances are the best advice is going to come from those in the trenches….the ones who are hard at work in your city.

Most of those folks, may never come to a meeting, they are trusting you to do the right thing….that’s your job and they should be able to live their lives without having to sit through 6 hour meetings…many times the mayors and commissioners I have known would have called on these people to get their input well before a crucial vote…so while it’s always nice to see friendly faces…your vote should not depend on a nose count at the meeting, it should depend on your judgment on what is right for Delray Beach…not what’s right for you or the optics of the night, but what’s good for the long term health of the city.

 

My goal when I completed my term was to have the support and respect of those who were hard at work building and improving this community: the volunteers, the folks serving on city advisory boards, the ones who showed up at charrettes, who run businesses, invest here, give to local charities, work with our kids, lead their neighborhood associations and yes work for our city….that was my team and I saw my job as to help them succeed and to allow them to aspire…”

 

We gave some examples of people who are passionate about the community and how it’s important to nurture that passion.

“Because without love there’s no commitment: we commit to, we fight for and we protect and cherish what we love….your goal as leaders is to find people who love Delray, they are not hard to find if you open your eyes…because if you find them and you serve them…you cannot fail…because they will do wonders for the community.”

Tone matters too in leadership. Civility will never go out of style.

“You can be constructive or destructive…that’s your choice on every issue and with every encounter…This is what I think works….I’ve seen it work. Many mayors led with compassion and strength—all in their own unique way.

It is all about people…we often times forget that…we need to connect, we need to care for each other and we need to find a way to compromise and respect one another…if you do that you succeed as a leader and we all win…you’ll leave a better city….”

We ended the evening with a call to action: stay informed, get involved and find a way to serve and give back. True leadership is servant leadership.

“I’ll finish with 7 traits that I believe are necessary to be successful in leadership…you need all 7, because if you are missing any you won’t succeed.

They are: Integrity, vision, passion, emotional intelligence, a thirst for knowledge, courage (because you will be tested) and judgment. Think about that list, which one can you do without?”

I hope the chamber continues to provide these types of programs. They are important for our community and for our future.

Leadership matters.

 

 

13 July, 2016 0 Comments

The Power of Local Leadership

July 13, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Our future depends on our choices.

Our future depends on our choices.

I’m a big fan of New York Times columnist David Brooks.
Even though our politics don’t quite line up, I always glean something from Brooks’ writing.

This week, Brooks wrote an excellent column in the wake of the Dallas, Baton Rouge and Falcon Heights violence.

It was a quick trip through history and a treatise on how societies can come unglued after major upheavals such as economic dislocation, technological advances and war.
While Brooks concludes that we are not quite broken, he does believe we are peering over the abyss. It’s a dangerous place for a country to be and is often characterized as polarization after tragic events rather than a coming together.
Brooks opines that the answer to America’s problems during similar fraught eras has always been leadership. He is spot on.  Leadership responds to the moment and helps us navigate to a better place.
What’s especially interesting is Brooks’ contention that the answers to America’s many challenges may come from local leadership–local police, local non profit leaders, neighborhood reformers and mayors.
All across America, cops, educators, local elected officials, public servants and local innovators are making strides and changing lives.
Brooks is hopeful that some of these game changers will make the leap and fix our ailing and frequently embarrassing national politics.
Lord, I hope so.
Meanwhile, it’s clear to me that the places that will thrive and create opportunities are those cities and communities that are blessed with dedicated, visionary and brave civic entrepreneurs who fix neighborhoods, improve schools, eradicate crime and find ways to create economic opportunity for all.
If you’re lucky to live in such a place count yourself among the fortunate.

But it’s not enough to sit back and count your blessings because transformation is never ending and you can’t grow complacent or declare victory. Your work is never done. And progress can be more easily squandered than gained.

It’s critically important to find and nurture local leaders, empower them, support them, help them, defend them and if you do–watch your city soar.
If you are not so lucky and you are plagued by corrosive leadership or lack of leadership– get involved and resolve to make change.

Bad leaders=bad outcomes. That’s the law. Wish it was different, but its immutable.

On the local level it’s possible to change things with an injection of one or two solid, mature leaders who realize that being an elected official is a job to do not a job to have. There’s a difference.

It’s not about their resumes or egos or personal preferences, it’s about moving a community forward by serving it.
If you are not sure what you have on your local council or commission, take the time and figure it out.

Attend a meeting, view a few online, email an elected official and see what happens.
If you watch a meeting observe whether they are focused on ideas, opportunities and problem solving or whether they are fixated on each other or grandstanding statements. It’s easy to tell. Watch how they treat the public and city staff, are they courteous, warm and professional or are they dismissive, rude and distracted? Do your elected officials ask questions, do they listen to facts or are they reading from a script with a closed mind? Are they empathetic? Are they able to frame issues, calm the community and focus on what’s important? Or do they fan the flames and major in the minor?
If you send an email on a local issue or concern do they respond in a timely fashion? Is their response” canned” gobbledygook or detailed and sincere? You’ll know.
Positive change can happen quickly when the right people are in the right seats on the bus. You’ll spin your wheels if they are not on the bus and you’ll eradicate whatever progress that’s been made if the hard workers in your city  are under that bus.
Block by block, brick by brick, that’s how we get America and our cities moving again.