While local government has tried improved management, expenditure control, long-range fiscal planning, program evaluation, and modern accounting systems, it can never cover the costs of the growing social agenda of the coming years.
That is why you see cities and counties engaged in struggles to come to grips with the cancerous problem of urban poverty. It would be simpler for us to consider this the problem of city government, or state government, or big brother in Washington, or to say it is an age-old problem with no solutions.
But we cannot afford to do that. It is really quite simple. We don’t have the luxury any longer of waiting on others to find answers to our problems. We must do it ourselves. The needs are too obvious and the price of inaction too grave to allow delay.
As Memphis makes plans for the future, don’t forget rule number one. It should be etched in concrete, or better yet, on the brains of public officials. It is this: the post-federal age in American life has dawned
Driving Everything In Its Path
Even the most optimistic among us must admit that nothing startling is going to happen to reverse the steady erosion of federal assistance. It will come regardless of the party label worn by the occupant of the White House because the federal deficit has become a monster that not even Sigourney Weaver could kill. More and more, the federal budget will drive everything in its path in an era of federal retrenchment that could last two or three decades.
When the federal government overspends by a half billion dollars a day, it really should not be surprising to anyone that it creates a hostility to new programs which promise transfer payments to state and local governments.
So, make no mistake about it. The consequences are clear. The burden of dealing with the critical needs of our people will shift to state and local governments along with an equal need for more revenues to pay for them.
What does this all mean? It means that something fundamental is changing –and it is changing for every local government in this nation. Instead of complaining about realities we cannot control, let’s welcome the dawning of this new day.
Innovation Evolution
In the 1920s, local governments were called the laboratories of democracy. They must be again, because unless they can once again become the seedbeds of innovation, local government is faced with a harsh new public landscape.
In this brave new world, public/private partnerships will replace unilateral decision-making, consensus-building will replace authoritarian philosophy, and collaboration will replace the Lone Ranger syndrome of handling problems.
County governments in particular are well-suited to their role in this new world. After all, they have always been the dark continent of American government and its leaders should be eager to stake out their rightful place as explorers for this new entrepreneurial philosophy.
We are also seeing the first hybrids in this remarkable evolution of government with an incredible array of ad hoc answers to problems. In fact, we have become experts in every kind of ad hoc approach imaginable – economic development corporations, housing partnership, private industry councils, minority purchasing commissions, and special assessment districts.
Brave New World
The 21st century will bear little resemblance to the previous one. With its mix of demographic changes inside our borders and economic changes outside our borders, we will be confronted with some compelling choices and some seemingly unsolvable problems.
And yet, the key to our success will be the same as it always has been. It is not the problems that define our future. It is the people who come forth to address them.
And the people who will determine if our governments survive are not the governors and mayors who sit in the elected offices. Rather, it will be people who understand the process, who can look for new ways to deal with old problems, and ultimately, who can reinvent government for a new century. The ability of public officials to adapt to this new environment and to adopt new ways of doing business will set the stage for the next chapter in our history.
Job Descripton
These are the entrepreneurial public servants who are needed to lead us, and the job description is this:
They must know how to create public/private partnerships.
They must be an active promoter of the city.
They must know how to develop a strategic plan.
They must know how to project trends and analyze assets.
They must hire competent staff to carry out plans, strategies, and projects.
They must be willing to think big but also know how to make small things happen.
They must look at the past but dwell on the future.
They must encourage the participation and enthusiasm of all diverse parts of the community.
They must be prepared for long term, consistent personal involvement.
They must ask for advice and help from other places and people with relevant experience.
And, they must use all available public and private skills in the community to help achieve results.
Good Old Days Are Gone
Let me sum all this simple as I can put it. The good old days are gone. Soon to follow are the good old boys. And in their places we must have professional government entrepreneurs prepared for the sophisticated demands of a new century.
This speech was given by former Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris in 1990 to the public administrators association. The comments seem just as relevant today.
