Saturday, March 11, 2006

Mallory's First 100 Days: Incremental Progress

The Cincinnati Enquirer this week published an interview with Cincinnati Mayor and SWNID neighbor Mark Mallory marking his first 100 days in the mayor's office. The full transcript of the interview, notably longer than what was printed in the paper, is available here.

Some points to highlight:
  • Despite the fact that it hasn't been high on many political agendas, Mallory is working proactively on Cincinnati's public transportation needs.
  • He insists that the crime problem is a police issue but also a community issue and continues to call for community support to fight crime.
  • In a notably conservative vein, he calls for greater attention to fatherhood as a way to address social ills.
  • And then there was this delightful remark:
Well there's a tremendous amount of pressure on me based on a lot of things - the fact that I am my father's son, the fact that my mother continues to say: "You have to make me proud." You know. It's one thing to hear that at 7 or 8 years old, but you know, I'm the mayor now.

In sum, we believe the results so far vindicate our fervent endorsement. But it's still early.

There's plenty to like in Mallory's collaborative approach where everyone has a say and everyone gets credit. It's bound to bring together the fractious fiefdoms of the metro area. Many other officials, County Commissioner Phil Heimlich not among them, have applauded Mallory's consistent outreach.

Mallory cites Columbus, Ohio Mayor Michael Coleman as a role model. If Cincinnati can begin to mirror the renewal and growth that Columbus has experienced in the last decade, few in the city would complain.

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