The “Vision” Thing
“Where there is no vision, the people perish”
– Proverbs 29:18.
“Pay attention to what you’re doing dumb a**!”
– My Grandfather.
I cite those two quotes, one obviously more famous than the other, to address the criticism about Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and his “vision” or lack thereof, his critics say, for the city.
Critics argue the Mayor lacks a vision for the city and isn’t telling the public where he wants to go. Ballard has always said his goal for Indianapolis is a “safe, livable city that is internationally recognized”, but apparently that isn’t enough.
I think part of the problem here is that we can’t agree on what “vision” actually means. I think for some, “vision” means some new building somewhere that will eventually cost the taxpayers some ungodly amount of money to operate and there is no funding mechanism to cover its operating expenses which are about to skyrocket (*cough* Lucas Oil Stadium *cough*).
I am perfectly content with “safe and livable ” as a vision for now. And apparently so are a lot of other people. A recent Democratic survey showed the Mayor with an approval rating well above 65 percent. And even when another poll was taken in the individual townships, it showed Ballard’s negatives were normal for any elected official and there wasn’t going to be a massive uprising of torches and pitchforks anytime soon. That tells me, at least for now, the people want a city that doesn’t tax you death, keeps crime under control and has good schools and good jobs. Oh, and they have no reason to toss out the current leadership.
Ballard has already taken steps in the financial area by balancing the budget (garnering nearly $50 million in taxpayer savings in 2008) and actually cutting the COIT. While crime is a concern for all of us, the fact it stayed relatively stable during one of the worst economic climates since the depression means somebody is doing something right. The Mayor has no control over schools, but he is working on a citywide mentoring/tutoring initiative. And Indianapolis’ unemployment rate is about 6 %, while Indiana’s as a whole is more than 7%. Not bad for this climate.
Now this not to say the Administration hasn’t had a misstep or two or three, but like anyone in their freshman year, there’s a learning curve involved and they can expect a lot more scrutiny and higher expectations in their sophomore, junior and senior years, as well they should. And they should be prepared to step up their game accordingly.
Should the Mayor have long-term goals? Yes. Should city planners be looking 5, 10, 15, 20, 50 years down the road? Yes. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you run a city. But you cannot dismiss “safe and livable” as a vision. Because if you don’t have a city that is safe and livable, the only thing vision you’ll have is of the the mass exodus of people leaving your community to go live somewhere that is.
