Metro Pulse/Insights/Bill Haslam

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by Joe Sullivan

No city could ask for two more appealing mayoral candidates than Knoxville has this year. Bill Haslam and Madeline Rogero both have demonstrated a grasp of the many issues facing the city and a capacity to lead that will stand Knoxville in good stead for the next four years.

While their backgrounds are very different, each has shown an ability to relate to the needs of all kinds of people in all parts of the city. Cynics may say that there's an "all things to all people" aura about their common emphasis on generating more and better jobs, stronger neighborhoods, downtown revitalization, and the need for greater public participation in the decision-making process. But I believe both candidates are entirely genuine in their desire to achieve a consensus, or at least a balance, among divergent views and interests in striving for the betterment of the city as a whole.

Where they differ on issues, it's mainly a difference of emphasis. Rogero, for example, stresses mass transportation alternatives to the use of cars as a way of curbing air pollution. Haslam believes auto emissions can be reduced by development that induces more people to live and work within the city, thus cutting their driving distances. Rogero stresses planning and zoning that adheres to sector plans. Haslam also favors predictable zoning but says that "bottom line, our goal is to make the city the place to be, whether it's for a residence or a place to do business."

The biggest difference between the candidates is, in fact, their respective life experiences. These have shaped their outlooks and their skills in ways that become pivotal in deciding which is the better of two good candidates.

Rogero is the product of relatively modest circumstances who has worked professionally as a planner and an executive of social welfare organizations. Her leadership of neighborhood and school parent groups led to her serving two terms on County Commission, which gives her political and governmental experience.

Haslam was born into one of Knoxville's wealthiest and most influential families. He's spent most of his adult life as an executive of his family's Pilot Corp., which is one of the biggest businesses based in Knoxville. Haslam's civic involvements have consisted mainly of serving on numerous boards, including terms as chairman of United Way and now of Project Grad. His candidacy for mayor represents his first step into the political arena.

Rogero has attempted to brand Haslam as part of an establishment-driven city in which "too few people have made too many decisions for too long." It's also true that the list of large contributors to Haslam's $535,000 in campaign funds (which dwarf Rogero's) has a "Who's Who" in Knoxville aura.

But candidates should be judged on their merits, not their money or connections. During the course of his intensive, year-long campaign for mayor, Haslam has demonstrated that he's anything but an extension of the establishment. He's connected with every neighborhood, every ethnic group, and every other interest group in Knoxville in ways that are now manifest in a thorough understanding of their needs and preferences.

A primary responsibility of the mayor is the management of a city government with more than 1,600 employees and a budget of $218 million. Whoever is elected on Sept. 30 will have to deal with the most severe budget bind the city has faced in at least a generation. I believe that Haslam's executive experience makes him better qualified to face this challenge. "We need a mayor who understands how to manage in tight budget times and realize that although a tax increase might be the easiest answer it's not always the best answer," he stated at a recent mayoral forum. While I happen to believe a tax increase is inevitable, I look forward to seeing how an astute manager may be able to achieve efficiencies and economies that obviate the need for one without compromising basic city services.

Beyond that, there are major downtown redevelopment decisions to be made on everything from a convention headquarters hotel to a cinema to garages to support residential and commercial growth. Again, I believe Haslam's experience makes him better qualified to assess the soundness of city investments in such projects and to prioritize them in ways that balance the city's overall needs with budgetary constraints.

When it comes to public participation in the decision making process, Haslam is anything but the plutocrat that Rogero would make him out to be. Yet while he favors greater public involvement, he's also clear there have to be deadlines for bringing a process to conclusion. Knoxville has had a tendency not to finish what it's started, and I believe a Haslam administration will provide the right mix of process and decisiveness to overcome this tendency.

To many, job creation is Knoxville's single most important need—not just jobs for themselves but also for their children and grandchildren. Here again, Haslam has the edge in terms of his credentials for fostering economic growth and attracting businesses to locate here.

All of this is not to say that Rogero wouldn't do a good job in all of these respects. But in the latter stages of her campaign she's begun to sow seeds of divisiveness with her claim to be the champion of "ordinary folks" who will keep Knoxville from continuing to be run like a plutocracy. Inclusiveness is what this city needs, and Haslam has conducted his campaign more inclusively.

If you can't stand the thought of a rich man being mayor of Knoxville then by all means vote for Rogero. But bear in mind that a wealthy businessman named Phil Bredesen made an outstanding mayor of Nashville and is well on his way to becoming an outstanding governor of Tennessee. Bill Haslam has the same kind of potential.