Leadership and "Grand Plans" - For four or five weeks now one of our local weekly newspapers has been reprinting front-page versions of essentially the same story, which goes something like this: "City Manager Mike McNees and County Manager Jim Ley cooked up a scheme in secret to create a recreation plan for the north county without talking to anyone, who the heck do they think they are, and who's in charge over there?!?!" (O.K., so that's my version of their story, but this is my blog. Read for yourself, you'll see I'm not far off.) Usually I'd just let it go, because we all know it's harder to fight the press than to fight City Hall. But I do feel it's important that the whole truth be told, so I will fill in some of the gaps here.

I can only speak for the city's side of the equation, but it has been an objective of the City Commission for at least 3 years to complete the spring training complex improvements that will be required to keep the Cincinnati Reds in town for another 20 years (which is something I'll have to put out for converstion in a future post.) We also have a "Parks and Connectivity" plan that the Commission adopted that calls for a major city park in eastern Sarasota, and standing orders also from the Commissioners to pursue all possible avenues for the creation of affordable housing units. In speaking with Mr. Ley, originally about the spring training issues and the competing demands for the county tourist tax, we started a conversation that eventually branched out to staffs from both agencies who looked at needs and assets on a wider scale. Ultimately a set of ideas was created that show what some of the options are if the community eventually chooses to embrace them. One of the assets discussed was the land that now serves as the county fairgrounds, but other options have been identified that exclude the fairgrounds, with the understanding that the destiny of the fairgrounds is certainly beyond the two Managers to determine, rather the fair board, county and community at large.

The fact is that before any of the ideas that have been bounced around even begin to take real shape there has to be a great deal more public discussion, and a number of very public decisions must be made. First, the legislature has to alocate spring training facility funds. The TDC and the County Commission have to go through a public hearing process for the allocation of tourist tax dollars. The recreational stakeholders have to weigh in on what they want for the future of their facilities, and the citizens at large have to weigh in on all of these issues. But every idea has to start somewhere.

Even more to the point made by our friends at the weekly, every bit of this conversation on the city's part has taken place pursuant to specific policy direction given by the City Commission. When shown the big picture ideas in a joint City/County Commission meeting, the Commissioners affirmed exactly that, and complimented both staffs for the cooperative and creative spirit they brought to the issue (which you certainly did not have the opportunity to read about.)

To cut to the bottom line, and the question raised in this week's edition about who it is that's exercising leadership at City Hall: On this issue I have certainly been the lead dog pulling the City's sled, but there's no question that it has been the City Commission standing on the back of the sled yelling "Mush!" and telling us where they want the sled to go.

When I was interviewing for the City Manager's position five years ago I heard and read a lot of conversation about how the community needed someone who would show "leadership" in the manager's chair. Ultimately many judge that leadership based on whether or not the sled is going where they personally want it to go, that's the nature of the business. But I have to believe that working together with our peers over at the county to generate good ideas to offer to address challenges of mutual concern beats the heck out of the alternative.

Locals or Chains - What's Your Opinion? - Presentations by various retail experts over the last few years have emphasized the value of a mix of national and local retailers downtown. More recently the conversation has shifted to the subject of restaurants, triggered somewhat by the Pineapple Square project. Clearly the large nationals generate huge numbers - one can't argue their popularity, and numbers are needed to support quality retail. On the other side of the coin, I'm lifting a comment that was posted deeper in the blog today to start a new thread, because it articulates well an alternative point of view, as follows:

"http://www.blogger.com/profile/22131175 said...
Mr. McNees: I've been a three decade resident of Sarasota and long time fan of smart growth and new urbanism, a few things stick in my side about the proposed Pineapple Square project. When downtown had become a desolate wasteland of mediocre shopping destinations and for lease signs ruled the day, some very astute and visionary businessmen saw the area for its potential. More than a decade later, both the city and residents have reaped these early risks taken most often than not by independent restauranteurs. Now that the pendulum has swung in the other direction, Saraota finds itself again at a crossroads. Now that growth is occurring faster than your head can spin, we have corporate interests telling us that in order to attract high end retailers, downtown needs nationally operated chain resataurants to anchor the commercial and residential projetcs.If your destination is "anytown USA", then I tend to agree with these builders. Yet, the whole point of making Sarasota an exclusive location is sustaining its individuality from everywhere else. No one goes to dine in South Beach because there is a Morton's Steakhouse there. Sarasota should not allow any corporate restaurants within the downtown sector. There was a plan behind the fact that the Burger King on Main and Lemon would have a nonrenewable lease. Sarasotans love their restaurants. If you want corporate, get in your car and drive half a mile in any direction down US 41. But if you come to dine downtown, what you should find should be intrinsically Sarasota and should remain in the hands of the visionary and risk takers that have contributed the most the resurgence of the downtown sector.Take a note city managers that once you give in to one or two, it will hard to deny the ones that follow. Many think that having a Morton's downtown or from what I hear a PF Chang's, will attract people to downtown. News Flash - The people are already here. And Morton's may have a reputation, but (1), you cand find one anywhere(six other locations in Florida alone), and (2) Do not underestimate the sophistication of your residents' palate. Remember, corporate restaurants are always busy and for no other reason that "There is no accounting for popularity". Let independent restauranteurs lay the groundwork for the Sarasota food and wine scene to follow and send the corporate profiteers packing.Put pressure on the Isaac Group and Urban Land Concepts to lease the available restaurant spaces in their projetcs not to corporate chains but to independent owners.P.S. No one wears Gucci and Prada to Morton's - Sarasota needs to take a hint from the East Coast, New York and Chicago if it ever wants to have world class restaurants!!!"
10/4/06 2:52 PM

Can local independents generate the foot traffic critical to retailers? Would national retailers take a chance on a center anchored by unknown (to them) independents? Don't we want those nationals that are so popular other places - aren't they popular for a reason? What do you think?!