Why Mike Rawlings lost my vote for mayor

Not that he really had my vote to begin with, although he stood a better chance of nailing it than Ron Natinsky, who is just Da Mayor all over again.

But today I got this slick new mailer from the Rawlings campaign designed to do exactly the opposite of what it succeeded in accomplishing. On the cover it says “It will take a leader from outside City Hall to change how they do business inside.” That could be true, but it will also take someone with far more knowledge than Rawlings has about exactly “how they do business inside.”

For example, the brochure states: “As Mayor, Mike (Editor’s Note: I guess, if elected, he will want to be known as ‘Mayor Mike.’) will build a strong foundation of basics that we can build upon into the future. That means … smooth roads, free of potholes. Beautiful parks where our families are safe to gather and spend time together. Libraries that are open and equipped with the books and resources to serve families. And rec centers that give our young people a safe place to have fun and get fit.”

And all the while I’m reading this I’m thinking “Where in the hell is he going to get the money to do all this?” Of course, as My Hero reminds me, Rawlings has built somewhat of a reputation for twisting corporate arms to get them to contribute to municipal causes. Still …

But then the very next paragraph of the brochure says: “We’re in a tough economy; and the upcoming budget is going to be just as difficult as the last one. Mike is the only candidate in the race who has personally managed billion-dollar budgets, cut waste and streamlined systems to make them more efficient and profitable. As Mayor, he will work department-by-department, examining the budget and getting taxpayers the greatest return on their investment.”

What? Does he really, in his wildest imagination, think he can accomplish all he’s promising simply by a “department-by-department” budget review? He’s not only from outside City Hall, he’s from another planet.

Here’s a man, because he is, by his own admission, “from outside City Hall,” who has never seen City Manager Mary Suhm prepare a budget. The man is an idiot if he thinks Suhm will submit anything but the leanest, most efficient budget imaginable. If there ever was any “waste” in a Mary Suhm budget, she found it and cut it years ago. The problem now is she has not only removed all the fat from the municipal budget, but also the meat. Now she is attacking the bones to submit a plan that will allow the city to operate within the confines of its current revenue streams. No one works harder, with greater diligence, achieving better results from the resources available to her than the budget wizard, the great Mary Suhm. What the next mayor is going to be faced with is not a budget that needs department-by-department examination to cut waste, but a bevy of City Council colleagues demanding cut services be restored.

But it’s obvious to me Mike Rawlings doesn’t want to face reality, at least not yet. He just wants to pander to the body politic, spouting anything, even if it makes no sense, just to get elected. But, in doing so, he has lost my vote.