People ask me: what does it take to run for mayor of Valdosta? A few qualifications, a few skills, and a vision would sure help.

Well, you have to qualify. That costs $750 down at the Board of Elections.

According to the City of Valdosta’s website, there are a few other requirements:

Qualification Mayor. To be eligible for election or appointment and service as Mayor, a person must be a minimum of 21 years of age, be a resident of the City of Valdosta for one year prior ro the date of qualifying, and a registered and qualified voter of the City of Valdosta at the time of qualifying.

Then you have to campaign and win. Some people will doubtless spend a lot of money running for mayor. However, some recent elections to Lowndes County Commission and Valdosta Board of Education indicate that it is quite possible to win a local election while spending very little money. People don’t pay a lot of attention to paid advertising when every candidate is doing it, and they do pay attention when the candidate shows up at their door or on their favorite radio show, for example. It would help if you’re already well known. A strong platform would help.

Suppose you win. What does a mayor do? The mayor of Valdosta only votes on certain elections and to break ties, which seldom happens (although it did just happen at former Mayor Fretti’s last Valdosta City Council meeting). The mayor does what, then? Presides over meetings, signs things when council approves them, makes speeches, etc.

It would be really nice for a mayor to have a vision, developed in conjunction with the people, that people could support. Here’s what that looks like, by the way, in case you’ve never seen a mayor with a vision:

Every now and then, perhaps once in a generation, there presents itself a moment, an opportunity, for those cities that are willing to seize it, to truly benefit the region for generations to come.

Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio identified “the nexus between sustainability and job creation” as such an opportunity, promoted solar power, and got several companies to move to town, providing knowledge-based jobs.

Mayor Fretti had an opportunity to do just that, but did not recognize it. That opportunity is still open for someone else to seize it, socialize it among the people of the area, and win for all of us with it.

There are many other possible opportunities here. The new library and theater at Five Points could be used to promote the area as a theater center halfway between Atlanta and Orlando. You’d think TitleTown U.S.A. could get more jobs out of sports, for example, how about a winter camp for a baseball team? Downtown Valdosta Farm Days connects Valdosta to one of the two fastest growing industries in the country: local and organic food. The other is solar energy. Maybe there’s a way to connect the two, perhaps also with the two local hospitals and Moody AFB: the U.S. military is a world leader in green energy, and Moody is already moving right along with that. These are all things knowledge-based employees and their employers love. Maybe there’s some citizen of Valdosta who can, in conjunction with area citizens, organizations, and other local governmental bodies, wrap some of these things and probably other things into a vision that will attract jobs for our high school and college graduates and for newcomers.

Here are some more details about what the Mayor of Valdosta does, according to the Municipal Code for Valdosta:

ARTICLE II. – MAYOR AND COUNCIL

Chapter 2. – MAYOR

Section 2.14. -Powers and duties.

The mayor shall be the official head of the city government and chief representative of the city, and it shall be the mayor’s duty:

1. To preside at meetings of the mayor and council, where he or she shall have all the rights, powers, duties, and responsibilities of a councilmember, except that the mayor shall be entitled to vote on matters before the mayor and council only where there is an equal division on the question, and then the mayor shall determine the matter by his or her vote. The mayor shall also be entitled to vote on the election of the following officers and employees of the council, mayor pro tempore, city manager, city attorney, municipal judge, and city auditor;
2. As provided by law or by action of the mayor and council, to sign contracts on behalf of the city in the absence of the city manager;
3. To keep informed about the financial and other affairs of the city and from time to time to present information about the affairs of the city and to recommend such measures as deemed best for the city, including statements and reports to the citizens concerning the affairs of the city;
4. To serve as a member of boards, commissions, and committees required by law or by action of the mayor and council; and
5. To perform such other duties consistent with this Charter and as may be required by the council.

That’s what the city charter says. For more practical detail, talk to somebody who’s observed it up close and personal, such as city council members or ranking city staff, or people who either have or have not successfully gotten mayor and council to do something in particular. There are some examples on this blog, as well.

As you can see by the charter, the mayor is not the day-to-day manager of city business: that’s the City Manager. Being mayor is more marketing than management. The mayor needs to be a big picture person capable of socializing ideas with the community and promoting them to the outside world. A people person can probably do the job, at least as far as helping keep things running. Somebody who also has a vision and the reasoning and debating skills to promote it would have a great opportunity to help turn Valdosta into a leader in knowledge-based jobs.

So, if you think you are qualified and want to do this, you’ve got today and tomorrow to make up your mind. If you know somebody you think should do this, you’ve got today and tomorrow to help convince them to run.

-jsq

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