No Moore for Sydney

And so here I am. Trying. Trying to be mayor. So what kinds of mayors are there? And if elected, what kind do I hope to become? When it comes candidates for mayor, it's hardly a revelation that all candidates are not alike.

They differ in interests, in vision, in styles and in experiences. If you took a collection of mayors from different towns and hosted a barbeque, you might want to seat them among those with common interests. But what would those interests be?

Mulling over this issue in recent weeks, I came up with five broad styles of mayors. There is no right way to be a mayor. Mayors can be successful in any of these types. But I strongly believe that two types tend to do better over their time in office: the “managerial” mayor and the “neighbourhood” mayor.

I looked at mayors from a country that has an abundance of mayors: the United States of America, appreciating of course that the range of activities of Sydney’s mayor is more truncated than that of a typical American mayor. I note there are five types.

The first type of mayor is what is called the “deal-making” mayor, and a fine example is Richard Riordan (former mayor, Los Angeles from 1993-2001). The “deal maker” is a person who loves to make newspaper headlines, usually in deals for large development projects. Imagine any loud, filthy rich and how do I say it….“colourful” business identity as mayor and you have the general idea.

The second type is “ethnic” advocating mayor. Kwame Kilpatrick (Mayor of Detroit from 2002-2008) is a fine example. This kind of mayor comes to office determined to level the playing field in favour of one ethnic group. Alas, sometimes this infatuation with one topic blinds such advocates to everything else going on in his or her city.

The third type is often called the “manager” or “managerial” mayor such as Michael Bloomberg (New York City 2002 and still in the job). The name describes the style. This is the mayor whose passion is making government work better, faster and ideally cheaper.

The fourth type, the “protest” mayor Laura Miller (Dallas 2003-2007) is an example. These are mayors elected to protest some situation or issue. But as the issue recedes, these mayors tire all but their most glued-on supporters. Unless they find a new axe to grind, and find it soon, these folk soon go the way of the dinosaur.

And lastly the fifth type is the “neighbourhood” mayor. Thomas Menino (Boston 1993 and still on the job) is a wonderful example. These are mayors who are focused on making neighbourhoods healthy. They revel in the small details and can talk the leg off a table about local tree plantings and updating a scout hall. Some think of them as small-minded so-and-sos. Perhaps some are, but there's a reason these mayors last so long in office. The very best listen to their communities and they are proactive.

So what is my philosophy towards the job of mayor? I see myself as a mix of managerial and neighbourhood mayor. My drivers are five fold: to innovate, to educate, to save money, to employ good sense and above all else, to listen.

I utilised these qualities when working in the corporate sector and more recently in the not for profit space.

Enjoyable as it was, even more enjoyable than my time in the business world was my time in and still is my time working in the not for profit sector. I was President of Arthritis Australia, director of Australian Prostate Cancer Foundation, Chair of National Breast Cancer Advisory Network and Chair of the National Advisory Committee on AIDS. Currently I am Patron of the Macular Degeneration Foundation and President of Alzheimer's Australia.

What my mother taught me about life was right: You should strive to be better and to be thrifty (especially with others people’s money), have a low tolerance for BS and no tolerance for thieves. Before acting, ask how others might view what you’re doing. Commonsense stuff for sure, but not always common sense for governments.