VISION….INSPIRE….LEAD

By: Al Zucaro

Every May, the city council conducts a goal setting session to establish objectives and direction for the city manager during the upcoming year. This year, May 2 – 4 is the dates set aside for this public exercise.

In preparation for the moment, a review of the minutes from past goal setting sessions is helpful. 2010 and 2011minutes are easily accessible on the internet and provide insight into this process and the procedure to be expected next week in city hall chambers.

Having reviewed these minutes, one can not help but wonder if the outcome of this year’s session can be written in advance as a ‘cut and paste’ exercise from years gone by.

Administration will come forward with the financial shortfalls projected in the city’s budget; department heads will present the challenges and obstacles within each of their departments; and the public will offer comments that are so late in the process as to be rendered almost meaningless. Finally, the five council members will be asked to set in place their collective vision based upon this kaleidoscope of restraints and limitations. A harrowing task to say the least as vision may be the one outcome that is least likely to occur given this overall setting.

Webster’s dictionary defines vision as the art of seeing; the ability to form a picture in one’s mind of future greatness. Visionary is defined as someone who imagines how things should be while paying little regard to how they actually are. Perhaps a little more of these characteristics could be infused in the goal setting exercise so that the results will enable our city, Boca Raton, to find ways to distinguish itself and attract greater interest from outside observers and investors to locate here instead of the myriad of other opportunities that exist nationwide. Vision is what makes us more attractive and more competitive.

With these definitions in mind, one wonders what is the vision and who is the visionary to carry the message forward in the outside world?

As to who… there is no one person in this governmental structure assigned to this task and no one person who has stepped forward to carry it out. The council, collectively, conveys the vision for the city and through a process messages the image of what locating in Boca Raton may be like to both the residential and commercial observer.

Residential is not the concern raised here. Commercial interest is….

With millions of available square feet of entitled commercial space in the downtown and in the commerce park, attracting new users is one major item that adds immediately to the tax base, filling the council’s coffers with new revenues without raising the millage and without adding to the costs….A no brainer but remarkably missing from the vision.

A further review of the public record uncovers another document titled “Boca Raton Vision 2026.” This document is filled with many platitudes. “A quality place to live”; a great place to work”; an outstanding place to play.” Tell me any city that does not have these very same aspirations.

Hogwash….

Nowhere in the document is there any clear articulation of a vision to achieve these goals. Nowhere is there any clear articulation as to what in the vision would act as the catalyst to inspire outside commercial and investor interest to chose to locate here, to chose to invest in our great city.

A fair reading of this document reflects a mundane, ministerial outline of a process completely lacking in inspiration and vision….

Webster defines inspiration as the creative impulse of an artist, a person who or thing that inspires!

Again, putting aside the issue of person, this document is by no means the thing that inspires. It is merely the ‘to do’ list for the city manager to manage over the next period of time. Inspirational it is not and the city manager is not meant to inspire. He is a functionary tasked to get the job done efficiently, on time, and on budget….nothing more, nothing less.

So what’s missing? Leadership….

Back to Webster, leadership is defined as the quality displayed by a leader. A leader is someone who acts with the courage of one’s conviction and puts one’s opinion into actual practice. These goal setting sessions can not and do not achieve inspired vision or a courageous leader.

That is not to fault any individual but rather an overt criticism of our governmental structure where five equal elected council members are tasked with managing the manager and setting the budget. Again, merely a mundane and ministerial function certainly not designed for vision and inspiration.

Moving into the future!

Last week’s column generated a comment from someone identified as ‘onlooker’ who argues that my reporting about the March election is old news and that I should move on. Onlooker is right; I agree…it is time to move on….

So into the future this writer and this city shall go. There are twenty-two months before the next citywide election for council members in March 2014. That suggests the following time lines. Ten months to raise awareness to the issues and direction of the city for both the residential and commercial points of view. Six months to identify and groom candidates ready to articulate a greater vision and inspire outside interests to grow this city’s base and its importance within the south Florida market. And, finally six months to run campaigns to elect the best and the brightest of those candidates to fill the seats of representative power within the city’s charter and within the confines of the law.

This next cycle is an opportunity for real change in who and what defines this great city of Boca Raton.

So Onlooker, the 2012 election cycle is over. Done! But the 2014 cycle is now in play and has already begun. Thank you for your comment and, please keep them coming…..

Al Zucaro

See Al’s internet broadcast show on www.wrpbitv.com or visit his website at www.alzucaro.com