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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Commentary: 10 reasons the mayor shouldn't write a 10-year plan

It's well known that Mayor John Dickert's 10-year plan is overdue. Dickert ran his winning campaign in 2009 on the tagline that he has a 10-year plan to make Racine a Top 10 city. Only problem? He didn't have a plan so much as a fuzzy idea of a plan he'd never actually written down.

Now, 14 months after he took office, the mayor is under pressure to release a plan to bolster his bid for re-election next April. This is a mistake. Here's 10 reasons the mayor shouldn't write a 10-year plan before the next election:

10. He won the last election without a plan. He can win this election without a plan.

9. He'll look stronger by resisting the calls for a plan than he will writing one. Releasing a plan now looks like he was strong-armed by the media and online comments.

8. It's a chance to get humble. The mayor can say it's a difficult job that's taken him a year just to begin to understand what it means to lead the city. Suggesting he can write a 10-year plan before he ever sat in the mayor's chair was an arrogant. Now that he's been in the job he understands the complexity of crafting a working document for the city, and he's begun the long process of formalizing his long-term thinking into a cohesive plan with the input of the Common Council, city residents and staff. This establishes him as the experienced candidate ready to build on two years in office, instead of Racine starting over again.

7. The election is long gone. Only the media is focusing on the 10-year plan. The rest of the city is just looking for relief from a down economy and long-standing problems.

6. Writing a plan is worse than not writing a plan. Putting one out now only reminds people it took you so long to do what you promised.

5. The mayor needs to focus on bringing jobs to Racine and reducing crime, not putting a couple ideas down on paper. He needs action not talk. Plans are for candidates. Acting is for mayors.

4. The mayor isn't a policy guy. He's a charismatic leader who risks getting backed into corners by putting specifics to his vision. Easier to work with the general idea of improvement, and trust that will win over voters.

3. No strong candidate has emerged to oppose the mayor. Creating a 10-year plan gives potential opponents an easy attack and the press a document to nitpick. 

2. Writing down a plan puts an enormous amount of pressure on a mayor to mobilize city staff and the Common Council to support the document. Until he can build consensus, which isn't easy to do in an election year, writing down a plan risks alienating too many people.

1. It's too late. Yeah, it was a political mistake to promise a 10-year plan and not deliver. But there's no sense on dwelling over the mistake. It's time to move on.


RacinePost readers submit their 10-year plans.

22 comments:

  1. In short, it doesn't matter when a Democrat makes a campaign promise and fails to deliver.

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  2. "1. It's too late. Yeah, it was a political mistake to promise a 10-year plan and not deliver. But there's no sense on dwelling over the mistake. It's time to move on."

    this is a bad attitude that has keep racine down for many years.

    we just end up moving onto the next mistake

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  3. At this point, if the mayor releases a 10 year plan he will look like a politician who had no intention of fulfilling a campaign promise and is bowing to the overwhelming chorus of criticism.

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  4. It is sad that anyone feels the need to provide the mayor cover for not producing his main campaign promise. Clearly there is no 10 point plan, there won't be one and if there is one it will now look bad. The cover that the commentary provides is frustrating because it shows how far some will go to protect a failed pol and not hold them accountable.

    Number 1 is about the only item I can agree with. It is time to move on with a different mayor. This one has failed even if there are a few defenders left.

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  5. John Dicket can do no wrong. Looks like the City got to The Post

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  6. Dustin.....Your comments are VERY disturbing...Real nice attitude....I'll bet when a "Republican" gets in next April (and he will, please print it!), I want to see the same exact forgiveness.

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  7. Thanks for the comments. I really didn't intend this to be a pro-Dickert column. It was more political analysis for a politician in a difficult situation. If you read past commentaries, you'd know I've criticized the mayor for failing to fulfill his campaign promise. It just not may be in his best interest to release a plan at this time.

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  8. You forgot reason #11. It should read something like this:

    The #1 reason for Dickert not to issue his "Ten Year Plan", is that he is an idiot and we don't need anymore plans from idiots." We need a plan from someone smart, not the arrogant failure factory named John Dickert.

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  9. It may be in the public's best interest to have a plan or better yet, a good plan. Dale Carnegie suggest the "good" management plans, organizes, directs and then controls.....they start with a plan and gain support by sharing it!

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  10. The only plan Dickert will need is what company will he be selling real estate for next year.

    Even the A Team had a plan, but not Dickert.

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  11. Jas, it is not bad attitudes that have keep Racine down it has been lying politicians. Dickert, Helding, Mack, Coe and Spangenberg are the five that come to mind. We need to see that this upcoming election is, if nothing else a "spring cleaning" type of year. This city needs new blood, individuals that have visions of what Racine can be and not fictiuos plans of what they think it should be (Dickerts famed voices in his head aka "The ten year plan").

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  12. Anon 5:32-

    The 5 you mentioned will be re-elected handily next April - guaranteed.

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  13. 5:58

    As long as Dickert goes down, the rest I can live with

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  14. Could Vertigo have caused Dickert to forget his plan? Sounds more like the symptom of anxiety disorder. Hope he gets better. A lousy mind is a poor thing to waste.

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  15. I agree. It was imprudent of the mayor to announce such a thing prior to running for office this spring. He should keep his powder dry and then, working with the community in focus groups, solicit ideas for his 10 year plan. Community input is important in such an endeavor.

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  16. Dickert is a failure and always was a failure. He just thought more highly of himself than everyone else.

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  17. Dustin, it was actually very interesting what you wrote. Your #10 stood out-He won the last election without a plan. He can win this election without a plan. I don't think so, not what he did to the people of Racine. Residents felt that they were lied to, betrayed and made to look like fools for believing him. You are right on the money about jobs and crime, but the problem being. Dickert does nothing about either. The 2 major things that have turned this city inside out and he remains quiet about it. Right now matter what anyone says, he's bascially a day late and a dollar short doing his job. I believe that a normal every day person with common sense and even no money could beat him tomorrow in an election.

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  18. Dustin,
    How could you write this with a straight face? I thought this was satire.

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  19. I presumed it was either satire or as Dustin mentioned in his response a method of cover. But since so far NO ONE has come forward interested in taking on Mr. Dickert it looks like he may just walk thru the next election in April.

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  20. Racineres said: "Residents felt that they were lied to, betrayed and made to look like fools for believing him."

    You and the obsessive few who read your site do not constitute "residents". If you think someone with no money could run and win, you were not paying attention to the last election and you sure don't understand local politics.

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  21. Downtown Brown I fear you are right. Well at least his friends will have jobs and make some money

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  22. The election is almost a year away. Everyone is focusing on the elections in November. Once they pass you will see a number of candidates seriously look at taking on Dickert and there will be a couple candidates who can raise the money and put together a serious campaign.

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