St. Petersburg is now beginning the race for a new mayor, with the Tampa Bay Times reporting that a sixth candidate has entered the race. Current Mayor Ken Welch is expected to announce along with one more.
And while campaign slogans and agendas will follow, we need to remember that we are choosing the chief executive of a billion-dollar organization. The kind of leadership we should we expect from someone running an organization as large and complex as our city matters.
At the same time, electing a mayor is not the same as hiring a seasoned industry executive for a billion-dollar company. That makes how a mayor leads—and who they surround themselves with—even more important.
As a result, there are two very important questions for each candidate.
The Important Questions to Ask the Candidates
What are the key leadership positions that actually run St. Petersburg’s government, and what experience should the people in those roles have?
Would you establish a small advisory council of experienced community leaders and professionals who could provide perspective when major issues arise? If not, how will you ensure you are getting independent advice?
Why These Are Important Questions in St. Petersburg
To understand why these questions matter, it helps to understand how St. Petersburg’s government actually works.
St. Petersburg operates under what is known as a strong mayor form of government.
In this system, the mayor functions as the chief executive officer of the city. The mayor is responsible for managing city government, overseeing major departments, hiring senior leadership staff, proposing the city’s budget, and guiding the administration that carries out the work of the city.
The City Council plays a different role.
Council members adopt laws and policies, approve budgets, and provide oversight of the administration. They represent the public and help ensure accountability in how the city is governed.
Both roles are essential to a well-functioning city.
In this post, I want to focus on what good leadership looks like from the mayor’s perspective in a strong mayor system. In a future post, I’ll explore what effective leadership should look like from the perspective of City Council.
Running a Billion-Dollar Organization
Electing a mayor is like hiring the CEO of a very large organization.
In St. Petersburg’s case, that organization manages nearly $1 billion a year, employs thousands of people, operates complex infrastructure, and makes decisions that shape the future of the community for decades. That’s a lot of responsibility.
With a difference
But there is an important difference between electing a mayor and hiring a CEO.
When a company hires a CEO, the board expects deep experience in the industry. They look for someone who understands finance, operations, strategy, and the technical aspects of the business.
In local government, it is not possible to apply those same criteria because that level of experience is almost never available, as those individuals are typically working in the private sector rather than running for office.
As a result, mayoral candidates often come from backgrounds in law, business, community leadership, or public service.
The result is that no candidate is going to be an expert in all of the areas required to run a city.
Which raises an important question:
How should a good mayor lead?
What should leadership actually look like for a mayor?
Good Mayors Build a Strong Team
In business, a CEO’s success depends heavily on the strength of the team around them.
Cities are no different.
A strong mayor system works best when key positions are filled by experienced professionals with deep expertise in areas such as:
planning and urban design
finance and budgeting
housing policy
infrastructure and transportation
legal affairs
economic development
These professionals help ensure that decisions are grounded in experience, analysis, and long-term thinking.
Therefore, the question for each candidate:
- What are the key leadership positions that actually run St. Petersburg’s government, and what experience should the people in those roles have?
Good Mayors Seek Perspective
Even the strongest internal team benefits from something else.
The best leaders don’t assume they have all the answers. And in the case of mayors, they should clearly understand that they will not have experience in every area needed to make complex decisions.
Instead, the best city leaders surround themselves with people who bring experience, perspective, and thoughtful advice.
One way a mayor could do this is by establishing an advisory council made up of respected and experienced members of the community.
This group would not make policy decisions and would not replace the roles of City Council or professional city staff.
Instead, it would serve as a big-picture sounding board that the mayor could consult when significant issues arise.
Members might include individuals with experience in areas such as:
business leadership
urban planning and architecture
housing and community development
finance and investment
nonprofit leadership
education and workforce development
When particularly complex issues arise—such as major redevelopment projects, infrastructure investments, or long-term planning questions—the mayor could ask this group to review the issue and offer thoughtful perspective.
When decisions will shape a community for generations, good leadership seeks the benefit of experience and thoughtful perspective.
Therefore, the question for each candidate:
- Would you establish a small advisory council of experienced community leaders and professionals who could provide perspective when major issues arise? If not, how will you ensure you are getting independent advice?
And Since the Historic Gas Plant Property Is One of the Key Areas Where Important Decisions Will Be Made
Three Questions Every Mayoral Candidate Should Answer
1. Who Should Define the Vision for the Gas Plant Site?
Should the city first create a plan for the 86-acre Gas Plant site, or should private developers define the project through proposals?
2. Who Should Capture the Long-Term Value of the Land?
If the Gas Plant site could ultimately generate hundreds of millions—or even billions—of dollars in long-term value, should the city retain control of that value, or should it largely be transferred to a private developer?
3. What Governance Structure Will Protect the Public Interest?
Should there be a community advisory council and independent experts helping guide decisions about the site so the public has confidence that the process is transparent and fair?
Leadership Matters
The best leaders—the best mayors—are not the ones who claim to have all the answers. They recognize they don’t have to be the smartest person in the room—but they are the ones who make sure the smartest people are in the room.
They are the ones who:
hire exceptional people
seek thoughtful advice
listen carefully
and make decisions informed by the best information available
Running a city like St. Petersburg requires exactly that kind of leadership.
And good leadership matters.
