The Mayor's Challenge: Get Real + How To Score Points

AN OPINION PIECE: Game On
OK it's hard for a mellow guy to be bold, but let's say for argument's sake that your MesaZona blogger is motivated to wipe the slate clean to start off The New Year on a level-minded playing field where all's fair in love, war and politics.
Admittedly Mayor John Giles is one of my favorite local holders of public office to hit on - he does score some well-earned points sometimes, but does he have the right stuff for Big League Dreams running the highest elected office here?

With Giles' base rooted in a generations-old political machine, it was easy to succeed pinch-hitting for former mayor Scott Smith who took time-out to lose in a campaign for the seat of Arizona Governor won by Doug Ducey. Giles was an automatic shoo-in with an appointment to fill Smith's unexpired term, gaining the seat later in his own right by a 75% voter approval (of those faithful who did vote). Now in-office for two years, his track-record on delivering more than "lip-service" is turning into a scramble of sorts where he's been "in-training" to gain the skills and strengths to rise to the challenges of Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayor Challenge. . . but What is Giles into?

People who live here in Mesa, with whom the mayor self-admits are not engaged in city government, do have hope that his performance this year 2018 hits a few home runs out-of-the-ballpark . . . is Giles smart enough and bold enough?
Does he have all the right stuff?

Has he learned on-the-job while getting higher education at The Harvard School and in Washington D.C. at the behest, generosity and invitation of Mike Bloomberg?
Mayor John Giles and the City of Mesa were chosen to participate for the last two years.
Let's see now what he delivers back home.
Time will tell - very soon. 

SPOILER ALERT: Mesa ain't winning any prizes for being open, transparent and accountable. We are all still wondering exactly what might be next in the keystone public relations campaign of John Giles election called NextMesa.
At this point-in-time and in the mayor's third season, he's up-to-bat on his home turf.
Perhaps the following Intention Association upload to YouTube of an interview with Adios'  Mike Allen - that's not been seen by many people - is a sneak preview:
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Mesa Mayor John Giles Talks About Running A Twenty-First Century City

Published on Nov 15, 2017

Views: 27 (as of upload time to this blog site)

Mesa, Arizona Mayor John Giles wants to make his city a place for tech companies to come and innovate. He sat down Axios’s Mike Allen at Internet Association’s 2017 Virtuous Circle Conference to discuss how Mesa is using data to create transparency, attract jobs and innovation, and more.

 

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2017 Mayors Challenge: The Time is Now - Bloomberg Philanthropies

The time is now! U.S. mayors face bigger challenges than ever before. Innovation is no longer optional; it's necessary so cities can continue to deliver results and improve life for residents. The 2017 Mayors Challenge, sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is designed with this urgency in mind.

Link > http://mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org/ 

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James Anderson on the 2016 Mayors Challenge

Published on Dec 1, 2016

Views: 94 (no likes or dislikes)

James Anderson of the Government Innovation team at Bloomberg Philanthropies discusses the 2016 Mayors Challenge process.

 

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QUESTION: How's Mesa Mayor John Giles doin' on this?