He cherry-picked just one of six key categories - Mesa ranks the next-to-last in the second tier of 20 cities in the Overall City Rank. It ranks the Worst #1 for Pollution and Infrastructure, #72 for Financial Stability, and #59 for Education. Let's for the sake of disclosure, knock the mayor down-a-notch-or-two. In the interest of holding the mayor transparent and accountable or responsible for what he says, there's a few things to grab your attention to keep it fair and balanced: data.
There is, however, one non-elected high-salaried city employee who is the city's Chief Executive Officer.
< Mesa City Manager Chris Brady.
He's the one who runs the city from inside City Hall.
He's been doing his job since getting hired-away from San Antonio as an "outsider" in 2005. 15 years is enough time to have created a track-record. The 2019 Wallet Hub Survey says more about the city manager's performance in fifteen years than the mayor's five years on the city council.
In evaluating how well a city is run, what are the top five indicators?
Why are some cities better run than others?
What can citizens do to increase the transparency and accountability of local government?
Are some forms of city government - a city manager or city council - more effective than others?
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Jul 1, 2019 | Adam McCann
2) Education
3) Health
4) Safety,
5) Economy
6) Infrastructure & Pollution.
Wallet Hub evaluated those dimensions using 37 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest quality of service.
Next, they calculated an overall “Quality of City Services” score for each city based on its weighted average across all the metrics.
Finally, for each city, the financial services company divided the Quality of City Services score by the “Total Budget per Capita” (dollar amount) in order to construct a “Score per Dollar Spent” index — displayed as “Overall Rank” in the Main Findings table above — then used to rank-order the cities in the sample taken by Wallet Hub
(Scroll farther down to see the 37 metrics)
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HOW DID MESA RANK across all the six categories and the Overall Rank?
Financial Stability: #72
Education: #59
Health: #57
Safety: #35
Economy: #51
Infrastructure & Pollution: #136
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Main Findings for Mesa
Best-Run Cities in America
PLEASE USE THIS LINK > https://wallethub.com/edu/best-run-cities2019
Overall Rank: 19
(Arizona's two bigger cities were ranked Phoenix #34 Tucson #35)
Quality of City Services Rank: 55
Total Budget per Capita: 22_________________________________________________________________________
"Running a city is a tall order. The larger the city, the more complex it becomes to manage. In addition to representing the residents, local leaders must balance the public’s diverse interests with the city’s limited resources. That often means not everyone’s needs can or will be met. Leaders must carefully consider which services are most essential, which agencies’ budgets to cut or boost and whether and how much to raise taxes, among other decisions.
But how do we measure the effectiveness of local leadership? One way is by determining a city’s operating efficiency. In other words, we can learn how well city officials manage and spend public funds by comparing the quality of services residents receive against the city’s total budget.
Using that approach, WalletHub compared the operating efficiency of 150 of the largest U.S. cities to reveal which among them are managed best . . .
METHODOLOGY
Financial Stability – Total Points: 16.67
- Moody’s City Credit Rating: Quadruple Weight (~13.33 Points)
- Outstanding Long-Term Debt per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
Education – Total Points: 16.67
- K–12 School-System Quality: Double Weight (~11.11 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of public schools rated by GreatSchools.org with above average score. - High School Graduation Rate: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Health – Total Points: 16.67
- Infant Mortality Rate: Quadruple Weight (~6.67 Points)
- Average Life Expectancy (in Years): Quadruple Weight (~6.67 Points)
- Hospital Beds per Capita: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
- Quality of Public Hospital System: Full Weight (~1.67 Points)
Note: This metric is based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ ranking of public hospital systems.
Safety – Total Points: 16.67
- Violent Crime Rate: Quadruple Weight (~4.76 Points)
- Property Crime Rate: Quadruple Weight (~4.76 Points)
- Motor Vehicle Fatalities per Capita: Quadruple Weight (~4.76 Points)
- Share of Sheltered Homeless Persons: Full Weight (~1.19 Points)
- Perception of Safety (Safety walking alone during daylight/night): Full Weight (~1.19 Points)Note: Composite metric:
- Safety walking alone during daylight
- Safety walking alone during night
If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.
Economy – Total Points: 16.67
- Unemployment Rate: Triple Weight (~2.63 Points)
- Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~0.88 Points)
- Median Annual Household Income (Adjusted for Cost of Living): Double Weight (~1.75 Points)
- Median Annual Income Growth Rate: Double Weight (~1.75 Points)
Note: Growth compares the income level in 2017 versus in 2016. - Annual Job Growth Rate (Adjusted for Population Growth): Double Weight (~1.75 Points)
Note: Growth compares the number of employed civilian population in 2017 versus in 2016. - Share of Population Living in Poverty: Double Weight (~1.75 Points)
- Economic Mobility: Triple Weight (~2.63 Points)
- Growth in Number of Businesses: Full Weight (~0.88 Points)
Note: Growth compares the number of businesses in 2016 versus in 2015. - Change in Housing Prices: Full Weight (~0.88 Points)
Note: Change compares the price in 2018 versus in 2011. - Zillow Home Value 1-year Forecast: Full Weight (~0.88 Points)
Note: The Zillow Home Value Forecast is Zillow's prediction of what the Zillow Home Value Index will be one year from now. - Building-Permit Growth: Full Weight (~0.88 Points)
Note: Growth spans 2015 to 2017.
Infrastructure & Pollution – Total Points: 16.67
- Quality of Roads: Quadruple Weight (~3.03 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of pavements in poor condition. - Average Commute Time (in Minutes): Full Weight (~0.76 Points)
- Transit Access Shed: Full Weight (~0.76 Points)
Note: “Transit Access Shed” is the total area of land that is easily accessible from any point via public transportation. - Traffic Congestion: Full Weight (~0.76 Points)
- Walk Score: Triple Weight (~2.27 Points)
Note: “Walk Score” measures pedestrian friendliness by analyzing population density and road metrics such as block length and intersection density. - Bike Score: Full Weight (~0.76 Points)
Note: “Bike Score” measures whether an area is good for biking. The Bike Score is calculated by measuring bike infrastructure (lanes, trails, etc.), hills, destinations and road connectivity, and the number of bike commuters. - Transit Score: Half Weight (~0.38 Points)
Note: “Transit Score” is a patented measure of how well a location is served by public transit. - Recreation-Friendliness: Quadruple Weight (~3.03 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst Cities for Recreation” ranking. - Share of Residents with Access to Internet: Half Weight (~0.38 Points)
- Water Quality: Full Weight (~0.76 Points)
- Air Pollution: Full Weight (~0.76 Points)
- Greenhouse-Gas Emissions per Capita: Full Weight (~0.76 Points)
- Share of Parkland: Triple Weight (~2.27 Points)
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