How to make good governance sexy
Get the basics right, plan ahead, and encourage people to work together.
This was my 23rd visit to Huntsville, Alabama, in less than four years and when I sat down with Mayor Tommy Battle for an interview last Wednesday he joked that he would send me a tax bill and right there the tone was set.
Battle is in his fifth term as mayor of the Rocket City, having first won in 2008 against then-incumbent Loretta Spencer in a run-off election, ultimately earning 56% of the votes. When he ran again in 2012, against Spencer and one other candidate, he won with 80% of the votes. In 2016, he beat Spencer again and one other contender with 80% of the votes. In 2020 there were three challengers (Spencer didn’t run again) and Battle won 77% of the votes. His slacker year, I guess. Last year, he ran unopposed. Naturally, my first question had to be about his record.
“What could you do better?”
He didn’t bat an eye and launched into all the things he and his team are working on and how he tries every day to be better than the day before. There are road projects on the way to deal with increased traffic that comes from consistent and significant growth, and lots of thinking about how to ensure the city continues to be successful in the next 15, 20, 25 years. “That is the thing that we have to continue to do.”
Yes, modesty is famous in the South. All the credit goes to the team. And in fairness, there are good people at council and everywhere in positions of leadership. And that is the work of an incredible organization called the Huntsville Committee of 100, whose tagline is “Vision, Collaboration, Results.” I’ll have more to say about that in a separate post.
While nothing is ever perfect, it’s hard to deny how popular Tommy Battle is, and not just with the business people although I’d guess they’re the ones who like him the most.
Huntsville has been named, more than once, one of the best cities in America. Teams from all over everywhere come to the Rocket City to see if they can bring a little of its magic back home with them. What’s the secret sauce that makes Huntsville so successful?
Sure, there’s the federal government with its space and military stuff and all manner of defence and other investments. There are other cities with large employers that aren’t doing nearly as well as Huntsville.
Battle talks a great deal about working to make sure the real Huntsville is what people perceive. He’s very much aware what people from other areas think of Alabama. Rocket engineers know how awesome the Rocket City is, but that’s not a huge percentage of the population. It’s important for Huntsville to be known for other reasons, such as its music and arts scene, including the brand-new (and magnificent) 8,000-capacity Orion Amphitheater where stars like Stevie Nicks, Lana Del Ray, Robert Plant, Weird Al Yankovic and Jason Isbell have performed.
There’s also a ballet, an orchestra, theatre, great restaurants, museums and all manner of amenities common in big cities but not so much in a town of fewer than a quarter of a million. Trails and bike paths, too. And this gem of a park.
Beyond great jobs and theatre and space stuff and the economic benefits of such a flurry of activity, what truly makes Huntsville stand apart are the people. “This is one of those communities where when we have a project in Washington, D.C., that we want to bring to Huntsville,” Battle explains, “everybody goes. I mean, it’s the business development people from Lockheed, the BD people from Teledyne Brown, the BD people from Boeing, everybody goes and works on this project.”
The mayor jokes that “when we get people here, we can’t get rid of them” and I’m living proof of that. “That’s a good thing,” he adds, echoing the extraordinary welcoming vibe I’ve felt everywhere in Huntsville every single time I’ve been.
What complaints does Battle get?
As an older gentleman who accosted him recently at a soccer match put it, “Too many people! Too much traffic!”
Battle engaged the man and asked him whether he liked Huntsville’s Trader Joe’s. “Oh yeah, I love to go to Trader Joe’s!” How about Cheesecake Factory? “I love Cheesecake Factory!” All of these cool things are in Huntsville now because of growth. The upcoming relocation of Space Command from Colorado to the Rocket City will also add some pressure on the city’s infrastructure, but it will likely bring even more cool things, too. And it’s nothing the city’s administration hasn’t long been planning for.
As it turns out, there is nothing sexy about excellent local governance. But getting the basics right sure makes a place wonderful to spend time in.