Of course one thing we all want from a leader, of any kind, is a goal. Where is that leader trying to lead us?
My goal will be this – for myself, and for the city at large, our goal will be to become America’s Coolest City. And to be perceived as such by people everywhere, both inside and outside the city.
Is your first impression of that goal is that it sounds flippant or frivolous? It isn’t. Becoming America’s Coolest City is exactly what San Francisco needs to strive toward to restore its tattered reputation and improve the local living environment, mental health, and the atmosphere of the city at large.
My vision of being America’s coolest city covers a wide variety of factors, from how we enforce laws to how we present to the outside world to how our citizens feel about living and working here.
I’ll also admit I like the double-entendre opportunity that America’s Coolest City is going to provide to the advertising people in our tourism promotion organizations.
But for me it’s a serious thing. And a pretty clever way to have conversations about how we move forward to make The City into the kind of place we all want it to be. If I do say so myself.
Are you a little skeptical? Please, try putting that aside for a minute and give the idea a chance – it just might grow on you.