The ‘CEO-Mayors’ Who Care About Cities Instead of Profits

Dan Gilbert of Detroit is just one example of what a CEO determined to help their communities can accomplish.

I always have been concerned that the divide between the public and private sectors is too wide in this country.

One of the five stories I found particularly compelling because it was so unusual was about Columbus, Ga., and John Turner, whose family owns the W.C. Bradley Co., a diversified local institution since 1885 now in real estate, fishing gear and outdoor equipment. After an effort that took 15 years, Turner’s public-private partnership successfully created the world’s largest urban whitewater course on a 2.5-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River that crosses the Alabama-Georgia line. Getting this done required navigating a series of obstacles represented by two state governments, two cities (Columbus and Phenix City, Ala.), four federal agencies, and a range of environmental and civic groups. It was complicated further by the need to purchase two old electric power dams.

The first year of the whitewater course’s operation was a rousing success, attracting thousands of tourists and winning praise from USA Today as one of the 12 "greatest man-made adventures on the planet." And everyone is agreed that it was John Turner’s savvy and patience, along with the full cooperation of the Army Corps of Engineers, that got the job done.

by Peter Harkness

Full Story: http://www.governing.com/columns/potomac-chronicle/gov-ceo-mayors.html