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[November 18th, 2009]

Randyland Is Our Making

One of the most interesting examples of Randy Leonard’s leadership style was his public dispute with Ted Wheeler last year regarding urban renewal.

It wasn’t enough to merely disagree.

For Randy, it was a personal insult that anybody would question his decision-making. His response was to let loose with a barrage of personal and outrageous attacks toward Wheeler.

As it turns out, Wheeler and his staff at the county were and are very well aware of how urban renewal works and the effect it has on revenues at the county and the school districts. (See Jim Redden’s very informative article in last week’s Tribune.)

Pretty clearly, it was Randy who didn’t understand the issue. But most galling was Randy’s willingness to hold all city-county cooperation hostage, suggesting that everything the city does is subject to his whims and antagonisms, and that public resources are his personal playthings.

But Wheeler got off lucky.

The other members of the City Council, should they differ with Randy on anything, are routinely subject to these sorts of attacks on their motives, integrity and/or brains.

Given the scathing hits they take every day from him, it’s either an amazing show of their patience or a testament to their fear of him that he continues to have any influence over his colleagues at all.
“JJ Gildersneeze”
Via wweek.com