The consensus is very strongly that the new mayor is inheriting a very strong situation, and there’s an opportunity to build on that. Part of our success in Boston is in building an innovation economy. If you are qualified for the kinds of jobs that economy has created, you do very well. If you’re not, you’re pretty harshly punished.
Paul Grogan, the CEO of the Boston Foundation, shared the aforementioned statement in a recent article from Fast Company, which highlighted a handful of mayors trying to keep cities innovative.
Now, we have to wonder ...
Should we be requiring that those bidding for a spot in the ranks of local and state government be well-versed in the world of entrepreneurship?
Innovation is a pillar of the local economy and culture in Boston – one that former mayor Thomas Menino took care in nurturing, his involvement peaking with the debut of the country’s first public innovation center, District Hall. Menino displayed both business acumen and traditional political savvy during his tenure. As Peter Ubertaccio, political science chair at Stonehill College, put it earlier this month:
[Mayor Menino] takes personally parts of the city that I think can be a little dangerous...Like when he called it "my business community."
But how easily can the reins of said burgeoning business community be handed off to the recently elected Mayor Marty Walsh?
Walsh has entered the ring as the city’s first new mayor in the last two decades, bringing to the position a strong personal narrative; I imagine that to many, he’s relatable and “real.” He’s a childhood cancer survivor, a recovering alcoholic, a union advocate and a "self-evident neighborhood guy at heart." Perhaps his biggest promise revolves around transparency, a commitment to breaking down the boundaries between the gilded building on Beacon Hill and the citizens of Boston.
Would a resume rich in business and entrepreneurial experiences make Walsh – or any governing official, really – be able to better understand the needs of an innovation ecosystem?
On the state level, Massachussets is witnessing more and more gubernatorial candidates entering the race hailing from a career stocked with such a background, from entrepreneurship to venture activity.
Right-wing Charlie Baker, for example, comes to candidacy from Cambridge-based VC firm General Catalyst, where he served as chairman of its board after aiding in an equity financing deal with Oceans Healthcare, worth a reported $17 million. Running on the Independent ticket is Jeff McCormick, who, prior to the race, was founding partner at Boston VC firm Saturn Partners. Then there’s Evan Falchuk, a true entrepreneur and the seasoned executive behind online referral and consultation site Best Doctors.
In many ways, a city could be seen as a startup: It’s fast-paced, tough decisions on where to funnel money need to be made and there will always be places, products and industries on which to improve. If that's the case, the one at its helm, then, might go about the mayorship as an entrepreneur would a young company – optimistic yet pragmatic, resourceful and dogged in his or her efforts to improve.
What type of leadership do you think Boston needs in City Hall?
