Town Hall Titans
Meet five big city bosses — the mayors of Rome, London, Stockholm, Berlin and Paris — who are tackling the challenges of contemporary urban life with new energy and ideas.
For Veltroni, the best way to run a city is to be seen and heard — as often as possible. "He's always among the people," says Francesca Filippi, who's covered city hall for 15 years for the Rome daily Il Messaggero. "You don't meet anyone who hasn't met him somewhere, sometime. He's literally everywhere." Veltroni even makes a cameo appearance in Ian McEwan's new bestselling book, Saturday, when the protagonist flashes back to a fond memory of "a quiet, civilized man, with a passion for jazz" opening a medical conference in Rome.
Veltroni, a member of the Left Democratic Party, became Rome's second directly elected mayor in 2001. Before the introduction of direct elections in 1993, the city council chose the mayor, encouraging a culture in which ambitious politicians devoted more energy to backroom wheeling and dealing than to making their voices heard in the piazzas. That could never be said of Veltroni, whose childhood hero, Robert F. Kennedy, inspired his career in public service. On his watch, the city's cultural life is flourishing, public services are improving — and Romans are giving him credit for it. Holding free concerts at the Colosseum every year — featuring superstars like Paul McCartney and Simon and Garfunkel — has been a huge hit.
Veltroni has his opponents. Antonio Tajani of the Forza Italia party admits this kind of event is effective, but insists Veltroni is more show than substance. He's neglected more serious issues, Tajani argues, most notably the city's growing public debt, which has climbed from less than €6 billion to around €7 billion since Veltroni took office. "His popularity is ephemeral," says Tajani. "He is more concerned with promoting his public image than resolving the real problems of the city."
Veltroni defends his handling of city finances, noting the city maintains a top municipal credit rating. And he is convinced that his brand of up-close-and-personal politics is essential to restoring a sense of community and common purpose in big cities. "This is actually the way to govern," he says. "It's important that the people have actual physical contact with their mayor. This is a way for people to participate in the civic life of their community."
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