Duluth leader undaunted by demands of new job

Mayor Nancy Harris's first foray into politics won for her the seat of mayor in her hometown.

She must now follow in the footsteps of her popular predecessor Shirley Fanning-Lasseter, not always an easy task. It also has brought her into one of the most serious economic crises brought on by the worldwide recession.

Harris has completed her first year in office and agreed to sit down with the Gwinnett Herald to talk about that first year and her plans for 2009.

Gwinnett Herald: What would you say was the biggest surprise of your first year in office?

HARRIS: The biggest surprise I guess is how this can be a full-time job. I was not surprised about the issues and problems the city has. When I decided I might want to run for mayor, I began attending City Council meetings about two years before the election.

So I really had a good idea of the issues we would be dealing with, so I can't say anything really surprised me.

But the amount of time the job demands is not a complaint. I am retired so I knew I would be able to devote the time needed to the job. But I always go home feeling I've left something unfinished.

GH: What would you say has been the toughest part of the job?

HARRIS: The toughest part has been being understood. That goes back to communication. I am surprised when I hear things I supposedly said. As a principal I was used to brainstorming and dialoguing with people.

Now I realize when I say something, it is taken as my position, when what I might be doing is exploring or just floundering or reaching for ideas so I can hear other ideas.

GH: And what has been your proudest accomplishment so far?

HARRIS: I'm most proud of paying attention to the Buford Highway Corridor. Many people have told me it is an embarrassment as the entrance to the city and the first thing people see.

We have hired an economic planner to analyze the challenges Buford Highway presents and how to make it attractive to new businesses. It may seem odd at this economic moment to be hiring someone to expand our economic capabilities, but we are not just looking at one area of the city but all of it.

At the end of this summer we adopted the Buford Highway Overlay plan which lay out our guidelines for redevelopment. We spent months working with Clifford Cross, our planning director, to work on what we wanted Buford Highway to look like and feel like, not just today but 25 years or 50 years or 100 years from now.

Before we could attract the kinds of businesses and development we want, we needed to have a plan in place. And now we have that plan.

GW: What is the big problem or job that is on your plate right now?

HARRIS: My biggest dilemma is for the old City Hall and how it can be saved. I have definitely shifted my time from many of the projects I came in hoping to accomplish. Perhaps that is why I haven't got other things as far along as I would have liked. For instance I am still working on an arts task force. I've just had to put things on the back burner.

I do not agree with where the old City Hall block is headed. I think the focus should not necessarily be on saving it, the focus should be on economic sustainability. I am concerned about putting more commercial development on that block right now. I think the timing is wrong now.

We have a lot of empty strip malls and storefronts already within the city limits. I just don't think it is the time to be building more. A lot people are upset about destroying those buildings and replacing them with a huge parking deck on that block.

There is also the historic preservation side of it. But we already have a traffic problem right there. With the railroad coming through town, we will always have a traffic problem in this town.

GW: What is the city doing to meet the harsh economic realities of 2009?

HARRIS: First, we will have to see what actions the General Assembly takes in its session. That will have a big effect on what we can do.

We have some major transportation projects in the city for 2009. We want to add a lane to Abbotts Bridge Road [Ga. 120], and we want to put a new entrance in for Duluth High School. We also plan for a connector road to join West Lawrenceville Road with Abbotts Bridge.

But we can't do it without state and federal funding.

We also have concerns about the revenue from SPLOST. With sales tax revenue down, we may not have the funds to do all that we wanted with the SPLOST projects.

We have already called on departments to reduce spending and plan on no new employees. However, we have not announced any hiring freezes for existing positions so far.

The city is also planning a huge software investment to modernize all of our city functions. This is not necessarily a good time to do that. But on the other hand it will save us money and free up employees who duplicating a lot of work. That is a big decision we will have to make.

On the good side, we are going to work smarter, and spend more time planning for the good times. It is a time for re-evaluation.
- www.gwinnettherald.com

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