- 4 months ago
From transforming struggling cities to pioneering progressive reforms, these influential leaders shaped American urban history. Join us as we count down our picks for the most noteworthy American mayors who left lasting legacies through innovation, public service, and transformative leadership. Which city leader do you think made the biggest impact?
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00:00Now, you don't have to be crazy to be mayor, you know, but it helps.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most noteworthy American mayors that made national headlines.
00:11And we ask you to enlist!
00:14Number 10. Stephen Goldsmith, Indianapolis, Indiana.
00:18Careers in public service can often be malleable, taking on different jobs and responsibilities as politicians graduate from novice leaders to seasoned professionals.
00:26Stephen Goldsmith began his career as a prosecutor for Marion County, Indiana, before eventually earning two terms as the mayor of Indianapolis.
00:33I ran on an I'm-not-going-to-raise-your-taxes platform, and the Chamber of Commerce on the day I was elected came to visit me and said,
00:39we're really delighted you pledged not to raise taxes because we have a billion-dollar infrastructure deficit,
00:44and we'd like you to correct it at the same time you don't raise taxes.
00:47Goldsmith served from 1992 to 2000, and during that time invigorated the city's municipal ventures
00:52by encouraging both private and public sectors to bid for contracts.
00:56And the amount of the contract was so many millions of dollars a year less than what we were spending.
01:05And we used the difference as a revenue stream to borrow against.
01:11So we essentially capitalized the savings in order to invest it into roads.
01:16This greatly benefited workforces at home, while the competition allowed for those that most desired the work to get the job.
01:22Thank you very much.
01:24Number 9. Josiah Quincy III. Boston, Massachusetts.
01:28The legacy of Josiah Quincy III is one that looms large over New England history, particularly within Massachusetts.
01:35Quincy began the process of modernizing Boston.
01:38Quincy was only the second mayor to serve Boston, after John Phillips,
01:42and the very popular tourist attraction Quincy Market serves as his legacy.
01:46Elsewhere, it was under his watch that the police and fire departments saw restructuring.
01:50Quincy also had his eye on the city's poor population,
01:53working to make them more comfortable while strengthening Boston's school system.
01:56Quincy did spend a lot of money while he was Boston's mayor,
01:59but it could be argued that his dedicated focus to every aspect of the city
02:02helped it run smoother in the long run.
02:04So Josiah Quincy, the great mayor of Boston,
02:08the president of Harvard,
02:10and his statue stands here in front of the old city hall.
02:13Number 8. Grover Cleveland, Buffalo, New York.
02:15It's sort of a strange statistic, but there actually haven't been many U.S. presidents
02:19who served as mayors before acquiring the nation's highest office.
02:23Andrew Johnson served Greenville, Tennessee,
02:25while Calvin Coolidge was mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts.
02:28But it was Grover Cleveland who served the largest city prior to his presidency.
02:32He was mayor of Buffalo, New York, for only a year from 1881 to 1882.
02:35He was an honest man in an age of opportunism.
02:39A county sheriff turned mayor who built a career on battling corruption.
02:44This was due to Cleveland's rise to the position of governor,
02:46where he further served the state of New York by fighting corruption and public spending.
02:50And I might add that when he was governor of New York,
02:53a civil rights law against discrimination passes through when Grover Cleveland signs it.
02:58Then, only three years later, Cleveland won the U.S. presidential election
03:02and began his first of two terms in the Oval Office.
03:04Is there anyone today named Grover Cleveland that you know?
03:08I'm sure there is, but I don't know.
03:12I don't know.
03:12I don't believe I know them.
03:13Number seven, Samuel M. Jones, Toledo, Ohio.
03:16He was known colloquially as Golden Rule Jones,
03:19espousing the age-old ethos of treating others as one would want to be treated.
03:23Therefore, whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.
03:29His mayorship of Toledo, Ohio proved that he wasn't just talk either,
03:32as he demonstrated a remarkable acumen for progressive ideas.
03:36Free kindergartens were opened under Samuel Jones' administration,
03:39as well as playgrounds and public baths for hot summer days.
03:42Jones brought many lasting and admirable improvements to the city
03:46and constantly promoted good health, exercise, and wholesome recreation.
03:50He even stripped police of their truncheon nightsticks.
03:53Jones ran as a Republican, but his views and policies cost him support during his first term.
03:58A man without a party, in his own words,
04:00Jones served as an independent from 1899 to his death during his third term in office.
04:04Samuel Golden Rule Jones died in office in 1904 at the age of 57.
04:10Some 50,000 people filed past his open casket.
04:13Number six, Hazen S. Pingree, Detroit, Michigan.
04:16This mayor moved away from his native New England to serve Detroit, Michigan for two terms.
04:21Hazen S. Pingree ran as a Republican, but notably railed against major corporate interests,
04:26monopolizing municipal services in the area.
04:28Mayor Pingree rooted out corruption in the school system,
04:31drove down streetcar prices,
04:33and opened up vacant city land for growing food during the Depression of 1893.
04:38He made citizens of Detroit breathe a little easier
04:40by making the city more affordable and prosperous during a period of economic uncertainty.
04:45Pingree's most notable actions while he was in office as mayor were probably threefold.
04:53Tougher times were offset by public gardening spaces where food could be grown,
04:57while Detroit's local infrastructure was encouraged by Pingree to be locally owned and publicly regulated.
05:02Pingree's experience as mayor must have done him well,
05:04because he would graduate to Michigan's governorship in 1897.
05:08Well, I think we learned a lot today about this mustachioed mayor of the people,
05:12and answered the question, what is that?
05:15Number five, David L. Lawrence, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
05:19We seem to have noticed a pattern here with regards to American mayorship,
05:21mainly in how it can often serve as a direct path to the governor's office.
05:25I get to Annapolis and whoever I leave behind as mayor,
05:27Bond, Campbell, or who knows, they're going to have a better time of it.
05:31This was certainly the road traveled by David L. Lawrence of Pennsylvania,
05:34although he's the only Pittsburgh mayor to achieve this feat.
05:37Lawrence proved his mettle as a leader early on, offering up bipartisan solutions
05:41and working across the aisle with Republican colleagues to clean up Pittsburgh's environment.
05:46He served four terms as a popular mayor who seemed to embody a spirit of political compromise,
05:51alongside a dedication to results.
05:52Mayor David Lawrence brings the city's message, and the new four-story structure is officially dedicated.
05:59Number four, Tom L. Johnson, Cleveland, Ohio.
06:02This was another four-term mayor, a jovial and charismatic man whose campaign for the office
06:06was notable for its irreverent publicity stunts.
06:09Tom L. Johnson is one of several figures from our community and our region's history
06:17who make it into national history books.
06:20Tom L. Johnson wasn't only about good times and bali-hoo, however.
06:24He made headlines on inauguration day by saving city land that today serves as grounds
06:28for such major Cleveland landmarks as Huntington Bankfield and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
06:33We love Cleveland!
06:34We love Cleveland!
06:36Johnson also switched Cleveland's privatized sanitation department into a public one,
06:40lessened police punishment towards first-time offenders,
06:42and focused his efforts on community and municipal ownership.
06:45Needless to say, he was very popular with his constituents.
06:48The story goes that he wanted to be immortalized in a seated position.
06:54And when the question was why, he said, well, so people could come and sit on my lap,
06:59in particular children.
07:00To me, that says it all.
07:02The idea that he wanted to be accessible to people.
07:05Number three, Maynard Jackson, Atlanta, Georgia.
07:08Change doesn't occur in a vacuum.
07:10Maynard Jackson's historic position as the first African-American mayor of Atlanta, Georgia,
07:14helped to lay the groundwork for Shirley Franklin's similar position as the first African-American woman to hold the office.
07:20Atlanta was the capital of the South.
07:24For him to win and really call shots, it was huge.
07:29We probably still wouldn't be discussing Jackson if he didn't also make a difference in the office, however.
07:34We are the city that refuses to be diverted from the positive path that stretches clearly before us.
07:43His primary focus was on race relations and police accountability,
07:46although this position did get Jackson in trouble when he installed an unqualified friend as public safety commissioner.
07:51A. Reginald Eves would later be convicted of extortion.
07:54Despite this, Mayor Jackson worked an uphill battle against Atlanta's rising crime rate.
07:58He truly believed that he could help to create a city where excellence, justice, and equality were not just aspirations.
08:07Number two, Richard M. Daley, Chicago, Illinois.
08:10Chicagoans seem to love electing Richard M. Daley as their mayor.
08:14Together, all the mayors, we are seeking a solution that basically guarantees an increase in education funding from year to year,
08:22reduces property taxes for education, and enhances accountability by schools all across our state.
08:30The son of former Mayor Richard J. Daley took office after the distinguished tenure of Harold Washington.
08:35Mayor Daley wound up serving six terms before declining to run for a seventh.
08:39Still, his legacy is a complicated one, full of inarguable results with questionable methods.
08:44If you have the courage, then stand up and say,
08:47I want the CTA to bypass my ward.
08:51You'll last about a half a day.
08:53He was tough on crime, but some Chicagoans complained about unfair treatment and brutality from their police force.
08:58He lowered rates and ran municipal facilities efficiently,
09:01but did so at the expense of the privatization that Daley actually favored.
09:05However, Chicago city workers also enjoyed welcome benefits that could be shared with their spouses,
09:10while the city's tourism, gun control, and environmental areas all flourished.
09:13I've always believed that every person, especially public officials,
09:18must understand when it's time to move on.
09:22For me, that time is now.
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09:38Number 1. Fiorello LaGuardia
09:42NYC has installed a number of colorful individuals as mayor, from Ed Koch to Rudy Giuliani.
09:49Fiorello LaGuardia, however, was good enough to have an airport named in his honor.
09:53The name Fiorello in Italian means little flower, but Fiorello LaGuardia was no shrinking violet.
10:00LaGuardia was a Republican, but he routinely worked across the aisle to achieve his progressive ideals.
10:05LaGuardia, a son of Italian immigrants, also battled tirelessly against corruption, both within New York City and in his own office.
10:12This is no time for sob stuff and whining.
10:17Now is the time to fight, to fight for the best interest of our city.
10:21He frequently butted heads with the Tammany Hall political organization that steered the Irish-dominated Democratic Party,
10:28but ultimately made New York City a better place for New Yorkers.
10:31This is all you can ever really want for a mayor, right?
10:33He was a man of many contradictions, but Fiorello LaGuardia was always on the side of the underdog, a great crusader.
10:42Do you actively follow mayoral races in your town? Let us know in the comments.
10:46This is a difficult choice for us.
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