From the Dec. 4, 2000

Dell'Antonia steps out
Mayor's leadership role on downtown could redefine post
By Karl Ebert
of the Northwestern

Oshkosh Mayor Jon Dell'Amtonia presents Oshkosh North High School football coach Steve Jorgensen with an award during a recent meeting of the City Council. November 28 2000.
--Andy White

Jon Dell'Antonia saw an opening and he took it.

In just shy of eight months as Oshkosh's council-elected mayor, Dell'Antonia has become the leading proponent of city support for LDR International Inc.'s downtown Oshkosh revitalization recommendations.

And, in the process, he is also pushing the envelope on the role of the mayor in Oshkosh's council-manager form of government beyond the traditional role of chief ribbon-cutter and greeter.

Dell'Antonia's activism as lead cheerleader for fast action on the Maryland planning firm's downtown recommendations is being noted by observers both within city government and on the outside.

Few are particularly surprised by the role Dell'Antonia has chosen, except, perhaps, for the mayor himself.

"This was never some ambition I had," Dell'Antonia said. "But now that I'm doing it, frankly, I'm having a really good time and that's because now, with downtown revitalization, there's something I can focus on as mayor - something that's important to me."

The result, nearly $1.5 million in spending on downtown renovation projects next year, while not Dell'Antonia's doing, certainly gained momentum from his willingness to play the point man.

It's an interesting turnaround for someone who, when previously asked, had little interest in being mayor. And even when he accepted the post, Dell'Antonia said, he did not do it with the expectation of pushing any particular agenda.

"Talking about an agenda was something I didn't really think about or really recognize as a possibility. And if I didn't have downtown redevelopment, I'm not sure what I would be talking about or pushing," Dell'Antonia said.

In Oshkosh government, the mayor, wields the same power as the other six members of the seven-members council, with just a few exceptions: the mayor is elected by the members of the council to run meetings, make appointments and serve a figurehead role as the city's representative at public functions.

In the background, however, there's always been the additional role of working closely with the city manager and representing the city at private meetings with developers and others who are bringing proposals to the city.

Now, however, Dell'Antonia is using the limited power he has to focus attention, both privately and in the media, on downtown revitalization in a way that few who served before him focused on an issue or agenda.

"That, I think, is one of the major advantages of being the mayor. You do have the bully pulpit, if you will, and the opportunity to move some things forward if you feel strongly about it. I think that is something I think future mayors ought to think about," Dell'Antonia said.

Former City Manager Bill Frueh said Dell'Antonia is far from the first mayor to take on an active leadership role.

Others who preceded Dell'Antonia - Frueh points to former mayors Floyd Chapin, Robert Pung, James Mather - also played activist roles.

"It all just depends upon the personality of the mayor and the personalities of the councilors," Frueh said. "I think it's a good role. Somebody needs to bring some leadership to city government and right now I think he's doing that."

To longtime critic of council-manger government Jim Simmons, Dell'Antonia's leadership on downtown revitalization is a product of his interests and connections with the business community, as well as the role of the city manager and the current attitude of the city council.

"As an outsider, it appears there's been some expansion (of the mayor's role)," Simmons said. "I think even Melanie Bloechl went further than most mayors in terms of the meet and greet. I think, perhaps, because of his background he can play a larger role in regard to business interests and development."

In a nutshell, Simmons said, there was a power vacuum and Dell'Antonia stepped into it.

Unlike Frueh, who often took on the leadership mantle, City Manager Richard Wollangk has played the role of administrator, in part because councilors made it clear in Wollangk's first years that they wanted a change from a management style that some perceived as autocratic.

"Because you have a city manager who really is playing an administrative role and is more dependent on department heads, it creates an opening for a more active mayor," Simmons said.

But such a role wouldn't be possible without the acquiescence of a council that landed squarely on the side of the downtown redevelopment plan, said Councilor Stephen Hintz.

By the nature of the position, the latitude afforded a mayor in Oshkosh is limited by a flexible algebra of personalities and issues.

"We're dealing with boundaries and I'm not sure that we've bumped up against that yet," Hintz said. "It's a fine line and one that is defined by the particular individuals on the council. In this particular case, it's a good thing. The downtown issue and the question of what role the city plays are very important city issues that need to be not only debated by the city council, but put out to the entire community."

Dell'Antonia's mayorship also begs the question: why not directly elect a mayor who can run on specific issues and, through popular election, have a mandate from voters to push those causes.

It's a position Hintz offered as a compromise, but was rejected by nearly two-thirds of voters, during the last debate about the city's form of government in 1998. The proposal would not have given the mayor any additional power, but would have required running for the post in a citywide election.

A proposal to do away with the council-manager form of government and replace it with a mayor-council system was also defeated. That proposal would have given the mayor's position strong administrative powers as well.

"Given my druthers, I would like to see (a popularly elected mayor) because I think it further enhances the legitimacy of the position," Hintz said.

Simmons, too, sees a distinct advantage to an elected mayor who has "more legitimacy" to push a specific agenda.

The idea's sound trouncing in 1998, he said, was largely the result of a lack of middle ground in past debates.

"These things are often associated with personalities. On one side you had people who didn't like Bill Frueh and wanted the change, and on the other side, there were those who were afraid that Melanie Bloechl or Jim Simmons would be mayor," he said.

Dell'Antonia, for his part, wants nothing to do with an elected mayor's post.

"You could probably make a case of that, but the problem I have is what, exactly, do you run on? A year ago, if I wanted to run for mayor, this issue wouldn't have been out there. The consultants were hired, but they weren't done," Dell'Antonia said.

In fact, it may be that the course Dell'Antonia is charting, if it is followed up on by future mayors, could put an end to the debate once and for all.

It begins, he said, with showing a commitment to progress.

And downtown redevelopment, he said, is where the rubber hits the road.

"People have to start to say, 'We can make this happen, we deserve to make this happen,'" he said. "It's a change of mindset from, 'We can't spend the money.' It is going to take some money, but 10 years from now I think you're going to see some results and I just want to make sure we're on track and the city's doing what it needs to do to make things happen."

KARL EBERT MAY BE REACHED AT (920) 426-6688.

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