Please, Mayor Littlefield, Do Something to Prove You’re Not a Doorknob
Dear Mayor Littlefield,
Tuesday was awesome. We are still buzzing. VW actually picked us. We still can’t believe it.
So, why did you have to go and embarrass us?
On the cover of Wednesday’s Times Free Press, you are quoted as saying:
“I think this is the best possible economic development that Chattanooga could have hoped for. It shows we were right to hold out and, in hindsight, it looks like we were actually fortunate not to be picked by Toyota.”
Where do we start?
First, you are speaking as if it was our call as to whether Toyota chose Chattanooga. We didn’t “hold out” for anything. It was Toyota’s choice, and they didn’t choose us. They weren’t the losers, we were.
Second, it would have actually been great if Toyota had picked Chattanooga, and you would have said so. In case you hadn’t noticed, Toyota could likely overtake GM in its home market this year, the first time ever that a foreign company would be the No. 1 seller of cars in the United States. In short, Toyota is huge. Bigger than Volkswagen, even. If Toyota had picked Chattanooga, everybody would be just as hysterical. Which brings us to our last point…
Chattanooga won.
We know that you are preparing for a divisive mayoral race — despite the fact that we (or you) aren’t quite sure who you’ll be running against — but “winning” or “losing” a VW plant is not the same thing as winning or losing a mayoral election.
Elections are nasty affairs where candidates (and their minions) dig up as much dirt about their opponents as possible in order to make themselves look more appealing. “Races” to attract businesses are much more subtle and sensitive.
Winning one manufacturing plant can mean, quite possibly, winning other manufacturing business — including business you may have lost the first time around. Vilifying those that once passed you by is pointless and short-sighted.
We still haven’t figured out who Billy Blades is, but we think he might be on to something:
“Ron Littlefield was just a bystander, and given his poor leadership abilities, that was for the best. I said it about the efforts to bring Kia and Toyota to town and it applies here as well: Ron has no ability or knowledge in this area and he neither helped nor hindered the efforts to woo VW. He showed up when he was told to and made bland comments when necessary.”
We’re quite sure you’re going to reference your “involvement” in Volkswagen’s move to Chattanooga in many speeches in the years to come. If your comments in the paper, however, are any indication of your negotiating skills, I think Billy’s comments are likely accurate: You didn’t do much. And the others were smart not to let you.
Just being near a triumph doesn’t make you an integral part of it. Leadership comes from doing, not being. Yeah, you were the Mayor of the City of Chattanooga when Volkswagen announced it was moving here. But what did you do to make it happen?
Something tells us we’ll never really know.
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