EDITORIAL: Wukela’s speech helps personify him as politician

Stephen J. Wukela took over as Florence’s mayor less than a year ago after ousting incumbent Frank Willis by one vote in the Democratic primary. The local attorney’s victory came as a surprise and left the city facing a new agenda and point of view.

Resistance to Wukela has been significant. His liberal perspective and desire to push forward with a tax increase rubbed conservatives on the Florence City Council the wrong way.

But two events seemed to humble the hard-charging mayor, who lost in 2004 to State Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, in an unsuccessful bid to join the state legislature.

The first came when Wukela proposed a tax increase. No one on the city council rose to second his motion, an embarrassing defeat after he pleaded to hire new police officers and build another fire station.

The second came when the council passed an ordinance allowing it to remove the mayor as chairman of the council, if it deemed the move necessary. The vote was another tweak for Wukela personally.

The episodes showed Wukela needed to be more of a compromiser. He needed to make friends beyond his two allies, councilmen Ed Robinson and Billy D. Williams, to affect change in Florence.

Wukela showed signs of being conciliatory on issues such as downtown development in recent public appearances.

But at last week’s State of the City speech, Wukela took a step back. He seized the opportunity to chastise his opponents.

The well-crafted speech personified Wukela as a politician. But it did little to show his critics he was seeking a middle ground.

The mayor praised the city for having resources such as U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the Senate majority whip, as its Congressman and Leatherman, chairman of the finance committee, in the State Senate. He talked about the positive influence of Dr. Fred Carter as Francis Marion University’s president. And he spoke highly of the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation, among other things.

“All of these benefactors and resources are combining with the local and national economic upheaval to create an historic opportunity for Florence that few other cities in our state have ever seen,” Wukela said.

Then he unleashed this bombshell: “Unfortunately, this opportunity is threatened by historic greed and mistrust that has long divided this city: north-south, rich-poor, black-white,” he said.

Wukela said “greed and mistrust” have left the city unable to fulfill its promise, threatening its “public safety and unity: leaving us exposed to crime, fire, dilapidation and disparity.”

The final Florence city budget for 2009-10 addressed some of his concerns, with provisions to hire more officers and build a fire station, but he’s concerned about economic development.

The key to the mayor’s vision for economic prosperity, Wukela said, lies at the corner of Irby and Lucas streets, the Bush Junk Yard, not necessarily downtown. Wukela hopes the site can be transformed into a transportation center and, in the future, serve a light rail commuter link between Florence and Myrtle Beach.

“We can let fear, mistrust and greed shipwreck us in this violent economic sea,” the mayor said, “or we can use these powerful winds of circumstance and national recession to propel our city into a new world of progress.”

The mayor’s vision for the north side of Florence does not hold the same promise as the plans being formulated for downtown, in our differing opinion. The downtown area has more potential to lure businesses and investment. The north end needs the central city to prosper before it can become viable for development.

“To those who feel that we can somehow get this progress for free, you are mistaken,” Wukela said. “This will take real sacrifice. I knew this to be true before I took office and have become more convinced of it since.”

The mayor compared the opportunity in Florence to a huge banquet table.

“Before us lays a great feast,” the mayor said. “We must feed one another, or starve frustrated.”

Wukela nudged his opponents with his words and risked reopening old wounds, which led to a recount last year in his race against Willis.

“The first 11 months serving as mayor of Florence have been more interesting,” he said, “and on more than one occasion since I was sworn in, I have considered requesting a recount myself.”

The mayor does not need a recount. He won, and he’s learning on the job.  He instituted a time limit on speeches at council meetings, showing leadership on cutting down the length of council marathons.
Here’s the most important lesson Wukela needs to learn. The mayor must be less pointed in public comments because the wounds will take longer than 11 months to heal. If he wants to move toward his agenda, do it collaboratively. He cannot do it alone.