Chapter SevenRethinking Government

Great quests make for great stories.

There are heroes throughout local government who are battling seemingly impossible obstacles as they push on toward the goals we have laid out in this book: better lives for city residents, more effective and fulfilling roles for city employees, and systemic change in the relationship between city governments and their citizens. Don't let their neckties, pantsuits, and sensible shoes fool you: our heroes cope with fierce enemies, faint-hearted friends, and their own doubts in much the same way as Odysseus struggling to get home, Dorothy journeying through Oz, or Frodo making his way through Mordor.

As much as fortune favors the bold, city bureaucracies favor the timid. ...

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