Issue: September/October 2010
Fresh Start: Ken Lanci, 60 / Independent
 To
Lanci, the county government's like a failing company, and he's ready
to buy in and get it working again. The CEO of Consolidated Graphics
Group, a Midtown printing business, Lanci bills himself as a turnaround
expert: He's owned close to 20 companies, all startups or ailing
businesses he revived. He's visited 60 county agencies and departments,
taking notes on what he'd do if elected.
What we should expect from the new county executive:
Someone who "could hit the ground running with the understanding of how
the county operates and what needs to be done by the time they get
there."
Jobs: County government needs to become
business-friendly by working faster. "If I went out and was able to
bring back a Fortune 500 company and had to take the amount of time it's
taken to get this Med Mart approved and built, they'd never come." He'd
set up training for jobs at the casino and Medical Mart and create
massive databases of vacant properties and every unemployed worker's
skills.
Regionalism: Lanci wants "to offer collaboration for
the sake of saving money," he says, "without regionalizing or
consolidating everything." He wants the county, schools and cities to
leverage buying power by combining some purchasing and procurement.
More reforms: Lanci would hire a chief technology
officer to overhaul the county's outdated systems and stop outsourcing
IT work. He wants to end sheriff's sales of foreclosed homes and small
businesses and regulate lobbyists, vendors and consultants.
The current county government's successes and failures:
"We are providing services to the truly needy in a major way," but the
three-commissioner system created "a constant battle to move forward."
Can Ken Lanci play well with others?
Ken Lanci has already answered the first two questions about him. Since
voters don't often listen to a candidate they've never heard of, Lanci
turned 75 buses into rolling billboards adorned with his red-and-blue
banners. Since people ask CEOs-turned-candidates if they know anything
about government, Lanci's talked to 60 county department directors,
taking serious notes.
Now, he's got to give voters a sense of his character and show how he
turned around so many troubled companies. He's also got to show he can
handle the give and take of governing. His disdain for politics shows
when he imagines working with the county council and the area's
congressional delegation. He talks sternly about holding them
accountable, as if he'd be the most trustworthy guy in the room and as
if they'd work for him, not with him. Can Lanci persuade, not just give
orders?
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