There’s an old saying in politics: “You campaign in poetry and you govern in prose”.
This saying is attributed to the late New York Governor Mario Cuomo and in some respects describes the political quagmire Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson finds himself in as he assumes the role of Los Angeles City Council President in September, replacing termed-out Council President Paul Kerkorian.
The question is, will the 54-year-old Councilman be up to the task?
It should be noted that Councilman Harris-Dawson’s rise as Council President comes at a time, according to City Hall observers and a nearly unanimous decision by his Council colleagues supporting this move, represents another step left in an ongoing progressive shift in local politics.
With that being said, should the newly elected president of the Los Angeles City Council solely allow progressive ideology to serve as his compass or balance the progressive agenda with the more moderate, liberal wing of the council?
What about Harris-Dawson well well-documented, close relationship with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who both started their careers as community organizers with the South L.A.-based nonprofit Community Coalition?
Will they lock arms in solidarity in moving Los Angeles forward, while respectfully “agreeing to disagree” when such the time calls for it?
Surely we can speculate and be hopefully, optimistic that two politicians who have shared a friendly, disposition in the past can put aside their political differences for the common good of all Angelenos, but as the dynamics of Bass and Harris’ relationship will undoubtedly change and more than likely be tested as the City of Los Angeles is facing a series of challenges, including a looming budget crisis, and opposition from progressive members of the Council to Mayor Bass proposed increased spending in the Los Angeles Police Department budget.
To be quite honest there isn’t any simple answer and being that Mayor Bass has seemingly thus far mastered the power of the ‘bully pulpit’ that comes along with being Mayor of Los Angeles, Harris-Dawson must carefully navigate the perception of simply rubberstamping Mayor Bass’ agenda not only to solidify his legitimacy as Council President but in furtherance of any personal, political ambitions he may have in the future.
The fact of the matter is although tempting, Harris-Dawson must weigh the progressive agenda with what’s practical and feasible.
He should fight the “good fight” when necessary, even if it means occasionally offending his colleagues on the Council or even Mayor Bass because unfortunately, politics can be messy but it doesn’t have to be catastrophic.
As Council President Harris-Dawson should be bold in charting his own path, so to speak, without interference from the Mayor’s office while setting realistic and feasible policy goals with the most progressive members of his party and that won’t be an easy task.
It would be wise for Harris-Dawson to choose the path of least resistance in “locking arms” with Mayor Bass but in doing so he also must deal with the consequences, good bad, or indifferent, should Bass lead him off a political cliff, so to speak, based purely on their “friendship”.
Marvin McCoy is a recurring contributor to the opinion section of 2UrbanGirls.com.
