Focused
Elected mayor at 37, Tom McEnery harnessed a financial mechanism engineered by a predecessor. He used it to transmogrify the decrepit remnants of the bustling downtown of his youth into an attractive spot for arts enthusiasts, conventioneers, concertgoers, transit riders and sports fans. Though housing and retail are still works in progress nearly three decades later, and the once-vibrant club scene has stumbled, today’s downtown is Valhalla compared to the mecca for sex workers that preceded it, a legacy to McEnery’s political skills and focused, single-minded vision.
