Sunday, September 20, 1998

McCaleb has made Abilene a better city

Mayor Gary McCaleb has presided over a remarkable transformation in the city of Abilene.

Ten years ago, the downtown area revealed a city in decay. The old Drake Hotel was a boarded-up shell of a building; the train depot was a public eyesore; as many business sites seemed vacant as were occupied. It didn't feel safe to walk the streets after dark.

This blight was an outward sign of a city in economic decline, too. The oil bust of the 1980s hit us hard. Abilene was floundering, seeking new means of survival. We needed new direction; fresh, energetic leadership.

McCaleb came to the mayor's office in 1990 with a positive attitude and a progressive agenda to create jobs, strengthen the city's financal status, upgrade the local environment and generate a renewed sense of community. His consensus-building, nonconfrontational style brought people together and moved us forward in ways both tangible and intangible.

During McCaleb's tenure, the city's public face improved so radically that we've become a model for others to follow in revitalizing their downtown sectors. At his urging, Abilenians planted 100,000 trees, improving the city's looks and its environmental health. We've reaped a whole sheaf of statewide awards for beautification projects and gained All-America City designation. There's no question McCaleb has left his mark on Abilene's considerably enhanced appearance.

Economically, the changes have been no less substantial. The city became one of the first to use the half-cent sales tax to lure thousands of new jobs to town. We're learning how to diversify our economy and look beyond our narrow confines to see our place in a larger, global setting. And toward that end, McCaleb has championed the development of the city's technological capabilities.

As the city acquired a nicer look and grew in a new prosperity, McCaleb also fostered a renewed sense of community service and volunteerism that has brought us national recognition and made Abilene an even better place to live and raise a family.

Looking ahead

The city of Abilene owes great thanks to McCaleb for the leadership he has furnished through this crucial decade of transition and resurrection. But his recent announcement not to seek re-election next year encourages us to look forward, not backward.

The city faces new challenges. There are tough issues to confront, major needs to address. Capital improvements loom on the horizon. Economic development must push on aggressively. Neighborhood communities need the kind of revitalization the downtown area has received.

At this stage in Abilene's progress, we should not select a leader to be merely a caretaker for a city running on auto-pilot. We need an activist with energy and drive and vision who can take the city forward -- someone, perhaps, like Gary McCaleb in his early days.

McCaleb's performance as mayor of Abilene has been a class act, in one sense a tough one for anyone to follow. But from another perspective, his term in office has provided a solid foundation for the new generation of civic leaders who must emerge if the successes of the 1990s are to be no more than pleasant, fading memories.