The Citizen Conversation with … Bill Purcell
by Matt Homer, Asst. News Editor on September 17, 2008 in Citizen Conversation with..., News
Bill Purcell, former mayor of Nashville and majority leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives, is the new director of the Institute of Politics. He recently sat down with the Citizen to discuss his career in policy and politics and his new position at the IOP. (Photo courtesy of the IOP)
Q: After a decade in the Tennessee House of Representatives, many thought you would run for governor, but instead you ran for mayor of Nashville. What influenced that decision?
A: In the mid-’90s I became convinced that America was entering a time of particular focus at the local level. The issues that were most interesting and important to me were issues that were being addressed by mayors and local governments all across the country. And I concluded at that time if I wanted to really make a difference, the place where I could do the most good was at the local level and specifically as mayor.
Q: Did you find that there were things that you could do in an executive capacity as mayor that you couldn’t do in your previous legislative capacity?
A: I think throughout time one of the appeals of the position of mayor has been the ability to make change in real time for people in their neighborhoods. But I think in particular that the last decade has been a time of special interest by the people in this country about their own neighborhoods, their own towns, their own cities. So it’s been an especially exciting time to be involved at the local level, and for mayors, a time of real resurgence in cities from one side of the country to the other.
Q: Looking at American cities today, what do you think is the biggest policy challenge facing them now?
A: The most important thing that happens in cities is education. It always was and it always will be. For a long time that was something we did not take responsibility for in government. But the truth is for a city to be successful it has to provide and assure the widest range of educational opportunities for all of its people. I think that is now understood by mayors everywhere, whether they have direct line responsibility for education or are in a parallel organizational structure. They know that their city has to be a place that will provide the education that they, their children, and their grandchildren will need.
Q: You spoke about the appeal of working at the local level versus the state level. Can you talk a little bit about how working at those two different levels of government differed?
A: There are particular periods in American history where each level of government is called upon more directly. In the 1980s and into the ’90s, state government was a place that was addressing the widest range of issues, from education to health care and public safety. For me, it was an ideal time to be involved with state government. I think for students here now, there is an openness and an understanding about the opportunities in all branches, in all parts of the city, and a willingness to consider both the immediate opportunities for service and the long term shifts that are likely to occur during the course of their careers. And that I think is a recognition, and understanding, that makes this group of students, undergraduate and graduate, uniquely positioned to really reap the greatest benefits from public service.
Q: After your tenure as mayor you came to the Institute of Politics as a fellow for one semester and then you returned to Nashville to serve as founding dean of a public service program at Tennessee State University. Why did you decide to return to the Institute of Politics?
A: This is a unique position in a very special place in our world. I was incredibly inspired by my time here as a fellow, frankly, both by the people that I work with day in day out here at the institute, and by the students who are the core mission of the place. I very much enjoyed the process of starting a new enterprise in Nashville. But the opportunity to again come here and again be involved with these students, this faculty, was absolutely irresistible.
Q: How do you envision the IOP evolving over the next few years?
A: My commitment and assurance is that we will always keep our students at the front of our mission. I think one of the very clear successes here is the mix of the presence of practitioners from a very diverse set of backgrounds and maximizing the exposure of those practitioners to our students, both within the Institute and in the programs of the university. The great advantage about this moment in time is the fact that our students, at every level, really have an understanding, an appreciation, and a desire for public service that is greater than at any time really since the time of President Kennedy. My sense is that the core mission is not just preserved and enhanced by what we do here, but is frankly most strongly encouraged by the personal interests, desires, and commitment of our students.
Q: As a new director do you bring any new priorities to the Institute?
A: At this point I think that the major priority remains the underlying mission of this place. There is a rather ideal alignment between the goals of Dean Ellwood and faculty of the Kennedy School at the graduate level and the long term commitment of this institute to public service. That general agreement across this whole place gives me not just great enthusiasm, but the greatest hope that we will not simply maintain the programs that we are undertaking but frankly grow them in a way that more clearly meets the meets of a new century and a new millennium. There is an obvious interest here in career support; there is a clear interest among our student body in more international contact and experience as well. All those things have strong foundations here and are areas in which we can clearly continue to grow and provide more service.
Q: Do you see yourself staying in academia for a while or will you take a trek back to politics?
A: At this point in my life and career, this is where I see myself. As far into the future as I can see, it’s here. But I think like most of us now at this stage in life, and frankly like most students now even starting at Kennedy school, we recognize that our ability to see a lifetime ahead is limited. But for me at this point, this is where I wanted to be, and where I’m committed to be.
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