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Chapter 146: Only Half a Mayor
Chapter 146: Only Half a Mayor
As the primary election date approaches, the campaign has entered a heated phase.
John Murphy's campaign bus traveled through every town in western Pennsylvania.
His campaign strategy underwent a fundamental change, and he decisively eliminated all trips to College Town and Philadelphia Salon.
As a darling of the establishment, Aston Monroe has long since locked in highly educated liberal voters.
At those parties where discussions of "structural injustice" and "abstract social justice" took place, whatever Murphy said was nothing more than a poor imitation of Monroe.
It's not worth it for them to compete for those fleeting, idealistic votes.
They strategically abandoned student votes, opting to be more grounded rather than engage in debates with students.
Because Murphy holds a trump card that Monroe and Warren absolutely do not have: the established fact that Leo Wallace created in Pittsburgh.
An ideology is cheap; anyone can shout it. But bread is expensive; only someone with five hundred million dollars in bonds can issue it.
In this respect, Murphy has a natural advantage.
So Murphy put on the dusty work jacket.
He threw himself into the coal mine shaft of Allegheny County and into the farm market in Bedford.
He stood there, needing no elaborate speaking skills, simply raising his hand and pointing to the rising dust in the direction of Pittsburgh.
"See that? That's the change I brought about. That's five hundred million dollars in real money, the revitalization of the entire Rust Belt city."
The entire city of Pittsburgh has long since been turned into a giant construction site.
The streets in the southern district were dug up, revealing dark brown soil and drainage pipes from a century ago.
Dozens of tower cranes were operating simultaneously on the banks of the Mononga Hilla River, their massive steel arms drawing lines against the gray sky.
For environmentalists living in the suburbs, the dust and pungent smells are undeniable pollution.
But for workers who have just received their weekly wages and merchants waiting for business, this is golden dust.
Every rumble of the pile drivers echoing over Pittsburgh proclaimed Leo Wallace's victory.
City Hall, Mayor's Office.
Leo stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his mind filled with a multitude of thoughts.
On the surface, everything seemed to be under his control.
The project has already begun, and even the most difficult problem of transporting supplies has been solved by those freight drivers.
Although we had to pay higher shipping costs, at least the steel and cement got in.
Moreover, the rumors circulating in the business community were very favorable to him.
The board members of the Pennsylvania Western Railway and the president of the Freight Trucking Association have begun to put pressure on Morganfield.
Short-term lockdowns are political tactical maneuvering, while long-term lockdowns are commercial suicide.
Those large companies couldn't sit idly by as they watched this huge logistics pie being divided up by small businesses.
Capital is driven by profit; it will not tolerate the loss of market share in the long term because of personal grudges with Morganfield.
Morganfield was a shrewd businessman.
Knowing that the blockade has failed and is harming the interests of allies, it is unlikely that he will maintain the ban indefinitely.
The blood vessels for transportation are about to be fully opened.
On the surface, everything seemed to be under Leo's control.
But he knew very well that this massive municipal machine was not running smoothly.
The resistance is not outside, but inside.
Just then, Ethan pushed open the door and came in, holding a thick document in his hand, his face not looking good.
"It's the city council again."
Ethan placed the documents on the table, his voice tinged with exhaustion.
"Regarding the tender for the Inland Port Area B warehousing center, Congressman Gavin Stone raised objections. He requested that we add a restriction to the tender terms concerning the local sourcing of environmentally friendly building materials."
"What's the reason?" Leo asked.
"The reason given is to support local businesses," Ethan sneered. "But in reality, there's only one building materials supplier in all of Pittsburgh that meets his standards, and that's his brother-in-law's company. If we don't agree, he'll block our land use permit at the city planning commission."
"And then there's Linda Rossi," Ethan continued. "She has a problem with the contractor for the Hillside School renovation project. She insists on bringing in a so-called third-party oversight firm to audit the work."
"That company was founded by her former campaign manager. If we didn't pay the oversight fee, she mobilized the parents' committee to cause trouble at the education bureau, accusing us of cutting corners."
Leo looked at the document.
this is the truth.
He overturned Morganfield's table in court and announced a public tender.
Faced with overwhelming public opinion and the $500 million in their accounts, the city council members had no choice but to comply.
But they did not give up.
They are local bullies, old foxes who have been scheming in this bureaucratic system for decades.
They used their committee review power and various minor administrative approval powers to cling to every project like leeches.
They didn't want to ruin the project; they just wanted a piece of the pie.
"Give that supervision company a two percent consulting fee," Leo said expressionlessly. "Tell Stone that his relative can be on the purchasing list, but the price must be reduced by ten percent."
"Leo!" Ethan exclaimed incredulously, "We're bowing to corruption! We're becoming the very people we used to hate!"
"We're in a hurry, Ethan."
Leo sat back down in his chair.
"Every day we stop work costs money. At this stage, efficiency is paramount. Give them a break, shut them up, and get the machines running."
Ethan sighed, took the documents, and walked out.
The moment the door closed, the calm in Leo's eyes vanished, replaced by an unfathomable gloom.
He was tired of this endless exchange of benefits, tired of having to feed these greedy pigs before he could do anything substantial.
He wanted absolute control.
"This feels awful, doesn't it?"
Roosevelt's voice echoed in my mind.
"You hold five hundred million dollars in your hands and the highest executive power, yet you still have to be subservient to those nine clowns."
"Yes, Mr. President," Leo admitted to himself, "I want to wipe them all out. I want this city to have only one voice, and that is my voice."
"dictatorship."
Roosevelt uttered the word.
In the modern political context, this is a dirty word, a synonym for tyranny.
But in Roosevelt's words, the word sounded like a neutral tool, even carrying a hint of sacredness.
"Leo, have you ever heard of the Philosopher King?"
Roosevelt spoke slowly.
Plato believed that the best form of rule is for a philosopher with the highest wisdom and morality to exercise absolute power.
"In times of crisis, democracy often means inefficiency, infighting, and missed opportunities in this rapidly changing world."
"When a flood comes, you don't need a committee to vote on who gets on the boat first; you need a captain, someone who can immediately give the order and cut the mooring lines."
"This is the logic of the philosopher-king."
"As long as you can guarantee that you are the best leader, and as long as your goal is the well-being of the majority."
"Then, dictatorship is the most efficient form of good governance."
Leo's heart skipped a beat.
His reason told him that this was exactly what he desired most right now.
"Mr. President, if I may be so bold, isn't this exactly what you did back then?"
Leo looked at the giant in the wheelchair in his mind, his eyes filled with undisguised worship and fanaticism.
"You broke with convention by serving four terms. You bypassed Congress and even tried to hog the Supreme Court."
In that time of crisis and survival, you were America's philosopher-king.
"You pulled this country out of the mire and brought it to unprecedented heights."
"I want to do this. I have to do this."
"Pittsburgh can't wait, and neither can I. I need that kind of power, that power to ignore the noise and forcefully turn the tide."
But then, that fervor cooled down for a moment.
It was awe of absolute power, even an instinctive fear.
"But, Mr. President, I'm afraid."
Leo's voice lowered, trembling slightly.
"Power corrupts."
"If I really removed all the guardrails, if I really made this car obey only my commands"
.
"If I lose the checks and balances, will I become the next Cartwright? Or a tyrant like Morganfield, who devours everything for his own selfish desires?"
"That depends on your heart."
Roosevelt's voice became solemn.
"I will be watching you, Leo. I will live in your mind and keep an eye on your every thought."
"I won't let you go astray."
"You will be the guardian of this city, the shepherd with a sword in hand."
Leo remained silent for a long time.
He looked up at the administrative map of Pittsburgh on the wall.
Those nine constituencies, like nine pieces of a puzzle, divide the power in this city.
"it is good."
Leo's eyes hardened, even revealing a chill.
"I want to take control of the city council."
"I will not only get them through my budget, but I will also make them an extension of my will for all time to come."
"I want them to have to watch their breath and obey my every whim."
"Tell me, Mr. President, what should I do?"
"This is difficult, Leo. In this country's political design, city councils exist to make things difficult for the mayor. You want to change this structure, which is tantamount to amending the constitution."
"Of course, you can't dissolve parliament, nor can you amend the constitution tomorrow; you can only operate within the existing framework."
Roosevelt paused for a moment, then continued, "You have three paths before you."
"The first path: cleansing."
"You can use your current reputation and the funds at your disposal to support your own agents in these nine districts during the next city council election."
"You can pick nine obedient young men, give them campaign funds, campaign for them, and get them to vote out Moretti, Stone, Rossi, and all those old guys."
Leo stared at the first district on the map.
If we could replace Moretti with one of our own, even if he were just a nodding machine, life would be much better.
"But this not only takes time, but it's also extremely inefficient," Roosevelt said.
"Elections are like casinos; voters' emotions are as unpredictable as the wind."
"Your approval rating is 72 percent today, but it might drop to 30 percent tomorrow because some damn streetlight isn't fixed."
"Moreover, the situation in each constituency is different. Moretti has been working in his constituency for many years. If you want to parachute in a newcomer to beat him, it requires a huge investment of resources, and the chances of winning are very low."
"What's even more dangerous is that if you try to purge the entire parliament, you'll make all the members feel like they're facing an existential crisis."
They will immediately form an unbreakable anti-mayor alliance, and you will be plunged into a total war that could have been avoided.
Leo nodded.
He also understood that a full-scale war was a poor strategy. What he needed were people to do the work, not nine mortal enemies.
"The second way," Roosevelt continued, "is bribery and deterrence."
"Since we can't replace them, we'll reform them."
"You need to learn the politics of grace."
"Those nine people, each of them has their own needs and their own vulnerabilities."
"Take Gavin Stone, for example. She's not just a Morganfield person, but she's also someone who craves more recognition in the business world. You can give her power."
"You could set up a commercial district landscape enhancement committee," and have her as its chair. Let her decide which streets to plant which trees, and let her decide which contractor will take the job."
"This would greatly satisfy her vanity and make her appear more powerful in the eyes of her voters."
"Now look at Linda Rossi. She hates you because you touched her cheese. So cut her a new one."
"You can hint to her that the city hall is preparing to expand the staff of the administrative service center. You can give her some of the personnel recommendation authority for this new department."
"Let her stuff all her distant relatives into the cabinet. As long as her people are paid by you, she won't dare to openly oppose you in parliament."
"Peter Miller."
"Equip him, give him those impressive-looking but actually useless SWAT armored vehicles."
Let him go and brag to the police union that he got the mayor on his side.
"You need to make them understand that they can get more from following you than before. Not just kickbacks, but also prestige in their respective constituencies."
"You need to turn them into parasites that depend on you. When the parasites grow fat enough, they won't want to leave their host."
Leo listened to these methods.
This is dirty.
This is a blatant exchange of interests, a private transfer of public power.
But he had no psychological burden.
Since he took that step at the Allegheny Hilltop Club, he has no longer been that germaphobic student.
He wouldn't mind feeding the pack of hungry wolves as long as he could achieve his goal.
But that's not enough.
"Leo spoke up."
"These methods can only get them to cooperate with us on specific projects. But as long as the system remains in place, and as long as they still have the power to approve, they can turn around and bite us at any time."
What I need is systemic control.
"What I want is for them to have no grounds for objection, even if they want to."
"clever."
Roosevelt exclaimed in admiration.
"This is the third path I'm going to talk about."
"Start with the structure and reshape the entire political management logic of Pittsburgh."
"You need to make this machine complex, so complex that only you can understand what the system is doing."
Roosevelt deliberately slowed down, afraid that Leo wouldn't understand.
"First, you need to rewrite the description style of the budget proposal."
"The current budget is too clear-cut. Road repairs on Fourth Avenue in the South: $500,000. This wording is giving legislators ammunition against us."
"They can stare at this $500,000 and ask you why you built Fourth Avenue instead of Fifth Avenue, and why you used this company instead of that company."
"You need to learn to use a broad budget."
"Don't list specific items anymore."
"For example, you might set up a city infrastructure resilience enhancement fund," totaling $50 million. As for where that $50 million will specifically be spent? That's a matter of administrative execution and doesn't require parliamentary approval."
"You need to transform specific numbers into vague concepts."
"You need to get parliament to approve a big framework, and what's in that framework is entirely up to you."
"They also have the authority to allocate resources internally."
"You should add a clause to the appendix of the budget proposal: with the total budget remaining unchanged, the executive branch has the right to transfer no more than 30 percent of the total funds between different sub-projects based on actual needs."
"With this, you have a magic wand."
"You can use the money originally allocated for park maintenance as funding for community outreach. You can use the money originally allocated for administrative offices to hire your political advisors."
"The parliament approved A, but you ended up doing B, and all of this was done according to procedure."
Leo's eyes lit up.
This is the real killer move.
This effectively renders parliament's approval power meaningless.
They can only approve a vague concept, but cannot interfere with its specific implementation.
"And there are other organizations," Roosevelt continued.
"You need to learn how to build a nested house."
"The current city hall structure is too simple. Bureau chiefs report to the mayor and are also subject to oversight by the council. This won't work."
"You need to set up all sorts of special task forces, temporary committees, and special offices for the mayor."
"For example, to advance the revitalization plan, you shouldn't directly use the Public Works Bureau."
"You need to establish a Pittsburgh Revitalization Executive Bureau. This agency will not be part of the regular staff; its budget will come from a special fund, its personnel will be appointed directly by you, and it will be accountable only to the mayor."
"You can transfer core power and resources to these newly established institutions."
"Let those old bureaus, commissions, and offices become empty shells."
"Let the lawmakers discover that the departments they oversee are out of money. The real work is being done in your special offices."
"This is called the overflow of administrative power."
"By creating complexity in the administrative system, we can shield ourselves from legislative interference."
"When a system is complex enough, the power of interpretation rests with the person who designed the system."
"But I must remind you, Leo, this is by no means some kind of magic that solves everything once and for all."
"This is a rather complex, even exhausting, set of administrative management logics."
"Your opponents aren't dead. Moretti will study, Stone will hire lawyers. When they find that you've blocked this door, they'll try to climb through the window; when you nail the window shut, they'll try to dig a tunnel."
"You need to continuously make modifications; you need to keep an eye on this machine every day and respond to each new challenge as it arises."
"Today you set up a special committee, tomorrow they might hold a hearing to limit the committee's power, then the day after tomorrow you'll have to upgrade the committee to a mayor's office."
"This is a cat-and-mouse game with no end."
"Only by maintaining this high level of suppression can you have even a slight chance of completely controlling Pittsburgh."
"This is a massive undertaking."
"Leo said."
"This requires amending a large number of administrative regulations, rewriting financial rules, and even challenging some legal boundaries."
"Ethan will go crazy."
Leo smiled, but the light in his eyes grew even more intense.
"But I will make him do it."
"Only in this way can I truly sit firmly in this chair."
"Mr. President," Leo thought to himself, "I'm ready."
"I'm going to start rewriting the instruction manual for this city."
Roosevelt's voice was full of anticipation.
"Then let us begin, Philosopher King."
"Let this city become an extension of your will."
"Let those who try to stop you get lost in the labyrinth you've built."
"When they finally emerge from the maze, exhausted, and stand before you."
"They will find that they have no choice but to obey."
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