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Economics

The Seamless City A Conservative Mayor's Approach To Urban Revitalization That Can Work Anywhere

By Rick Baker
Regnery Publishing Inc. 2011 ISBN: 9781596981973
Contact
communications@manhattan-institute.org
212-599-7000

About the Book

How do we keep America great? Rick Baker, former mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, provides a compelling—and challenging—answer: by making American cities great. And great cities are built first of all through strong leadership.

During his two terms in office, Rick Baker worked toward a clear, uncompromising goal: to make St. Petersburg the best city in America. He led a downtown renaissance, rebuilt the most economically depressed area of the city, attracted businesses, worked to reduce violent crime, and made public schools a city priority—all with measurable results. The Seamless City offers practical advice, based on his nine years of experience in City Hall, to show how every mayor and city council can make their city dramatically better.

In The Seamless City you'll step behind the scenes of city government to learn:

  • How maintaining basic amenities, like running water, requires constant vigilance—and sometimes tough decisions on the part of city leadership
  • Why a vibrant downtown is essential to attract businesses and create jobs · Why the most effective leadership is servant leadership
  • How to find and implement the most effective solutions to a city's most challenging problems
  • Why city government needs to regard the city as a seamless whole, with no section underserved or overlooked

About the Author

From 2001 through early 2010, Rick Baker was mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida's fourth largest city. In 2008 he was named Mayor-Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine. Baker formerly practiced business law and is now Director of the University of South Florida's Innovation Partnerships. He holds a B.S. in Management, an MBA , and a Juris Doctor (with honors) from Florida State University. He is currently an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute's Center for State and Local Leadership. Baker studied comparative law at Oxford University and was a legal intern to Florida Supreme Court Justice Ben Overton. He and his wife Joyce have two children, Julann and Jacob.

Media

ARTICLES

Measurement Is Key To Seamless City Success, Rick Baker, Washington Examiner, June 23, 2011

How The Seamless City Fights Crime, Rick Baker, Washington Examiner, June 22, 2011

How A Conservative Mayor Revitalized A Central City, Rick Baker, Washington Examiner, June 21, 2011

Measures Drive Performance in St. Petersburg, Rick Baker, Governing.com, June 6, 2011

REVIEWS

It Takes a Mayor, Jennifer Marshall, The Weekly Standard, 10-17-11

Cities Must Find the Economy's Fix, Peter Harkness, Governing Magazine, July, 2011

America's Greatest Mayor?, John Avalon, The Daily Beast, May 10, 2011

Pittsburg Tribune-Review's New Pages To Turn Book Review, April 24, 2011

In Depth: Former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker writes book, Bay News, April 5, 2011

Ex-St. Petersburg Mayor Baker Pens Book, Rob Shaw, The Tampa Tribune, April 5, 2011

Baker Denies Book is Prelude To Campaign, Adam C. Smith, St. Petersburg Times, April 3, 2011

Ex-mayor Baker On Government, God and Goliath, Michael Van Sickler, St. Petersburg Times, April 1, 2011

Do You Live In St Pete? Maybe You Should Read This Book!, The Home Team Tampa Bay, 3-31-11

MENTIONS

The Seamless City' By Rick Baker, GOP Books News, 4-13-11

INTERVIEWS

Ex-St. Pete, Fla., Mayor: Cities Need Business Approach, Newsmax, 4-25-11

Rick Baker talks about The Seamless City - Part II, Daily Loaf, 4-14-11

Rick Baker Speaks To CL Upon The Publication Of His New Book, The Seamless City, Daily Loaf, 4-13-11
 

TELEVISION

C-SPAN 2's "Book TV", C-SPAN Book TV on 5-21, 5-22, 5-28, 6-11
Daytime News, 4-14-11
FOX "Good Day", St. Petersburg/Tampa Channel 13, 4-11-11
St. Petersburg/Tampa Channel 10 News(CBS Affliate), 4-5-11
"In Depth", Bay News Ch. 9, 4-5-11
News Channel 8 -- Interview with Joey West, 4-3-11

RADIO

Radio Free Washington's Steven Maggi and Stephanie Lund Show 6/15
WGIR-AM/WAVE/WGIN-AM's "New Hampshire Perspective," Part Two
AC Nation's "Breaking it down with DT" 6-2-11
WGIR-AM/WAVE/WGIN-AM "New Hampshire Perspective", 5-26-11
WVON's "Launching Chicago with Lenny McAllister", 5-17-11
WKRC-AM "The 55KRC Morning Show", 5-3-11
Blog Talk Radio's "Patriot Games," 4/26
WGYK "Cledus & Dave" 4-21-11
WNDB-AM "The Open Forum with Marc Bernier", 4-18-11
WTBN-AM "Bill Bunkley Show", 4-12-11
KYNO-AM "Straight Talk with Bill McEwen", 4-11-11
SRN/KSKY "The Source with Paul Anderson", 4-10-11
WFLA-AM "AM Tampa Bay", 4-4-11

ONLINE

Newsmax.com, 6-25-11 "Patriot Games" - Blog Talk Radio, 4-26-11
"SE Cupp Show"", 4-7-11