T.R. Carr Practices What He Preaches
written by SIUE Public Affairs
 EDWARDSVILLE
- T.R. Carr practices what he preaches and preaches what he
practices. As mayor of the City of Hazelwood, just a few miles
northwest of St. Louis, Carr uses many of the strategies he teaches
in his public administration classes at SIUE.
"Practice isn't meaningful without theory, and theory isn't
meaningful without practice," says Carr, who emerged from a
field of four two years ago to win the mayoral election. Good
communication and "a good (city) council" made for smooth
governing until just a few weeks ago when Carr heard the news every
mayor dreads. Ford Motor Company, one of Hazelwood's largest
employer, notified the city that it intends to shut down its
Hazelwood plant in 2005.
"It was certainly not good news," Carr said. "The
Ford plant affects some 3,000 jobs in Hazelwood and a total of over
14,000 jobs on both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the river.
Keeping the plant open became our top priority."
Perhaps it's appropriate that a mayor named Carr would take on
Ford Motor Company. Since that call, Carr has initiated a
campaign that now includes the governor of Missouri, Congressman
Dick Gephardt, Senator Jean Carnahan and support from Illinois
Congressman Jerry Costello. Ford has not yet changed its mind, but
Carr thinks the potential is there due to a commitment by Ford to
continue the dialogue.
"They're listening," he said. "This isn't about
tax incentives. It's about modernization of a plant that is out of
date. We're willing to help them modernize and keep the plant
open."
Carr says the negotiations with Ford have been
"fascinating."
"We're dealing with the basic principles of international
trade, work force modernization, advances in technology, geopolitics…a
whole range of issues," he said.
Carr says the mayor's job is a logical extension of his role of
teaching public administration in the classroom. The experience he
gained as president of the SIUE faculty senate (in 1998-1999) also
helped.
"I really do see both jobs as a blending of roles,"
said Carr, who not only teaches but also serves as the department
chair of Public Administration and Policy Analysis. "Both allow
me to apply theory and practice, and both allow me to bring
something unique to the classroom and to the mayor's office."
His students agree and applaud the depth of Carr's experience as
well as his ability to translate that experience into the classroom.
Carr was "Outstanding Teacher" of the year for the School
of Social Sciences in 1991. The success of Public Administration
Policy Analysis Policy graduates is a testimony to the success of
the program.
Some MPA graduates involved in local government in the SIUE
Service Area:
- Mike Schoedel, City Manager, Richmond Heights
- Stacy Pate, Dir of Administration, Wood River
- Julie Szymula, Assistant City Manager, University City
- Tim Pickering, City Manager, Olivette
- Barry Alexander, City Manager, Shrewsbury
- Amy Schutzenhofer, Assistant City Manager, Richmond Heights
- Dave Bradford, Chief of Police, Glen Carbon
- Carl Wolf, Chief of Police, Hazelwood
- Pam Hylton, Director of Administration, Collinsville
- Frank Miles, former City Administrator, O'Fallon, now staff
for Congressman Jerry Costello
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