 Praised as one of the most effective and innovative Mayors in American history, Stephen Goldsmith revolutionized the way a government runs a city. The Mayor of Indianapolis from 1991- 1999, Stephen Goldsmith reduced government spending every year in office, cut the city's bureaucracy, held the line on taxes, eliminated counter-productive regulations, and identified more than $250 million in savings. From sealing potholes to counting parking meter change, the introduction of competition drove the cost of municipal government down by 25 percent, shaved the city's workforce by one-third and saved taxpayers almost $250 million. These savings enabled the city to increase its public-safety budget by almost 20 percent, put 100 more police officers on the streets, invest $700 million to rebuild roads, sewers and other infrastructures and increase the city's budget reserves by more than 400 percent. Realizing the importance of individuals, Mayor Goldsmith created the Front Porch Alliance . This program assists neighborhood groups struggling with local problems. These small institutions are given the opportunity to present their ideas and receive aid from this special city fund for their project, whether it is adopting a city park or building a drug treatment center. This takes the blame away from the "system" and forces individuals to mobilize and strive for change. Mayor Goldsmith has succeeded in giving power back to the people. Stephen Goldsmith, President Bush's top domestic policy advisor during his campaign, is now chairman of the Corporation for National Service, an advisory board which works closely with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The non-partisan board sets policies and approves funding for national service programs engaging over 1.5 million Americans in service through the National Senior Service Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Mayor Goldsmith is the Chairman of the Manhattan Institute's Center for Civic Innovation in New York City , Assistant Professor at Indiana University 's School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a Research Fellow at Harvard University 's Kennedy School of Government. He is also the author of the book The Twenty-First Century: Resurrecting Urban America .
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