Lessons of William Donald Schaefer, former mayor of Baltimore, Governor of Maryland

The Baltimore Sun has been full of articles about the legacy of William Donald Schaefer, since his death one week ago. (Coverage of William Donald Schaefer's life and death, from the Baltimore Sun) On Sunday there was an editorial, "The lessons of Schaefer" which is important on the eve of a special election in DC for an at-large Councilmember position amid all the turmoil in DC over alleged ethics problems with Mayor Gray and Council Chairman Brown, not to mention real and significant problems with former Mayor Fenty--despite all the hype, there were real problems with contract steering, etc.

The lessons, according to the Sun editorial are:

1. Build things;
2. Sweat the small stuff;
3. Do things for the right reasons;
4. Work your way up;
5. Be an executive, preferably mayor;
6. Focus on the job you have;
7. Be demanding but loyal;
8. Know when to quite;
9. Understand that it may not be enough.

For a similar take, also see the Blair Lee column from the Gazette of Politics and Business, "Schaefer's Secret."