Gov. Shapiro makes a promise, and keeps it

I’m jumping the gun a wee bit here, hanging the garland of praise around the neck of Gov. Josh Shapiro before his announced noon Friday opening of I-95 in Northeast Philly.

Gov. Josh Shapiro: Portrait of a man in charge. (Photo: The Business Journals)
That is under his original stunning statement that the big interstate would open in two weeks, not the many months almost all the experts predicted.

What we have here is a master’s class in leadership.

I’m not an expert, but when all that chatter was grinding, I posted this on Facebook. 

Why the hell should it take months, I asked myself outloud? 

I was treated to a lot of know-nothing nay-sayers, the “can’t do” brigade, led by two former Daily News colleagues.

In essence, they were saying what the hell do you know about engineering and construction? They cited bridge projects that took as long as a year. But this was not a bridge — it was 50 yards of overpass.

Meanwhile, other posters came up with projects, such as in China, Holland, and Atlanta, done in days, but the “can’t do” duo were stuck on stupid, too cocksure to allow even for the possibility it could be done. Both are native Philadelphians who now live in Jersey. They must have taken their negadelphia with them.

Me? I wasn’t sure, but felt Shapiro must have been. That’s when I posted this:

There is a general rule of management that leaders should underpromise and overdeliver.

Before he made his promise/prediction, Shapiro had to have a long talk with contractor Buckley &  Co., other contractors, and the building trades unions involved.

I can imagine the conversation going like this:

Shapiro:  We have a big mess on our hands. This is going to create massive inconvenience for motorists and the poor folks living in the neighborhood. The internet is already buzzing with anti-union talk, and how the government can’t get anything done. I’m cutting through the red tape and won’t put this job out for bid. Buckley, you already have state contracts. How soon can you get this done?

Buckley: It won’t be cheap. Are we going to haggle over money?

Shapiro: The deal is open-ended, there is no budget. Can you do it?

Buckley: Weather permitting, two weeks.

Shapiro: Great. Don’t screw me. Unions?

Unions: We want to show off what we can do. You OK double and triple time and we’ll work 24/7 and do it in two weeks.

Shapiro: You got a deal. Don’t screw me. 

Other subcontractors with existing contractors also agreed.

Shapiro then ordered the project to be live streamed, for paramount transparency. It became almost must-see TV.

When the patch opens at noon today, it is a win, win, win, win.

Motorists and neighbors win. The contractors win.  [Note to journalists: Start monitoring the incoming bills to see that no one is overbilling.] The unions win. Shapiro wins, and he immediately becomes a future Democratic presidential talking point.

This becomes a study in “can do” leadership. 

Budget and various kinds of studies, such as environmental,  can’t be eliminated for every job, but they can be put on a diet.

Shapiro’s leadership has provided a model for other leaders.

_