Graham Richard
Encyclopedia
Graham Richard is an American politician and entrepreneur, and the 34th and former mayor
of Fort Wayne, Indiana
, serving from 2000–2008. He was succeeded by Democrat Tom Henry
.
He has received national awards for his technology leadership, including the Fiber-to-the-Home Council's 2005 Star Award for being a leader in broadband technology. He was recognized as one of the top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers by Government Technology Magazine
for his significant contributions to the digital government movement. In addition, the Public Technology Institute awarded Mayor Richard with the 2006 Tech Leader Award. In September 2006, KillerApp magazine recognized then-Mayor Richard with the KillerApp Trailblazer Award for being a leader in broadband services.
Graham has become a speaker at national conferences. In December 2005, the Brookings Institution hosted Mayor Richard for a presentation on "Fort Wayne: Wired and Inspired to Compete in the Flat World." Mayor Richard also addressed the Winter 2006 U.S. Conference of Mayors. Other Keynote addresses in 2008 include: The Broadband Properties Summit, DOD Lean Six Sigma Breakthrough Conference, Mayors’ Technology Summit, and Defense Business Agility Forum.
In 2010, Graham Richard and his wife sold their home in Fort Wayne and moved to St Louis, Missouri, where Mrs. Richard will pursue research and the former mayor will base his business activities.
and Princeton University
, where he received his B.A.
from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
. After graduation, he taught at Bishop Dwenger High School
.
Afterwards, he continued to be involved in both state and local affairs through his membership on several governmental advisory boards and community service agencies. Richard campaigned in 1999 on a platform of increasing the efficiency and responsiveness of local government.
He was narrowly elected in 1999 over Republican Linda Buskirk, but won his second election with 58% of the vote.
Richard is a great proponent of Six Sigma
management techniques, and in 2000, the City of Fort Wayne became the first city government to officially adopt the system.
Richard helped lead Fort Wayne to national recognition for high performance city services. Results included: lowest crime rate in over 25 years, saving taxpayers more than $31 million using business practices including Lean Six Sigma, record breaking investments in downtown development, neighborhoods, and infrastructure while keeping property tax rates at one of the lowest levels since the 1960s. Potholes are filled in less than 4 hours instead of 4 days, permitting time has been slashed from 48 days to less than 10.
In 2007, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce honored Richard by naming him "Government Leader of the Year." During Mayor Richard's tenure, the City of Fort Wayne won national awards for the #1 Fleet Operation in the nation, and best Public Works and City Utilities Department in the country.
He did not seek re-election in the 2007 city election.
Among other activities, he helped start a cable television company, a public television station, and a small-scale hydropower company. He was also a co-founder of the Fort Wayne Enterprise Center, a business incubator.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, serving from 2000–2008. He was succeeded by Democrat Tom Henry
Tom Henry
Tom Henry is an American politician, former Fort Wayne City Councilman, and current Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He has an MBA from the University of Saint Francis and is the President and CEO of the Gallant Group, a small insurance company in Fort Wayne...
.
Current work
Since leaving mayoral office, Graham Richard has become a strong advocate for improving local and state government. He helped launch the High Performance Government Network (HPGN) http://www.hpgnetwork.com/ and is focusing much of his energy on helping communities become "wired and inspired."He has received national awards for his technology leadership, including the Fiber-to-the-Home Council's 2005 Star Award for being a leader in broadband technology. He was recognized as one of the top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers by Government Technology Magazine
Government Technology Magazine
Government Technology magazine is the flagship periodical of Folsom, California-based publishing company e.Republic Incorporated. The magazine aims to deliver editorial content to information technology professionals working in the public-sector, primarily in state and local government.Established...
for his significant contributions to the digital government movement. In addition, the Public Technology Institute awarded Mayor Richard with the 2006 Tech Leader Award. In September 2006, KillerApp magazine recognized then-Mayor Richard with the KillerApp Trailblazer Award for being a leader in broadband services.
Graham has become a speaker at national conferences. In December 2005, the Brookings Institution hosted Mayor Richard for a presentation on "Fort Wayne: Wired and Inspired to Compete in the Flat World." Mayor Richard also addressed the Winter 2006 U.S. Conference of Mayors. Other Keynote addresses in 2008 include: The Broadband Properties Summit, DOD Lean Six Sigma Breakthrough Conference, Mayors’ Technology Summit, and Defense Business Agility Forum.
In 2010, Graham Richard and his wife sold their home in Fort Wayne and moved to St Louis, Missouri, where Mrs. Richard will pursue research and the former mayor will base his business activities.
Early life and education
Graham Richard is the only son of a Tokheim executive (he has four sisters). His mother is known in the Arts community for her work with the Fort Wayne Ballet. Richard attended North Side High SchoolNorth Side High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
North Side High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States.- History :...
and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
. After graduation, he taught at Bishop Dwenger High School
Bishop Dwenger High School
Bishop Dwenger High School is a coeducational Roman Catholic high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1963. Bishop Dwenger's main rivals are Bishop Luers High School and Snider High School...
.
Life in politics
After losing several elections for state representative in the early 1970s, Richard was elected to the Indiana State Senate in 1974 and served until 1978.Afterwards, he continued to be involved in both state and local affairs through his membership on several governmental advisory boards and community service agencies. Richard campaigned in 1999 on a platform of increasing the efficiency and responsiveness of local government.
He was narrowly elected in 1999 over Republican Linda Buskirk, but won his second election with 58% of the vote.
Richard is a great proponent of Six Sigma
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1986. , it is widely used in many sectors of industry.Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and...
management techniques, and in 2000, the City of Fort Wayne became the first city government to officially adopt the system.
Richard helped lead Fort Wayne to national recognition for high performance city services. Results included: lowest crime rate in over 25 years, saving taxpayers more than $31 million using business practices including Lean Six Sigma, record breaking investments in downtown development, neighborhoods, and infrastructure while keeping property tax rates at one of the lowest levels since the 1960s. Potholes are filled in less than 4 hours instead of 4 days, permitting time has been slashed from 48 days to less than 10.
In 2007, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce honored Richard by naming him "Government Leader of the Year." During Mayor Richard's tenure, the City of Fort Wayne won national awards for the #1 Fleet Operation in the nation, and best Public Works and City Utilities Department in the country.
He did not seek re-election in the 2007 city election.
Business
Over the course of his business career, he operated several small businesses, including the consulting firm Graham Richard & Associates and venture capital firm Ruffolo Richard LLC.Among other activities, he helped start a cable television company, a public television station, and a small-scale hydropower company. He was also a co-founder of the Fort Wayne Enterprise Center, a business incubator.
External links
- Official City of Fort Wayne biography
- http://www.hpgnetwork.com/ HPGN site
- http://www.grahamrichard.com Graham Richard webpage
- http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100525/NEWS/5250310 Ex-Mayor Richard moving to St. Louis