The Mayor Has a Hammer

Praise for The Mayor Has a Hammer…

I've read a lot of poetry over the years and I've never felt so seen and aligned. Rare for people doing city work as you've said. I've read some of your poems to department heads and shared your forward with all 1600 employees. Thank you for writing to us/about us.

~ Paul Buddenhagen, City Manager, City of Berkeley, CA

You capture the agony and ecstasy of our role repeatedly and from different angles.  I marvel at those who toil in this seemingly impossible work of making local representative democracy function. It is everything you wax poetic about and more.  I am so fortunate to have found our profession, and your gratitude comes through loudly. Your insights and descriptions ring true... so many observations resonate deeply. Thank you for writing this collection and sharing it with your colleagues.  It is a good reminder that we are not alone in struggling to do right by our communities, councils and staffs.

 ~ Rod Gould, Chairman of the Board, HdL Companies and former City Manager

Who knew local government could be poetry? Jim Schutz did! This gem of a book makes you feel the joy, pain, and sheer craziness that come with being a public servant in these turbulent times.

~ Kip Harkness, former Deputy City Manager, City of San Jose, California 

Finally—a book that gets it. These poems capture the soul of local government with honesty, heart, and just the right amount of humor. If you’ve ever served your community—as an elected official or as staff—you’ll feel seen, understood, and proud. And if you haven’t, this collection offers a rare and moving window into what it’s really like to do this work: the quiet frustrations, the small triumphs, and the deep commitment that keeps us coming back.

~ Kate Colin, Mayor, City of San Rafael, California 

Real life testimonial: every colleague I've read a poem to from this book has immediately wanted their own copy. Don't have FOMO, get it today. No, really.

~ Melissa McDonough, Assistant to the City Manager, City of Palo Alto, California 

It’s rare in poetry to be privy to the minute particulars of a given profession. As the former city manager of one of the Bay Area’s lovelier cities, though one not without its civic problems, Jim Schutz acts as our Virgil through the not-so-divine comedy of running a municipality. His tone can be biting, whimsical, impassioned, and/or funny, but his disposition is always one of deep concern for “the commons,” and a profound appreciation of those who serve our local interests. As Jim says in his preface, these are really love poems to a work force too many take for granted. So, let him entertain you as he informs you. In these benighted times, maybe you’ll find yourself among “Those optimists who inhale conflict/and exhale unity.”

 ~ Thomas Centolella, author of Almost Human

More than ever in these times, we need those who honor words for their precision and beauty. Jim Schutz has done just that. He has explored the craft of poetry and brought it into City Hall, into the offices of government workers who don’t get enough praise for their tireless work. We thank him for his world of “pensions, Ford Fusions, fluorescent lights, taxes, and gavels in the small chambers of democracy.”

~ Kathy Evans, author of Trespassers Welcome and Imagination Comes to Breakfast