By Betty Bean

Two days after her landslide victory in a non-partisan city race, Madeline Rogero revisited her roots and gave her first speech as mayor-elect. She served notice of her intention to govern from the middle.

“You can’t move forward from a far left position or from a far right position,” Rogero told the newly reconstituted Downtown Democrats, a once-active club that has been moribund for the past several years. “You’ve got to find that sweet spot.”

When pressed by attorney Chris Oldham, who urged her to claim the “Progressive” label, Rogero resisted, telling the partisan crowd that she has Republican supporters “who took it in the gut for supporting me.

“Believe me, I’m very much a Democrat,” she said. “I’m very proud to be a Democrat. And my Republican supporters are very proud to be Republicans. What I’m trying to say is that I’m practical. Most (city) issues are not liberal or conservative.

“Don’t forget that Bill hired me,” she reminded her audience. “Those four years (as director of community development in Republican Bill Haslam’s administration) were a fabulous experience and will be an asset as I plan the transition.”

Rogero announced her candidacy almost a year ago and credits her ultimate success to being able to grow her base of support.

“The core base wasn’t enough to win,” she said. “We reached across party lines and it grew even more. The key to winning is being able to reach across all kinds of lines – labor, business, neighborhoods north, south, east and west – it was one of the more diverse campaigns you’ll ever see. But it will create challenges as we move forward.”

When quizzed about specific issues, first of all homelessness, Rogero said she aims to strike a balance between compassion and accountability. She reminded her audience that candidates who staked out the hardest-line positions against programs to help the homeless were not successful.

“Candidates who were the most ‘anti’ dealing with homelessness, they lost,” Rogero said. “Those who had a more balanced approach won. One of the problems we had in the past year was the facts were never out there and those who were using this as a wedge issue distorted them.”

She cited a mailer that her opponent Mark Padgett sent out claiming that the city had gone several million dollars over budget dealing with homelessness.

“That was wrong. Private non-profits raised money and local government was a partner that put in no more than 20 percent of the total cost. Permanent supportive housing got distorted, too. It’s not just big developments like Minvilla and Flenniken – it’s single-family homes, apartments, KCDC housing – a whole range. Certain candidates tried to scare people – ‘You’re going to get a 50-unit building in your back yard.’ What we have is a variety of choices for people who are ready to make a change.”

In this as in other issues Rogero said, she’ll be looking for “a lower key, honest dialog away from political positioning.”