This Rusty Ragtag Town

What would you do with a town like this? My friend thought he could make a difference. After he retired, as an executive with the Coca Cola Company, he ran for mayor of this little ragtag town set in a political no man's land and geographically cut off from future growth.
He's an optimist and a hard worker but soon found that the town had almost no tax base, not even revenue to cover the basic expenses.
Several vacant lots had grown up in weeds, but there was no budget to pay someone to bush hog them down. Next thing you know the mayor had learned to operate the city mower and was out cutting down the weeds himself.
Then the rains came and the drains were clogged up. The mayor's a pretty slick talker and managed to get the public works manager in a close by town to send some equipment over and clean out the drains, all the time hoping that the media didn't find out.
Next he wondered about what to do about all the closed down stores and empty buildings along the main highway through the place. Even while he was working on some ideas a few more stores closed. He did eventually get the state to widen and add lights and new sidewalks for a half mile through town but it was too late for the business community.
The mayor decided he would try to get liquor sales approved in a referendum, with the hope of getting in more revenue. Tempers flared and the mayor was called many names. He called me and said let's get out of dodge before someone shoots me over this liquor vote. So we spent the weekend in a mountain cabin and learned by phone that the vote failed to pass. My friend served eight years and looked 20 years older. How about signing up for a little public service?