Neighbor Mike Rawlings on his last few days as mayor

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Wick Allison interviewed Mayor Mike Rawlings, a Preston Hollow neighbor, as he finishes up his time in office. Asked about running for office, he said, “It was a personal and, in some ways, a spiritual decision. I was in the car with my son, Gunnar, who was in college in 2011, when I received a phone call from somebody that said, ‘You’ve got to run for mayor.’ I said to them, ‘No, I don’t think so, I’m in a good place in my life.’ I knew this was a moment to bond with Gunnar. I’d learned a long time ago that if you ask your child questions, ask something that doesn’t elicit a simple yes or no. I said to him, ‘Don’t give me advice, but tell me the question I should ask myself to determine whether I should run.’ I had earlier given him a book on Marcus Aurelius. He thought for a long time, which is very dangerous, and finally he said, ‘What would the virtuous man do?’ Right there, I knew I was screwed.”