Media hype can make a candidate. Media snipe can deflate a mayor-elect, or any politician, before he or she has time to learn the ropes. The press chortled and gushed over the idea of a successful businessman/political neophyte mayor of Denver. They were key to turning a puzzling candidate into a glitzy star. Other mayoral candidates were left behind in the media stampede.

But, just as the press can build excitement about a candidate, they can just as quickly turn nasty on a newbie politician and his or her family, lest any budding pols become too enamored of their new, favored status in life. That’s just what The Denver Post did in a recent editorial slamming Helen Thorpe, Mayor-elect John Hickenlooper’s wife.

Not that Ms. Thorpe didn’t act inappropriately in fending off a Post photographer. The Post was right that such annoyances as pesky photographers come with the political territory. But, was it really necessary to take after her just days after the mayoral election and before she’s had time to figure out how the new game is played?

During the entire mayoral campaign, we read endlessly about John Hickenlooper’s new clothes, his “quirkiness”, his business successes and his ideas. Such was the fascination with this particular candidate that the rest of the crowd got lost in the shuffle. When the press helps to make a candidate, particularly someone who has not been in the floodlights before, they should also give him and his family some time to learn the system.

Over and over again, we hear, “It’s about time someone ran this city (or state or school district) like a business.” There is always ample buzz over a “business” candidate for any particular office. But, running a city is not like running a business. A successful businessperson can make unilateral decisions, choose a company’s goals without broad discussion and focus on the bottom line.

In contrast, a government isn’t in place for just one person. It isn’t there to serve the needs of a select few. It isn’t in business to make a big profit for its shareholders. Governments are there to provide the basic services demanded by the people they serve, to support the conditions necessary for maintaining a sound economy, and to solve problems that impede the ability of people to live healthy and productive lives. They are there to meet valid needs no else wants to take on.

That often requires a very unbusinesslike process. Such as listening to a huge variety of conflicting opinions before crafting a solution to a community problem. And considering the needs of a wide range of citizens whose interests may diverge dramatically. And making sure that even those without a voice benefit from the eventual solutions.

After all this, successful political leaders must ultimately make tough decisions and count on enraging at least some of their constituents. They must be prepared to defend their decisions in court and at the ballot box. They must learn how to build broad constituencies to support a compromise that no one thinks is perfect, but that meets the largest number of needs. And, of course, they must learn how to deal effectively with the press.

Which brings us back to the mayor-elect and his wife. These are two bright people who will figure out how to live in the city lights. Mayor-elect Hickenlooper deserves some time to select his team, put forward his proposals for dealing with Denver’s dismal budget and economic situations, and learn how to build broad-based support for his ideas. Many of his business skills will serve him and the community well.

To be a successful mayor, however, he will also need to build his political skills. He deserves some slack while he does that. Not every gaffe needs to be reported with undue glee nor slammed in the editorial pages. The Thorpe/Hickenlooper family will need to learn how to manage its newfound fame and the significant public interest in what they do and say. The press should give them a little more time to figure it all out.