Election night, Nov. 8 2011

Knoxville Mayor-elect Indya Kincannon will be sworn in Saturday, ending Mayor Madeline Rogero's eight years in office.

Mayor Rogero, the first woman to serve in the office, has been an outstanding Mayor for the City of Knoxville. She pledged to make Knoxville "the most vibrant, livable and greenest city in America with a strong, robust economy and the ability to grow and attract good-paying jobs."

Judging from the city's growth and development under Mayor Rogero's leadership and in partnership with community and business leaders, she accomplished a lot towards achieving those goals. Here are a few highlights, with an admitted South Knox Bubba bias.

• Suttree Landing Park, the crown jewel of South Knoxville and Rogero's legacy accomplishment for the community over there.

• Redevelopment of the former Baptist Hospital site, getting a national corporate HQ to locate there, and jumpstarting development and growth along Sevier Ave. and Island Home.

• Stopping the James White Parkway.

• Establishing the Urban Wilderness and expanded Knoxville's parks and greenways.

• Cumberland Ave. corridor makeover project and University Commons.

• Continuing downtown development and growth, including new luxury hotels, revitalizing the Central Ave. corridor and a master plan for the Magnolia Ave. corridor.

• Rescuing Old South High from demolition by neglect.

• Civic Auditorium and Coliseum makeover.

• Plans for reusing St. Mary's property for city safety departments.

• Plans for new Science Center at the old safety building property.

• Recode Knoxville, first zoning review and modernization in 50 years.

• Refocusing the city's affordable housing initiatives.

• Organizing and focusing the city's sustainability efforts with concrete results, such as LED streetlights. (Mayor Rogero also served on President Obama's climate task force.)

• Appointing Knoxville's first woman police chief.

• Straightening out the city's pension plan and putting it on the path to sustainability.

• Keeping spending and taxes under control.

Thanks, Mayor Rogero, for leaving Knoxville a better place than you found it!