Truth, I'm going back to one of my original responses.
You appear to be young, energized and reasonably intelligent. Given that, and not just because you are complaining, why don't you run for office? I'm being very serious. If people want change they have to do more than gripe. Take action and bring your ideas to city hall.
You speak of guys like Sparks and Breeden. To my knowledge neither had business degrees. Breeden was in the military and Sparks was just part of the good old boy group you speak about.
Why didn't Breeden run again? If he truly believed in selling his message, he would have fought to try again. Instead, he vanished.
If it's time for change, let change begin with guys like you and your peers.