Skip, I think the issue regarding politicians is whether MAN could make more use of them as part of its armoury, be it MPs, Councilors, Mayors or whatever.
As a relative youngster compared with some of us, you may not be so familiar with how the late Sir Gil Thompson helped to make his mark as CEO at MAN in the 1980's. He got local MPs on his side to lobby parliament and had a team who regularly met with civil servants from the Dept. of Transport to help raise MAN's profile and apply pressure on matters such as the vexed question of bilaterals. It was slow progress and must have been frustrating at times, but I suspect a number on here would agree it paid dividends. Business leaders were also co-opted to press Manchester's cause. What would have happened to MAN's development had those links not been established is a matter of conjecture but some would argue they were an important cog in the marketing wheel.
That was 25-30 years ago. Have politicians changed and would that sort of lobbying be as effective now? Don't know, but if it's not happening, maybe it's worth a try.