When Shu became mayor in 1977, his first goal was to help revive the booming prosperity of the city's former days as Taiwan's major economic center.
「寧可刻苦自己，但對別人要盡到禮數，對外一定要有面子，是我們台南人的基本性格」，蘇南成說：「這或許也和過去南市是全台首府，許多先人是體面人家，傳下來的門風有關吧。」以錢養錢，大力建設蘇南成在民國六十六年當選市長，連任至今。