An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the mayor-council and council-manager forms of government for cities in transition

An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the mayor-council and council-manager forms of government for cities in transition PDF Author: Rachel Lodge
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : City councils
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the mayor-council and council-manager forms of government for cities in transition

An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the mayor-council and council-manager forms of government for cities in transition PDF Author: Rachel Lodge
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : City councils
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description


Official Leadership in the City

Official Leadership in the City PDF Author: James H. Svara
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195363361
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description
The burden of addressing the problems of urban society fall increasingly on cities as the federal government cuts back domestic spending. This book examines the roles of mayors, councils, and administrators in governing and managing their cities. Positing that the internal dynamics of city governments are largely shaped by their structures, the author shows how council-manager governmental structures often foster more cooperation than do mayor-council structures. Svara provides contrasting models of interaction among officials in the two forms and shows how conflict and cooperation affect the performance of officials in the two structures; he contends that proper understanding of the roles and behavior appropriate to each will lead to equal effectiveness between the two.

The Facilitative Leader in City Hall

The Facilitative Leader in City Hall PDF Author: James H. Svara
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781420068313
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Two forms of local government are prevalent in American cities. The style of leadership found in mayor-council cities draws attention to the mayor and frequently involves power struggles as mayors attempt to assert control over city councils and city staff. However, the leadership of the mayor in council-manager cities can be less visible and easily overlooked. The Facilitative Leader in City Hall: Reexamining the Scope and Contributions boldly suggests a collaborative model for leadership that identifies what is unique in the council-manager setting. Mayors acting as facilitative leaders can successfully guide their cities drawing on the contributions of the council and the manager rather than attempting to drive them. Scholar James H. Svara builds on his work in the 1994 book Facilitative Leadership in Local Government, and provides a more critical analysis of the mayor’s office in a wider variety of cities. This book examines the model of facilitative leadership and the importance of vision in explaining the nature of mayoral leadership and its effect on the performance of city government. It analyzes responses from a 2001 national survey of city council members and examines the findings of fourteen case studies of mayors who have served in recent years. The book features ten case studies from council-manager cities, three from mayor-council cities, and one from Denmark that highlights the importance of culture as well as formal structure in understanding leadership style. This book reexamines facilitative leadership across forms of government and addresses two questions: can mayors without separate formal powers be effective leaders? And alternatively, can mayors with formal powers provide more effective leadership by using facilitative approaches? The unexpected answer to both questions is "yes." As cities face the challenge of adapting to new approaches to governance, all mayors need to lead with facilitation and vision.

"Council-manager Government in Transition

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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The evolutionary nature of municipal government is often projected through the changing of its structural elements. The conflict that arises between defenders of the current system and those who wish to modify it to meet perceived deficiencies is part of the on-going American political struggle between efficiency and equity. For the researcher, one question of interest is whether or not significant change has resulted in the adoption of a new, modified, governmental form and, if so, what specific types of changes have and have not occurred. This is a study of the Cincinnati, Ohio, council-manager government in transition. Voters in Cincinnati, Ohio, adopted a "stronger mayor" governmental form in May,1999, which took effect in December of 2001. Empirically analyzing the motivations and expectations of elites - those actively involved both for and against the change - enables a determination to be made as to whether the change to "stronger mayor" significantly altered the way municipal government is perceived to now operate. A series of quantitative and qualitative questions were asked of 'elites, ' both before the change to "stronger mayor" and after the change. This enabled an empirical comparison to be made between the way mayoral, council, and city manager roles and relationships have and have not been perceived to have changed as a result of the adoption of the new governmental form. Elites interviewed included leaders of the city's three political parties, current and former public officials, legislative aides, and political activists all of whom were engaged in either supporting or opposing the "stronger mayor" ballot initiative. Findings indicated that significant perceptual change did occur, particularly in regard to the mayor's power and roles at city hall, council's relationship with the mayor and city manager, the city manager's policy role, and a change from a generally negative to a cautiously positive perception of relationships between council members themselves. Despite arguments by supporters that "stronger mayor" would enhance efficiency and equity, that has not happened. This study also found that a major impact upon the perceptions of elites was the result of the impact of term limits which, although adopted several years prior, only recently began to have a major impact on the political process. This study contributes principally to the literature of municipal government in two ways. It is empirical, and more works based upon qualitative examinations are needed in the literature to provide measures and to permit comparisons to be made. Further, this research provides support for the argument of those who believe that a "convergence" is taking place between the strong mayor and council-manager forms of municipal government.

"Is City Manager Government Applicable to Our Largest Cities"?

Author: Augustus Raymond Hatton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Municipal government by city manager
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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A National Survey of City Council Members

A National Survey of City Council Members PDF Author: National League of Cities. Policy Leaders Program
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : City council members
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Ideal & Practice in Council-manager Government

Ideal & Practice in Council-manager Government PDF Author: H. George Frederickson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Directly Elected Mayors in Urban Governance

Directly Elected Mayors in Urban Governance PDF Author: Sweeting, David
Publisher: Policy Press
ISBN: 1447327047
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
Directly elected mayors are political leaders who are selected directly by citizens and head multi-functional local government authorities. This book examines the contexts, features and debates around this model of leadership, and how in practice political leadership is exercised through it. The book draws on examples from Europe, the US, and Australasia to examine the impacts, practices, and debates of mayoral leadership in different cities and countries. Themes that recur throughout include the formal and informal powers that mayors exercise, their relationships with other actors in governance - both inside municipalities and in broader governance networks - and the advantages and disadvantages of the mayoral model. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are used to build a picture of views of and on directly elected mayors in different contexts from across the globe. This book will be a valuable resource for those studying or researching public policy, public management, urban studies, politics, law, and planning.

The Pros and Cons of the Council-manager Form of Government

The Pros and Cons of the Council-manager Form of Government PDF Author: Bureau of Municipal Research (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Pamphlets
Languages : en
Pages : 6

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Council-manager Government

Council-manager Government PDF Author: John P. East
Publisher: Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
East has constructed a well-written study of the model of the Childs system as well as of its inventor. He uses a new approach involving a tough-minded empirical testing of municipal reform doctrine--which to a considerable extent is a doctrine developed by Childs. Originally published in 1965. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.