Community Government

1. Community Government

2. Local Governments • Statistics in Dye and MacManus, p. 332 • Provide services to a given area which are not provided by the private sector • General purpose governments • Counties • Municipalities • Cities • Towns • Townships • Boroughs • Single purpose governments • School districts • Special districts (water and sewer, etc.)

3. Power in local government

4. Elite theory • Society is organized like a pyramid • Many at the bottom, few at the top • Those at the top have all the power, all the time (political, economic, military, etc.), so they always win • Upward mobility: Just enough opportunity for the lower classes to enter the upper class to prevent dissatisfaction/revolution • The “Occupy Wall St. Movement” and “We Are the 99%!” – this is elite theory in action

5. Political theories of power Pluralism: power is exercised by groups (plural = more than one) More than one person in each group More than one group Groups (parties, economic classes, interest groups) compete for power Everyone wins some of the time Everyone gets some of what they want No one always wins/gets everything

6. Counties • Administrative divisions of the state • Known as parishes in Louisiana and boroughs in Alaska • Provide the following functions: • Keep public records • Assess and levy property taxes • Maintain local roads • Administer local elections • Sheriff provides local law enforcement • Maintain criminal court and jail • Administer state welfare programs

7. Cities • Granted a charter by the state to provide certain services to a defined geographic area; the charter limits and specifies their powers • Home Rule (originated in MO, 1875) gives cities power to adopt governmental forms and provide services as they see fit without state intervention • Provide the following functions: • Police • Fire • Street maintenance • Sewage • Sanitation • Parks and recreation

8. Forms of City Government • Commission • Exercises both legislative and executive functions. The Mayor is a commission member but has no extra powers. Commissioners supervise the operation of city government. • Council-Manager • Council/commission chooses a professional city manager who administers the city government and reports to the council (who hire/fire him). • Generally found in medium-sized cities, where it’s easier for the manager to resolve conflicts.

9. Forms of City Government • Mayor-Council • Generally found in larger cities requiring stronger political leadership to resolve conflicts. The mayor may have authority over the city budget and personnel (hiring/firing) • Town meeting • Direct democracy as still practiced in small towns in New England. The entire community participates in decision-making.

10. Urban machines • Political party organizations, generally Democratic • Found in large cities of the 19th Century and early 20th Century (existed in Chicago until the death of Mayor Daley in 1976) • Helped immigrants assimilate into their communities and find jobs in return for political support • Your ability to get city government employment was dependent on your work for the “machine” and support for its candidates • Winning elected officials hired supporters for city jobs – police, street sweepers, etc. • Frequent political corruption

11. Progressive Reforms • The Progressive movement of the early 20th Century replaced machines in many cities with professional city employees (civil servants hired on the basis of professional qualifications and not political connections) • Introduced nonpartisan and at-large elections to most cities, which weakened the power of the machines since they no longer controlled patronage and couldn’t elect their candidates out of city wards (electoral divisions).

12. Nonpartisan city elections • Most cities now have nonpartisan municipal elections. This has not removed conflict over public policy; interest groups may replace parties as vehicles for the articulation of interests and political organization.

13. At-large vs. district elections • At-large officials (elected citywide) tend to focus more on the “big picture,” while district or ward officials (elected from a division of the city) tend to focus more on their neighborhoods • At-large elections have tended to disadvantage minority candidates, who are much more likely to be elected under district systems

14. Cumulative voting • Used as a remedy for discrimination in some areas • Each voter has as many votes as there are seats, but may cast those votes in any combination

15. Cumulative voting • Candidate A • Candidate B • Candidate C • Top two will be elected • Voter 1 has two votes (11) • Voter 2 has two votes (22) • Voter 3 has two votes (33)

16. Cumulative voting • Candidate A 1 3 3 • Candidate B 1 2 • Candidate C 2 • Top two will be elected • Voter 1 has two votes (11) • Voter 2 has two votes (22) • Voter 3 has two votes (33) • Voter 1 casts one vote for A and one for B • Voter 2 casts one vote for B and one for C • Voter 3 casts two votes for A

17. Annexation and Consolidation • Annexation: Absorption of adjoining areas into the city – provides those residents with city services but also with higher taxes. Annexation is extremely difficult in South Carolina. City leaders see it as a good way to expand the city’s tax base. May dilute minority political influence in the city if the annexed areas are predominantly white. • Consolidation: A group of overlapping governmental units (county, cities, school districts) become a single unit.

18. Towns/Townships • In geographically smaller areas like the New England states, towns or townships may provide the services of counties and cities in larger areas. • In the New England states, counties have no separate government, they’re just map designations. The same is true of townships in South Carolina.

19. Advantages of Consolidation • The goal is to rid metropolitan areas of ineffective local jurisdictions and fragmented authority. If different units of government provide services (city, county, school district) to overlapping but not identical areas, it’s hard for people to hold their government accountable. • Economies of scale: A larger jurisdiction serving more people may be able to provide services at a lower cost per person. • Policy coordination

20. Disadvantages of Consolidation • Economic model developed by Charles Tiebout: “Vote with your feet” and move to an area that provides you with the best combination of services you want. Governments “compete” for your “business” as private enterprises do. • This is not possible if there’s only one consolidated government entity. • Fragmented government (non-consolidated) may be closer to the people it serves.

21. Tiebout model • If wealthier residents can “vote with their feet” and move to the suburbs or other areas, but poorer residents can’t, the center city is emptied of wealth while the suburbs get wealthier (think of a donut) • This promotes crime and other social problems within the center city, which further accelerates flight to the suburbs

22. Special Districts • Water and sewer for a particular area • School districts • K-12 education