assignment

PUA 6304, Local Government 1 Cou rse Learning Outcomes for Unit VII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 1. Assess the current status of public sector leadership in state and local government. 2. Develop an inventory of factors, power, elitism, impacting leaders in the 21 st century. 3. Critically assess a shared service between a local or state government and a not -for -profit organization. Reading Assignment State and Local Government : Chapter 11: Local Leadership and Governance, pp. 287 -311. Click here to access a PDF of the State and Local Government Chapter 1 1 Presentation. Unit Lesson Local Leadership and Governance Elected representatives are critical to the local government decision making process. If d ecision makers are elected officials and they represent the interest of the community. As such, the local officials are stewards of the community and act on behalf of the citizens of that community and constituencies/stakeholders. In particular, local elected leaders must act within the legal boundaries that are established for them by state law. In that regard, it is important for us to understand who makes decisions in the local community. Who actually governs the community? This unit discusses this important element of leadership and the governance of communities. To effectively govern local governments within the turbulent environment that we see in the 21st century requires competent and capable leaders in the form of councilors and mayors. Theories of Power Leaders and citizens of the community are connected by power. Two theories of "power" which are useful to defining the interactions of councilors, mayors , and stakeholder groups in the community are elite and pluralist. Some of these stakeholders hold “formal” (elected) power; whereas, others have less formal power. In terms of theories, first, there is a theory that a small group of the "elite" in a community actually are responsible for holding the reins of power and making community decisions. This theory suggests that there are individuals and groups who gain power by money and positions of influence. These individuals and groups repr esent the "power base" of the community. Alternatively, there is a theory called the "pluralist" theory which suggests that power is more fragmented and distributed throughout the community itself. In this theory we see that the actual issue and the contex t of the decision may be of more importance in galvanizing broader public support. UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE Local Leadership and Governance PUA 6304, Local Government 2 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title (Bowman and Kearney, 2014, pg. 291) As illustrated in Table 11.1, there is a significant role played by the elites in most communities. Elites are represented by i nterest groups, businesses acting as a board of trade or chamber of commerce , and individual businesses. These groups are quite influential in local community decisions on a number of levels including specific elements such as candidate selection. This inc ludes building campaign funds for candidates interested in running for local office. The cost of political campaigns are increasing , and the role of the elite in funding campaigns cannot be overlooked. Notwithstanding these roles for the elites , most comm entators suggest that a middle ground between pluralism and elitism is likely the most accurate representation of US local government power distribution.

This theory is called the "regime" theory. Essentially, this theory suggests that we see elected offic ials are required to use "electoral accountability" to keep the public satisfied , notably on highly visible issues; and systemic power (vested primarily in the elite) on less visible issues. One particular element that needs mention relates to the nonprofit sector and nonprofit organizations. As we saw in earlier chapters , this represents an influential and growing aspect of any community. They play an important part in our communities. In sub sequent sections we will discuss some of the specific partnerships that we see involving nonprofits and communities. Property Rights One of the main duties of a locally elected official deals with land use and land use rights. Communities throughout the US have almost uniformly adopted land use plans and ordinances that control the use of private property. In addition, local governments have the ability to actually take someone’s land , provided that it is for a legitimate public purpose. Obviously, putti ng restrictions on land or actually taking the property of an individual can be contentious. Clearly, this function of locally elected officials is an important source of power. Mayor The mayor tends to be the figurehead of the community or spokesperson by virtue of his or her position. In the US we see two types of mayors. A strong mayor has at least some of the following characteristics: more direct involvement and authority over the budget preparation and budget process , veto power over council bu dgets , is directly elected at -large by citizens of the whole city , has powers to appoint and remove non - elected officials , serves a four -year term (as opposed to two for councilors) , and has fewer limitations on reelection. Clearly, the strong mayor model sees the position as the chief executive officer of the organization. Legislators Elected officials are often called councilors or aldermen. They are elected either at large by cit izens from across the city , or by sub -city geography area s called wards. The actual number of elected officials varies by city , based largely on the population and complexity of the community. As we see in Table 11.4 the size of a PUA 6304, Local Government 3 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title council can vary from 51 in New York City , to 6 in Austin, Texas. Issues associated with councils include ensuring that they are representative of the community in terms of diversity and competent in respect to the complex issues before them. Local officials operate in a full -time or part -time capacity based on the size of their communities. Overall, it is important to recognize that it is the council that has the legal authority to pass ordinances and develop local budgets. In that regard , good working relationships between the ma yor and the council are imperative. City Manager Increasingly, we see that many communities are hiring a full time, trained professional manager s to oversee the operations of the city. Clearly, the elected officials in this system maintain directional co ntrol , but the operational details are the responsibility of the city manager. The city manager is directly hired by council and reports to the council. In this system, the manager is normally charged with developing and delivering a budget within guidelin es set by the council. Council retains authority to actually adopt the budget itself. The rationale behind engaging a professional city manager is to provide for a less political and fact -based system of government that is designed to be more efficient whi le retaining the accountability to locally elected officials. Not -for -Profits in Local Governance In addition to the formal (elected and appointed) leadership in communities that we have seen in this unit there are also key stakeholders who have a sign ificant input into the policies and practices within a community. Often these stakeholders represent NPOs . We see that NPOs have a role in a variety of programs, projects , and the provision of services. These can include a wide variety of functions , includ ing disaster relief. An example is Hurricane Sandy and the inter -agency response to the storm which included NPO agencies such as the Red Cross. In summary, leadership within local government is an important topic. W e see that local leaders must deal with complex organizations and challenges from declining revenues, global economic downturns, natural disasters, and similar issues. In that regard, local elected and appointed leaders are at the forefront of building better communities across the country. Oft en we see that NPOs are active in assisting local governments and we will explore this relationship in more detail in Unit VIII. Reference Bowman, A. & Kearney, R. (2014). State and local government. (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning . Learning Activities (Non -Graded) Social Media Policies Click on the following link to access the National Council of Nonprofits: http://www.councilofnonprofits.org From there, click on the following series of se ction links to access the section on Social Media : (1) the gray tab labeled Resources; (2) Resources by Topic; (3) Communications and Marketing; and (4) Social Media. Once you have located the page, review the different policy resources. While reviewing t he material, contemplate the following:  If you were a manager for a nonprofit organization how would you develop effective social media policies?  What would be included in your social media policy?  What tools would you use?  What are the benefits of having a social media policy? Non -graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information .