Deck 11: Local Government: Structure and Leadership

Question 1

A structure that is intended to correct the problem created by lack of a single elected executive official in the county commission form of government involves

A)election of a single executive with authority to appoint a cabinet-style set of agency heads.
B)election of a large number of district representatives empowered to elect a single executive from among their number.
C)reliance on gubernatorial appointment of a county executive and election of a board of supervision to act as a check on the appointed official.
D)election of a county council and election of an executive officer.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The ______________ is an example of a general-purpose local government.

A)city of Atlanta, Georgia
B)Los Angeles County Sanitation District
C)Colorado River Water Conservation District
D)Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Answer 2

A

Question 3

School boards are the formal source of power and authority in school districts.Typically, school boards consist of

A)five to seven members elected in nonpartisan, at-large elections.
B)three parents and three appointed schoolteachers or administrators from the local schools.
C)nine to twelve members.
D)nine to twelve members elected in partisan, at-large elections.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

American local governments came into being as a result of

A)guidelines for their creation provided in the U.S.Constitution.
B)a theory of local government espoused by Thomas Jefferson.
C)a carefully reasoned scientific system developed in the nation's first academic institutions.
D)no particular scientific system but, rather, in response to a combination of pressures.

Question 5

Counties

A)are increasingly regarded as important policymaking units of local government.
B)are special-purpose units of government.
C)currently exist in all fifty states.
D)were originally intended as administrative appendages of the state.

Question 6

Most counties in the United States are governed by

A)an elected county manager and a half-dozen elected bureau heads.
B)a single elected county supervisor and a half-dozen other elected officials who head the various county agencies.
C)an elected executive officer and an elected county council.
D)an elected body, typically called a board of commissioners or supervisors, which is the central policymaking body for the jurisdiction.

Question 7

In the mayor-council form of city government, the department heads are

A)appointed by the elected officials.
B)appointed by the city manager.
C)elected by the voters in "at-large" elections.
D)actually the elected officials themselves.

Question 8

General-purpose local governments

A)include, among others, school districts.
B)include only county governments.
C)provide a wide variety of governmental services.
D)focus on one general purpose.

Question 9

One of the few cities still using the commission form of government is

A)Portland, Oregon.
B)Missoula, Montana.
C)Tacoma, Washington.
D)Boston, Massachusetts.

Question 10

The number of special districts continues to increase and currently stands at approximately

A)37,000.
B)3,000.
C)1,900.
D)6,000.

Question 11

City governments operate with one of three structures, and the element they all have in common is the existence of

A)a city manager.
B)an elected city council.
C)a public safety director.
D)an elected mayor.

Question 12

In the city council-manager form of government, the council

A)defers to the mayor on executive-type functions.
B)members head the major departments of the city.
C)appoints one of the council members as its chief administrator.
D)hires a professional administrator to manage city government.

Question 13

Currently, the number of counties in the United States is

A)between 1,000 and 2,000.
B)between 3,000 and 4,000.
C)between 5,000 and 6,000.
D)between 7,000 and 8,000.

Question 14

The official use of the term town or township to describe a general-purpose government is

A)permitted in only twenty states, primarily in the South and Southwest.
B)limited to rural Midwestern states.
C)limited to twenty states, primarily in the Northeast and Midwest.
D)provided for in the constitution of just three states in New England.

Question 15

School districts are a unique type of

A)general-purpose government, whose numbers have been growing.
B)special district created for a single purpose, whose numbers have been growing.
C)general-purpose government, whose numbers have been shrinking.
D)special district created for a single purpose, whose numbers have been shrinking.

Question 16

Single-purpose governments are those that

A)have only one specific governmental function to perform.
B)exist only as a unit of county government.
C)perform a wide variety of governmental services that neither the city nor the county provides.
D)exist only as a unit of municipal government.

Question 17

Cities are general-purpose local governments that typically have

A)more decision-making authority than counties.
B)less decision-making authority than counties.
C)about the same decision-making authority as counties.
D)decision-making authority over the counties.

Question 18

Typically, cities operate under

A)a municipal charter granted by the state.
B)a special charter granted by the county.
C)an interstate compact provided in the federal constitution.
D)a document known as the Municipal Carte, which is protected under federal law.

Question 19

The vast majority of special districts are created to provide

A)no more than two governmental services or functions.
B)a single governmental service or function.
C)services that could readily be provided by general-purpose governments.
D)a single service that is quickly abandoned when general-purpose government determines that it can take over the task.

Question 20

In measuring the relative advantages of various forms of city government, the weak-mayor-council form and the commission form would probably be judged by experts as

A)inferior because of the inordinate power given a professional city manager.
B)inferior because of the lack of a strong executive officer.
C)superior because they professionalize the key administrative job.
D)superior because they fix accountability.

Question 21

There are more than 100,000 local governments in the United States.

Question 22

State governments use an equalization formula to distribute money to school districts to

A)reduce financial disparities.
B)favor wealthier communities.
C)hurt minorities and poorer communities.
D)increase financial disparities.

Question 23

The mayor-council structure is seldom used, because the council-manager form of government prevalent in most communities during the 1950s replaced it.

Question 24

The only state that has replaced its counties with "regional supergovernments" is California.

Question 25

Native American reservations are not a type of local government, even though tribal governments perform many local government functions.

Question 26

School districts are categorized as "single-purpose local governments."

Question 27

What theory of government asserts that multiple open, competing groups possess power and rule society?

A)elite theory
B)regime analysis
C)pluralist theory
D)practical theory
E)

Question 28

Two states, Delaware and Virginia, do not have functional county governments.

Question 29

The central policymaking system in the county is an elected body usually called a board of commissioners.

Question 30

In the council-administrator plan, the county board hires a professional administrator to run the government.

Question 31

In Chicago, the label given to its city council members is

A)ward chiefs.
B)councilmen.
C)aldermen.
D)district representatives.

Question 32

In at-large elections for choosing a city's governing body,

A)representatives are chosen by district and represent only the citizens of that district.
B)representatives are chosen citywide and represent all of the population of the jurisdiction.
C)representatives are chosen by wards but represent all of the population of the jurisdiction.
D)citizens may vote in the primaries of all parties.

Question 33

The trend in school districts is

A)to embrace the idea that fewer is better, which is reflected in data showing that between 1952 and 2007, the number of school districts dramatically decreased.
B)to embrace the idea that more is better, which is reflected in data showing that between 1952 and 2007, the number of school districts dramatically increased.
C)an intense effort by states and local governments to increase the number of school districts to accommodate the population boom in school-age children (Generations Y and Z), which has created increased pressures on school systems in most states.
D)an effort to expand the number of districts to create more administrative jobs.

Question 34

In city governments, city council members are elected in one of two ways, either

A)by district elections or in citywide elections.
B)by at-large or in a system whereby all city voters vote on each candidate for council.
C)by district elections or by ward elections.
D)by at-large elections or in citywide elections.

Question 35

In efforts to judge if a community is well governed, there is

A)a universally accepted criterion developed by National Municipal League that recognizes voter participation and civic engagement as key measures.
B)no universally accepted set of criteria.
C)a universally accepted set of standards that contains seven elements and is known as the Bowman and Kearney Measure of City Governance.
D)a set of universally accepted criteria known as the All-American City standard.

Question 36

Local government reform was a _______ movement that sought to depose the corrupt and inefficient partisan political machines that controlled many American cities.

A)Jacksonian era
B)Reconstruction era
C)Great Depression era
D)Progressive era

Question 37

Counties are called parishes in Alaska and boroughs in Louisiana.

Question 38

Most cities operate under a municipal charter granted by the county in which the city is located.

Question 39

Of the twenty largest cities in the United States, the largest city council is found in

A)Los Angeles.
B)Phoenix.
C)New York City.
D)Chicago.

Question 40

The four types of governmentally active nonprofit organizations described in the text include all of the following except

A)civic nonprofits.
B)policy implementers.
C)school boards.
D)policy advocates.

Question 41

A town meeting is an annual event at which a town's residents enact ordinances, elect officials, levy taxes, and adopt a budget.

Question 42

How are school districts governed, and what shifts have taken place in recent years in political control of the governing bodies of these districts? Identify one current issue faced by many school districts, and discuss the circumstances surrounding that issue.

Question 43

In what ways do current city councils elected by district or ward differ from the traditional councils in the early part of this century when at-large elections were the general rule? What variations exist among councils in available resources and demographic makeup?

Question 44

In an effort to reduce financial disparities, state governments use an equalization formula to distribute funds to school districts.

Question 45

What are the differences between general-purpose and special-purpose governments? Give examples of each.

Question 46

In city governments, city council members are elected in one of two ways: either at large or by districts (also called wards).

Question 47

Local government reform was a product of the Progressive Era movement early in the twentieth century to break up the corrupt political machines that controlled many cities and counties.

Question 48

In 1973, fewer than 2 percent of the cities with populations of 30,000 or more had female mayors; today that figure has increased to 21 percent.

Question 49

There are two configurations of the mayor-council structure: the weak-mayor-council structure and the strong-mayor-council structure.

Question 50

Under the city commission form of government, legislative and executive functions are merged.

Question 51

Among cities with populations of 25,000 to 75,000, the council-manager structure predominates.

Question 52

What are the differences between "strong" and "weak" mayors? Discuss the characteristics of local government leaders necessary for success, regardless of the extent of the leader's formal power.How might structural arrangements regarding the power of the mayor's office and the foregoing characteristics interact?

Question 53

A school district is a type of general-purpose local government.

Question 54

City managers, despite their expertise in administrative activities, are not considered policy leaders.

Question 55

Examples of special districts include the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Chicago Transit Authority.

Question 56

A strong-mayor structure establishes the mayor as the chief executive with substantial executive powers.

Question 57

Nonprofit organizations have become less important in communities during the past thirty years.

Question 58

The regime analysis approach asserts that certain individuals and groups possess systemic power and enjoy a strategic advantage in influencing government decisions.

Question 59

Most experts would agree that a government structure that lacks a strong executive officer is generally more preferable than others.

Question 60

Women and minorities have had little success running for the office of mayor in cities.

Question 61

In their discussion on governance, the authors discuss elite and pluralist theory.Which of these theories (elite or pluralist)do you think describes your hometown or community? Provide examples to support your assessment.

Question 62

Your text lists five types of local governments.List and briefly describe each type of local government.