State And Local Politics

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Communitarian View

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Praises the many values of direct citizen participation in community affairs, not just by voting, but perhaps more importantly, by participating in groups and forums, working with neighbors to solve the problems of the community.

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Referenda Voting

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Voters deciding whether to approve an issue or proposal put on the ballot by a local government.

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Public-Regardingness

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The tendency of upper-class, liberal voters to support recreational, cultural, and environmental projects.

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Growth Management

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In local government, efforts to limit or restrict population growth and commercial and industrial development.

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Incumbent

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The person currently serving in a public office.

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Machine

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In politics, a tightly disciplined political organization, historically centered in big cities, which traded patronage jobs, public contracts, services, and favors for votes.

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Political Machine

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A political organization that employs personal and material rewards to achieve power.

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Boss

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The acknowledged leader of a political machine, who may or may not occupy a public office.

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Patronage

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Rewards granted by government office holders to political supporters in the form of government jobs or contracts.

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Corruption

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In politics, the use of public office for private gain, including bribery, conflict of interest, and the misuse and abuse of power.

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Municipal Reform Movement

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In local government, a general reference to efforts to eliminate political machines, patronage, and party influence, and to install professional city management, non-partisan elections, at-large district and the merit system.

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Model City Charter

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A guide for cities to use when writing or revising their chargers, written by the National Civic League, a good government reform minded organization.

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Public or Political Corruption

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When the government officials use their public office or position for personal gain or benefit.

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Citizen Politician

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People with business or professional careers who get into politics, part time or for short periods.

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Career Politician

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People who enter politics early in life as a full-time occupation and expect to make it their career.

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Politicos

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Those who run because they enjoy politics and hope to move on to another office.

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Self-Regarders

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Those who enter city politics intent on personal enrichment.

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Community-Regarders

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People who run for office to serve the whole community and seek no personal gain.

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Locals

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Citizens who run primarily to help friends and neighbors, not parties or single-issue interest groups.

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Particularists

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Those who run because of an overriding concern for a specific issue or issues; they tend to be outsiders-minorities or members of groups long underrepresented in government-and one-termers.

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Accountability

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In politics, the extent to which an elected official must answer to his or her constituents.

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City Manager

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The chief executive of a city government, who is appointed by the city council and responsible to it.

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Policy Managers

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City managers who provide community leadership through their recommendations to the city councils with a wide variety of matters.

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Administrative Managers

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City managers who restricts themselves to the supervision of the municipal bureaucracy and avoid innovative policy recommendations, particularly in controversial areas.

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Civic Associations

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In local politics, and organization of citizens that work to further his overview of the best interest of the community.

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Taxpayer Groups

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Interest groups that generally stand for lower taxes in fewer governmental activities and services.

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Environmental “Growth Management” Groups

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Interest groups that are generally opposed to community growth, highway construction, street whining, tree cutting, increased traffic, noise and pollution, and commercial or industrial development.

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Neighborhood Associations

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In local politics, an organization of the residence of a specific neighborhood that works to protect property values.

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Metropolitan Statistical Area

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A core urban area of 50,000 or more people together with adjacent counties with predominantly urban populations and with close ties to the central city.

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Micropolitan Statistical Area

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A smaller core urban area of 10,000-50,000 people with adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic interconnectedness with the urban core.

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Megalopolis

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Metropolitan areas that are joining each other, creating a continuous urban environment or an extended area.

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Heterogeneity

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In metropolitan area, differences among people in occupation, education, income, race, and ethnicity.

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Fragmented Government

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Multiple governmental jurisdictions, including cities, townships, school districts, and special districts, all operating in a single metropolitan area.

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Job Sprawl

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The decentralization overtime of people, businesses, and industry that spread them selves over the suburban landscape.

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First Suburbs

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Communities they are neither fully urban suburban. They are usually in the first ring of suburbs then spraying up around central cities right after World War II.

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Boomburb

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A city with more than 100,000 residents located within a metropolitan area but that is not the central city that has maintained a double-digit growth rate in recent years.

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Social Class

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The occupation, income, and educational levels of a population.

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“Familism”

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A reference to a child centered lifestyle observed more frequently in suburbs than in central cities.

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“Sprawl”

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A negative reference to the outlet extension of a new low density residential and commercial development from the central city.

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Inner City

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The area of the central city in which property, joblessness, crime, and social dependency are most prevalent.

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New Urbanist

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A person who favors more compact, livable communities rather than suburbs, which they see as contributing to pollution and environmental destruction.

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Walkable Urbanism

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In approach to development that features pedestrian oriented, mixed use, and mixed income areas within the same neighborhood.

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“Gentrification”

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The movement of upper-class residents and trendy high priced restaurants and boutiques to downtown locations; revitalizes downtown areas.

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Regionalism

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Centralizing or combining activities of local governments in the metropolitan area; consolidation.

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Localism

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Allowing individual local governments to provide services within their own community; fragmentation.

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Functional Consolidation (“Service Merger”)

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Several local governments jointly provide a service, such as emergency management.

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De Facto Segregation

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Concentration of racial minorities in an area as a result of girlfriends or economics, not by law.

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Tiebout Model

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An economic theory to search the families and businesses in Metropolitan areas can maximize their preferences for services and taxes by choosing locations on multiple local governments.

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Free Riders

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Those that unfairly benefit from services paid for by others.

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Annexation

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The extensions of city boundaries over adjacent territory in unincorporated areas; often requires voter approval.

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City-County Consolidation

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The merger of the county and the city government into a single jurisdiction.

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Special Districts

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Local governmental units usually charge for performing a single function; often overlap municipal and county boundaries.

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Authorities

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Special purpose local governments similar in function to special districts by able to cross state lines.

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Inter-jurisdictional Agreements

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Voluntary contracts among local governments in the metropolitan area to perform services jointly or I’ll be half of each other.

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Councils of Governments (COGs)

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Associations of governments or government officials in metropolitan areas that study, discuss, and recommend solutions to metropolitan wide problems.

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“Metro” Governments

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A federated system of government for metropolitan areas in which government are divided between a comprehensive government encompassing the entire area in multiple local governments operating within the area.