Week 11- Blog 15A- Local Government Structure & Leadership || Response

Larry Feirman                  Week 11- Blog 15

State & Local Government March 31, 2021

Blog entry #15a: 

Read and reflect on Chapter 11, Local Government Structure and Leadership. Describe the community in which your CP operates… is it a city, a town, a rural area? What kind of mayor does the community have (describe with reference to the structures outlined in your textbook)? Does that form of mayor seem appropriate for the community? Why or why not (again, be specific when referencing the structures outlined in your textbook and how they might be appropriate or inappropriate for various communities with different needs)? Does your CP have any interaction with local government officials?

RESPONSE

Both Project Read and Friends For Youth are domiciled in Redwood City, CA. 

    Redwood City is indeed a city and is the county seat for San Mateo County, CA.  Diane Howard is the Mayor, Giselle Hale, the Vice Mayor.  Redwood City is a “charter city”.

    In California, there are two kinds of cities: charter cities and general law cities. Of the 477 cities in the state, 105, including Redwood City, are chartered meaning that the legal authority for the city's acts originates with a city charter, rather than from the laws of the State of California.

    Redwood City operates under the mayor-council form of government, meaning that voters elect the mayor, vice mayor, (Redwood City’s format) council members and other officials (City clerk, Treasurer Tax Assessor). The mayor then appoints department heads ( Public Safety, Public Works, Community Development, Finance, Parks & Recreation.  

    As defined in our textbook (chapter 11; pages 258 - Figure 11.3) the city of Redwood City, there was a weaker administrative under one mayor, so in 2019 they elected the mayor and a vice mayor to shore up a growing city, perhaps far too big for one person.

For the strong mayor council structure, one could support the following.

Arguments For the Mayor-Council Form

 This is the form that is familiar to most Americans because it is patterned after our traditional national and state governments. There is a separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. There are checks and balances. The council can refuse to confirm the mayor's appointments and the mayor can veto the council's legislation.

 Also, separation of powers provides healthy independence, debate and creative tension.  Separate legislative and executive branches provide the best opportunity for debate and  consensus building.

 By electing, rather than appointing a mayor, political leadership is established. The city has a political spokesperson who has a high degree of visibility.

 Some argue that an elected mayor will have a higher standing and greater voice in regional affairs of the city

 The mayor is vested with the veto power and can serve as a check on an unpopular council decision

 A skilled administrator can be hired to minimize weaknesses in the mayor's management background or experience, but the mayor is still fully responsible mayor's office).

Arguments Against the Mayor-Council Form

 The office of the mayor gives too much power and authority to one person. It permits an incumbent to make decisions based largely on political considerations, and to use the office to further personal political objectives

 They also point out that the qualities needed to win an election are not the same qualities needed to manage a modern city. A mayor, while politically astute, may not always possess the necessary management training and experience.

 If an elected mayor proves to be incompetent or worse, he/she cannot be removed until the end of their term, or after an expensive and divisive recall election.

 A separately elected mayor may resist requests from the council. The mayor may attempt to isolate the council by controlling staff, information, and reports.

In the case of Redwood City, I am not sure that I see this form of local government as terribly efficient or adding noticeable value, but it is still early. The biggest issue I see is the planning of downtown, decisions made there about office buildings and high-density housing-apartments.  With the virus, the work at home, one can live  anywhere and still be working.  Tax base has/will diminish if offices scale down. The city has grown immensely in the past 10 years and with that development, infrastructure and city services seem to be terribly lacking.  Redwood City is not the city of 10-15 years ago and perhaps not even 5 years ago. Perhaps now with a vacating downtown, services could improve.

My community partner, Project Read has interaction indirectly with the city of Redwood City.  Their funding comes from the library, police and services budget.  Friends For Youth get little t($19,000.00) from South San Francisco and Sunnyvale.