Form of Government Inquiry
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
City Manager's Office
Interoffice Memorandum
m
To:
Jose Smith
Commissioner
Date: August 27, 2004
From:
, ~
Jorge M. Gonzalez \ .v~c':\
City Manager . U
FORM OF GOJJRNMENT INQUIRY
Subject:
In response to your inquiry for information comparing and contrasting the Council-Manager
Form of government versus the Strong or Executive Mayor Form of government, several
pieces of information has been assembled and are attached.
Attached please find an article which was prepared by the California City Management
Foundation comparing and contrasting the forms of government and a copy of the
Management Practices necessary for Effective Local Government Management as
prepared by the International City/County Management Association. Also attached, you
will find a bullet point listing with a compilation of attributes of the Commission Manager
Form of government. These are generated from a variety of articles and sources publicly
available on this topic. Should you wish we can provide you with greater detail at your
convenience.
If you have other questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to
contact me.
Attachments
c: Mayor and City Commission
COUNCIL-MANAGER OR "STRONG MAYOR"
The Choice is Clear
Learn the Facts About
Council-Manager Government
Everyone wants strong political leadership-neighborhoods, civic leaders, and the business
community included. And today's complex communities cannot succeed without the guidance
of effective mayors who provide a sense of direction and contribute to the smooth functioning of
a local government.
But communities also need thoughtful, dedicated council members, who work with the mayor to
establish appropriate policy, and competent, professional managers to carry out those policies.
None of the three are mutually exclusive; they can and do work together today in many of the
country's successful council-manager communities.
Today council-manager government is the fastest growing form of government in the United
States; it frees up the elected body to establish policy, which is carried out by an appointed
manager and an administrative staff. The manager is accountable to the entire council for the
satisfactory implementation of council policy and the day-to-day administration of municipal
affairs.
There are compelling reasons why many of the nation's most successful cities and towns have
adopted council-manager government rather than the "strong-mayor" form. Council-manager
government encourages neighborhood input into the political process, diffuses the power of
special interests, and eliminates partisan politics from municipal hiring, firing, and contracting
decisions.
People who take time to learn the facts about council-manager government are likely to join the
ranks of those who favor this popular form. Consider the following when deciding which form
of government is best for your community:
Neighborhoods Strengthen Their Voice
The council-manager form encourages open communication between citizens and their government.
Under this form, each member of the governing body has an equal voice in policy development and
administrative oversight. This gives neighborhoods and diverse groups a greater opportunity to
influence policy.
Under the "strong mayor" form, political power is concentrated in the rnayor, which means that
other members of the elected body relinquish at least some of their policy-making power and
influence. This loss of decision-making power among council members can have a chilling effect
on the voices of neighborhoods and city residents.
The Power of Special Interests is Diffused
Under the council-manager form of government, involvement of the entire elected body ensures a
more balanced approach to community decision making, so that all interests can be expressed and
heard-not just those that are well funded. Under the "strong mayor" form, however, it's easier for
special interests to use money and political power to influence a single elected official, rather than
having to secure a majority of the city council's support for their agenda.
Merit-Based Decision Making Vs. Partisan Politics
Under council-manager government, qualifications and performance-and not skillful navigation of
the political election process-are the criteria the elected body uses to select a professional
manager. The professional manager, in turn, uses his or her education, experience, and training to
select department heads and other key managers to oversee the efficient delivery of services. In this
way, council-manager government maintains critical checks and balances to ensure accountability at
city hall.
Functioning much like a business organization's chief executive officer, the appointed professional
manager administers the daily operations of the community. Through a professional staff, the
manager ensures the effective provision of services and enforces the policies adopted by the elected
body. He or she, in turn, uses merit as the leading criterion for making all hiring and personnel
decisions.
Appointed local government managers have no guaranteed term of office or tenure. They can be
dismissed by the council at any time, for any reason. As a result, they constantly must respond to
citizens and be dedicated to the highest ideals of honesty, integrity, and excellence in the
management and delivery of public services.
Under the "strong mayor" form of government, the day-to-day management of community
operations shifts to the mayor, who often lacks the appropriate training, education, and experience
in municipal administration and finance to oversee the delivery of essential community services.
Also, under the "strong mayor" form, the temptation is strong to make decisions regarding the
hiring and firing of key department head positions-such as the police chief, public works director,
and finance director-based on the applicant's political support rather than his or her professional
qualifications.
Many Successful Cities Use Council-Manager Government
Council-manager government works! It balances diverse interests, responds quickly to challenges,
and brings the community together to resolve even the toughest issues.
Currently, more than 75.5 million Americans live in council-manager communities, and the system
continues to flourish. This form of government is used by thousands of small, medium, and large
jurisdictions, including San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, Sacramento, and San Jose, California; and
Phoenix, Arizona. Consider these examples:
History Argues for the Council-Manager Form of
Government
Approximately 90 years old, the council-manager form of
government has proven its adaptability; today it is the
most popular choice of structure among U.S.
communities with populations of2,500 or greater. During
the past dozen years, for example, an average of 44 U.S.
cities annually have adopted the council-manager form,
while an average of only two per year have abandoned it.
Council-manager government, however, was not always
an option. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there
was widespread corruption, graft, and nepotism among
U.S. cities. The stories of New York City's Tammany
Hall and Kansas City's Pendergrast machine are only two
examples of the misuse of local government power
during this time.
By the early 20th century, reformers were looking for
ways to return control of municipal government to
citizens. Those reformers advocated the council-manager
structure of government to eliminate the corruption found
in many cities. With its emphasis on professional training
and accountability, the council-manager form of
government was adopted by a number of cities in the
1920s and 1930s.
San Jose, California (pop. 835,500)
Long viewed as the "capital" of Silicon
Valley, San Jose uses the council-manager
form of government to successfully manage
diverse interests in an environment of
rapid residential and commercial growth.
Phoenix, Arizona (pop. 983,392)
In 1993, Phoenix captured the intemational
Bartelsmann Award for being one of the two
best managed cities in the world. Today,
the city continues to maintain its reputation
as a model U.S. commWlity.
Boulder, Colorado (pop. 85,127)
One of the nation's most beautiful and
environmentally conscious corrununities,
the city of Boulder successfully
balances environmental quality with
a vibrant business climate.
Dayton, Ohio (182, 044)
Dayton enhanced the process of involving
citizens in community decision making by
creating neighborhood-based priority boards
to deal with key funding, service, and
neighborhood issues.
It took years to diffuse the power entrenched in tum-of-the-century city political machines and
special interests. Today, however, citizens throughout the U.S. have resumed control by adopting or
retaining council-manager government in their community and enjoying representative democracy
at its best.
Prepared by the California City Management Foundation
1998
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CREATING EXCELLENCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
through profcssionall1lanagcment
leMA: Professional Development: Management Practices
Practices for Effective Local Government
Management
In 1991 the ICMA Executive Board convened the Task Force on Continuing
Education and Professional Development to identify the competencies and skills
required of an effective local government manager. During a process facilitated
by the task force, ICMA members agreed that the following Practices are
essential to effective local government management. For convenience, the
Practices were originally organized into eight groupings. With the development
of the Management Practices Assessment, it became clear that for professional
development purposes the practices more clearly fall Into 18 'core content
areas," as shown below. These are the same Practices that members developed
and approved. They are simply organized differently.
1. Staff Effectiveness: Promoting the development and performance of staff
and employees throughout the organization (requires knowledge of
interpersonal relations; skill in motivation techniques; ability to identify others'
strengths and weaknesses). Practices that contribute to this core content area
are:
. COACHING/MENTORING Providing direction, support, and feedback
to enable others to meet their full potential (requires knowledge of
feedback techniques; ability to assess performance and identify others'
developmental needs)
. TEAM LEADERSHIP Facilitating teamwork (requires knowledge of team
relations; ability to direct and coordinate group efforts; skill in
leadership techniques)
. EMPOWERMENT Creating a work environment that encourages
responsibility and decision making at all organizational levels (requires
skill in sharing authority and removing barriers to creativity)
. DELEGATING Assigning responsibility to others (requires skill in
defining expectations, providing direction and support, and evaluating
results)
2. PolicV Facilitation: Helping elected officials and other community actors
identify, work toward, and achieve common goals and objectives (requires
knowledge of group dynamics and political behavior; skill in communication,
facilitation, and consensus-bUilding techniques; ability to engage others in
identifying issues and outcomes). Practices that contribute to this core content
area are:
. FACILITATIVE LEADERSHIP Building cooperation and consensus
among and within diverse groups, helping them identify common goals
and act effectively to achieve them; recognizing interdependent
relationships and multiple causes of community issues and anticipating
the consequences of policy decisions (requires knowledge of community
actors and their interrelationships)
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08/16/2004
leMA Web Site
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Health and Human Services
Local Government
Management! Ad ministration
Parks and Recreation
Performance Measurement
Personnel and Human Resources
Planning and Zoning
Public Safety, Security, and
Emergency Management
Public Works
School/University Relations
Smart Growth
Technology
Telecommunications
Transportation
Page 2 of 5
. FACILITATING COUNCIL EFFECTIVENESS Helping elected officials
develop a policy agenda that can be implemented effectively and that
serves the best interests of the community (requires knowledge of
role/authority relationships between elected and appointed officials; skill
in responsibly following the lead of others when appropriate; ability to
communicate sound information and recommendations)
. MEDIATION/NEGOTIATION Acting as a neutral party in the
resolution of policy disputes (requires knowledge of
mediation/negotiation principles; skill in mediation/negotiation
techniques)
3. Functional and Operational Expertise and Planning (a component of
Service Delivery Management): Practices that contribute to this core content
area are:
. FUNCTIONAL/OPERATIONAL EXPERTISE Understanding the basic
principles of service delivery in functional areas--e.g., public safety,
community and economic development, human and social services,
administrative services, public works (requires knowledge of service
areas and delivery options)
. OPERATIONAL PLANNING Anticipating future needs, organizing work
operations, and establishing timetables for work units or projects
(requires knowledge of technological advances and changing standards;
skill in identifying and understanding trends; skill in predicting the
impact of service delivery decisions)
4. Citizen Service (a component of Service Delivery Management):
Determining citizen needs and providing responsive, equitable services to the
community (requires skill in assessing community needs and allocating
resources; knowledge of information gathering techniques)
S. Quality Assurance (a component of Service Delivery Management):
Maintaining a consistently high level of quality in staff work, operational
procedures, and service delivery (requires knowledge of organizational
processes; ability to facilitate organizational improvements; ability to set
performance/ productivity standards and objectives and measure results)
6. Initiative, Risk Taking, Vision, Creativity, and Innovation (a
component of Strategic Leadership): Setting an example that urges the
organization and the community toward experimentation, change, creative
problem solving, and prompt action (requires knowledge of personal leadership
style; skill in visioning, shifting perspectives, and identifying options; ability to
create an environment that encourages initiative and innovation). Practices
that contribute to this core content area are:
. INITIATIVE AND RISK TAKING Demonstrating a personal orientation
toward action and accepting responsibility for the results; resisting the
status quo and removing stumbling blocks that delay progress toward
goals and objectives
. VISION Conceptualizing an ideal future state and communicating it to
the organization and the community
. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Developing new ideas or practices;
applying existing ideas and practices to new situations
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Page 3 of5
7. Technological Literacy (a component of Strategic Leadership):
Demonstrating an understanding of information technology and ensuring that it
is incorporated appropriately in plans to improve service delivery, information
sharing, organizational communication, and citizen access (requires knowledge
of technological options and their application)
8. Democratic Advocacy and Citizen Participation: Demonstrating a
commitment to democratic principles by respecting elected officials, community
interest groups, and the decision making process; educating citizens about
local government; and acquiring knowledge of the social, economic, and
political history of the community (requires knowledge of democratic principles,
political processes, and local government law; skill in group dynamics,
communication, and facilitation; ability to appreciate and work with diverse
individuals and groups and to follow the community's lead in the democratic
process). Practices that contribute to this core content area are:
. DEMOCRATIC ADVOCACY Fostering the values and integrity of
representative government and local democracy through action and
example; ensuring the effective participation of local government in the
intergovernmental system (requires knowledge and skill in
intergovernmental relations)
. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Recognizing the right of citizens to
influence local decisions and promoting active citizen involvement in
local governance
9. Diversity: Understanding and valuing the differences among individuals and
fostering these values throughout the organization and the community
10. Budgeting: Preparing and administering the budget (requires knowledge
of budgeting principles and practices, revenue sources, projection techniques,
and financial control systems; skill in communicating financial information)
11. Financial AnalysiS: Interpreting financial information to assess the short-
term and long-term fiscal condition of the community, determine the cost-
effectiveness of programs, and compare alternative strategies (requires
knowledge of analytical techniques and skill in applying them)
12. Human Resources Management: Ensuring that the policies and
procedures for employee hiring, promotion, performance appraisal, and
discipline are equitable, legal, and current; ensuring that human resources are
adequate to accomplish programmatic objectives (requires knowledge of
personnel practices and employee relations law; ability to project workforce
needs)
13. Strategic Planning: Positioning the organization and the community for
events and circumstances that are anticipated in the future (requires
knowledge of long-range and strategic planning techniques; skill in identifying
trends that will affect the community; ability to analyze and facilitate policy
choices that will benefit the community in the long run)
14. Advocacy and Interpersonal Communication: Facilitating the flow of
ideas, information, and understanding between and among individuals;
advocating effectively in the community interest (requires knowledge of
interpersonal and group communication principles; skill in listening, speaking,
and writing; ability to persuade without diminishing the views of others).
Practices that contribute to this core content area are:
. ADVOCACY Communicating personal support for policies, programs, or
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Page 4 of5
ideals that serve the best interests of the community
. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Exchanging verbal and
nonverbal messages with others in a way that demonstrates respect for
the individual and furthers organizational and community objectives
(requires ability to receive verbal and nonverbal cues; skill in selecting
the most effective communication method for each interchange)
15. Presentation Skills: Conveying ideas or information effectively to others
(requires knowledge of presentation techniques and options; ability to match
presentation to audience)
16. Media Relations: Communicating information to the media in a way that
increases public understanding of local government issues and activities and
builds a positive relationship with the press (requires knOWledge of media
operations and objectives)
17. Integrity: Demonstrating fairness, honesty, and ethical and legal
awareness in personal and professional relationships and activities (requires
knowledge of business and personal ethics; ability to understand issues of
ethics and integrity in specific situations). Practices that contribute to this core
content area are:
. PERSONAL INTEGRITY Demonstrating accountability for personal
actions; conducting personal relationships and activities fairly and
honestly
. PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY Conducting professional relationships
and activities fairly, honestly, legally, and in conformance with the ICMA
Code of Ethics (requires knowledge of administrative ethics and
specifically the ICMA Code of Ethics)
. ORGANIZATIONAL INTEGRITY Fostering ethical behavior throughout
the organization through personal example, management practices, and
training (requires knowledge of administrative ethics; ability to instill
accountability into operations; and ability to communicate ethical
standards and gUidelines to others)
18. Personal Development: Demonstrating a commitment to a balanced life
through ongoing self-renewal and development in order to increase personal
capacity (includes maintaining personal health, living by core values;
continuous learning and improvement; and creating interdependent
relationships and respect for differences).
IQ 2004 International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
777 North Capitol Street, NE
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20002
Main phone number: 202-289-4262
Member services: 202-962-3680
Main fax number: 202-962-3500
Order processing center: 1-800-745-8780
General contact information
Staff contacts for ICMA members
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A TTRIB'UTES OF THE COMMISSION MANAGER FORM OF GOVEItJ.~MENT
· The Chief Executive Officer is a trained and experienced professional with a career
orientation based on a strict code of professional ethics.
. The Professional Code of Ethics for a City Manager stresses:
Support for the Representative form of democracy.
Behavior which maintains the confidence of both elected officials and citizens at
all times.
Priority placed on maintenance of high level of integrity.
Providing service to a community that addresses the best interests of all citizens.
Decision making based on factual analysis and merit.
Behavior which is strictly non partisan.
· The City Manager form provides an attraction for and service by a wider range of career
professionals. The executive service in Council Manager Governments is defined by
training, skill and merit as opposed to political appointments.
· The City Manager is directly accountable to the elected Commissioners and serves at the
pleasure of the Commissioners.
· The Council Manager form separates the political/electoral and the administrative
elements of government. The form assures that Commission policy direction is carried
out as directed and intended.
· The form concentrates power in an entire elected City Commission. All Commissioners
are regarded as equals and there is no question as to the decision making entity. The
form creates fewer conflicts as a result of this decision making clarity.
· The form provides both the structure and the orientation to focus on longer term issues,
opportunities or problems with less of a focus on a specific term of elected office.
· The form provides for equal political power and leadership opportunities for the entire
elected body, assuring the broadest possible opportunity for contact, representation and
engagement with all sectors ofthe community. Neighborhoods, ethnic groups, different
genders, different religions and different sexual preference interests are best served with
this broad political access.
· The form focuses political leadership on a directly elected mayor but requires that the
mayor in order to be effective use a range of positive skills, which include: consensus
building, collaboration, effective communication, persuasion and a willingness to
compromise in order to lead. The position of Mayor is affected and molded by the
individual characteristics of the electorates' direct choice for the office. The only
constraints to effective leadership are imposed by the person not the position.
· The Council Manager form allows the political leadership role to be customized further
to provide for a larger or more formally institutionalized role for the Mayor if so desired.
Typically such changes in the formalized role of the Office of Mayor come at the expense
of other directly elected Commissioners and their ability to lead or influence policy
within the community. These changes can include:
Power of the Mayor to veto legislation.
The power or requirement to propose a formal legislative agenda to the
Commission and the community.
The power to receive a budget from the City Manager prior to the entire City
Commission and then to submit with comments and/or suggestions to the full
Commission.
A more formalized role or power in the setting of Commission Agendas.
A longer term and a higher salary.