Bringing Balance to Government: How Your Association Can Change the Political Calculus in Your City

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Bringing Balance to GovernmentHow Your
Association Can Change the Political Calculus in
Your City

• Steven B. Frates, PhD
• President
• The Center for Government Analysis
• May 2006

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Local Government Decision-Making

• Elected officials set policy, but not in a vacuum

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Local Government Decision-MakingLocal
Governments An Overview

• Local governments are agencies of the State
• 58 counties
• 480 (plus) cities
• Close to 1,000 school districts
• Close to 4,000 special districts

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Local Government Decision-MakingLocal Government
Hierarchy

• Counties and school districts substantially
  controlled by the state
• State Legislature controls funding
• State Legislature mandates policy

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Local Government Decision-Making Local
Government Hierarchy

• Cities have somewhat more flexibility, but are
  still subject to considerable state regulation
• Workers compensation
• Contracting
• Personnel procedures

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Local Government Decision-MakingLocal Government
Influence

• Local elected officials influenced by a number of
  factors
• Constituents
• Media
• Personal beliefs
• Peers in other communities
• State and Federal officials
• Courts
• Staff

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Local Government Decision-MakingThe Role of Staff

• Staff influence is dominant
• Staff largely controls and supplies information
• Research
• Reports
• Staff analysis

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Local Government Decision-Making The Role of
Staff

• Staff strongly influence the agenda
• Availability of data and information
• Staff has regular, constant, and confidential
  contact with elected officials
• Staff can influence constituencies
• Staff support to boards and commissions
• Personal relationships with citizenry

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Local Government Decision-Making The Role of
Staff

• Staff can influence the media
• Who do reporters call?
• Who has the facts?
• Does a reporter or editor want to face a hostile
  staff?

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Local Government Decision-Making The Role of
Staff

• Staff can directly influence the State
  Legislature and regulatory agencies
• Through professional organizations
• Through statewide political alliances
• This power increasingly prevalent, and
  increasingly potent

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Local Government Decision-Making The Role of
Staff

• Staff are human, and they have their own views,
  opinions and preferences
• Progressive era neutrality less and less a part
  of the Public Administration curriculum

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Local Government Decision-MakingThe Role of Staff

• Staff strongly influences the local resource
  allocation decision-making process

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Local Government Decision-MakingCitizen
Involvement in Local Government

• Allocation of funding largely determines policy
• Staff proposes budget and briefs elected
  officials
• Citizens have virtually no data or key
  decision-making information
• Citizens input during budget hearings citizens
  reduced to begging for some allocations
• Citizens do not have historical or comparative
  data to play a significant role in the budget
  process
• Until Now

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Local Government Decision-MakingThings You Can Do

• Build alliances
• Chambers of commerce
• Service groups
• Community associations
• Broader and deeper contact networks allow
• Quicker access to information
• More persons to listen to your side

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Local Government Decision-MakingThings You Can Do

• Support your State and National Associations
• They give you a voice in Sacramento and
  Washington, D.C.
• They can influence the legislation and
  regulations impacting local government
• Arm yourself with data
• The Center for Government Analysis

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Custom Research

• Example 1 City of Redding

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• Example 2 City of Irvine

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Bringing Balance to GovernmentHow Your
Association Can Change the Political Calculus in
Your City

• Steven B. Frates, PhD
• President
• The Center for Government Analysis
• May 2006