National Civic Review 91:1

Contents

NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Christopher T. Gates

ARTICLES

The Roles of the City Council and Implications for the Structure of City Government
James H. Svara

The trend toward greater activism by the city council is changing the respective roles of council and city manager. This article frames an analysis of these changes using a typology of council models.

An Institutionalist Perspective on Mayoral Leadership: Linking Leadership Style to Formal Structure
Craig M. Wheeland

This contribution to a theory of mayoral leadership refines existing distinctions in leadership style by introducing subtypes for executive and facilitative styles on the basis of an analysis of mayoral characteristics in the forty most populous cities in the United States.

Assessing the CAO Position in a Strong-Mayor Government
Kimberly L. Nelson

The role of chief administrative officer (CAO) in mayor-council government varies widely. This study analyzes the characteristics of CAOs (or their equivalent) in the twenty-six most populous U.S. cities having a mayor-council government and compares them with those of city managers.

Municipal Charters
Lawrence F. Keller

The municipal charter is the constitution for local government. This article reviews the historical significance of the municipal charter and its continuing relevance for public life in the United States.

Regionalism in Metropolitan Chicago: A Work in Progress
David K. Hamilton

This assessment of regional government in metropolitan Chicago focuses on two organizations, Metropolis 2020 and the Metropolitan Mayors Council, and identifies areas for further improvement.

The National Civic Congress: A Proposal for Movement Building
Carmen Sirianni, Lewis A. Friedland

The civic renewal movement encompasses an array of groups, causes, and activities. As a means of both recognizing these efforts and overcoming potential obstacles to the movement's growth and impact, this article calls for an annual event to celebrate accomplishments and share achievements.

Unity and Community in the Twenty-First Century
Ted Halstead, Michael Lind

The technological changes being ushered in by the Information Age will have lasting effects on the public, private, and nonprofit sectors of American society. In this article, the authors consider the prospective impact of these developments on civil society and highlight challenges dealing with race, intergenerational differences, and the possibilities presented by genetic engineering.