POL200 Chapter 11-Local Government- Governing States and Localities 6th Edition- Dr.Shin

What type of political jurisdiction is created from the bottom up?

city

______ elections tend to have the lowest voter turnout.

Local

Counties in Louisiana are called which of the following?

parishes

Approximately how many special districts are there in the United States?

more than 50,000

Special districts do not encompass which of the following?

National Guard

Which of the following generally does NOT affect the size and scope of local government in a state?

interest group politics

______ tend to be more "general purpose" forms of government.

Both cities and counties

Which of the following types of local government is incorporated under state law to provide governance to a defined geographic area and is generally more compact and more densely populated than counties?

municipalities

Legislative and executive powers are separated in ______ form of local government.

a commission

Which of the following is NOT an element of municipal government?

constitutions

An elected executive and an elected legislature are found in which of the following?

mayor-council system of government

______ systems concentrate executive and legislative powers into a single elected body.

Commission

Potential problems with the commission system of municipal government include which of the following?

Elected officials sometimes make for poor bureaucrats, and elected commissioners become entrenched in their departments.

Town meetings can be problematic because of which of the following?

large populations

______ are a type of government created for a single purpose.

Special districts

States are, within themselves, ______ systems.

Unitary

Which of the following is NOT generally the responsibility of local government?

elections

Most interaction citizens have with government happens at the ______ level.

local

______ states have a particular tradition of active civic participation.

???
a. Southern
b. New England
c. Northern
d. Pacific Northwestern

Geographical subdivisions of state government are known as ______ in most places.

counties

______ are generally distinguished from counties by being more compact and by their status as independent corporations.

Municipalities

Which of the following are you unlikely to find at the local county courthouse?

mayor

The suffix -shire comes from the ______ tradition.

English

Rhode Island and ______ are the only states that have no county governments.

Connecticut

The U.S. county with the smallest population is located in what state?

Hawaii

A ______ tends to be the most politically powerful and influential form of local government.

Both I think?
city
state

______ governments are historically rural governments that help conduct state government business.

County

If you find yourself in a county where the executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected commissioners, you have found ______ system.

a county commission

Professional executives who manage the day-to-day operations of government are known as ______.

mayors

In the twentieth-century, ineffectiveness and corruption were the reasons many counties shifted away from ______.

commissions

______ are corporations.

cities

In some states, ______ are geographical subdivisions of counties with little power.

townships

In ______, townships are the traditional form of local governance.

New England

The elected executive in a municipality is known as a ______.

mayor

A ______ is to a municipality as a legislature is to a state.

city council

Under what kind of system is a mayor roughly the municipal equivalent of a governor?

strong-mayor system

In which of the following places would one be most likely to find a strong-mayor system?

???
Indiana (book says either in the Northeast and the Midwest and gave an example of Ohio)

In a ______, the mayor has a largely ceremonial position.

weak-mayor system

______ are generally lined up with city council electoral districts.

Wards

What was the first major U.S. city to create a position for a strong manager?

Dayton, Ohio

One drawback of ______ governments is that power and leadership are very diffuse.

commission

Local governments are evenly dispersed geographically.

False

In terms of political system, states and localities share a confederal relationship.

False

A mayor-council form of government blends executive and legislative powers.

False

City councils tend to dominate in a weak mayor system of government.

True

The council-manager system of government is an attempt to separate political and administrative functions.

True

States and localities are in a unitary relationship, with localities dependent on states for power.

True

At-large elections are elections in which city or county voters vote for council or commission members.

True

People tend to trust local government more than state or federal government.

True

Governments below the state level tend to be incredibly organized.

False

State governments can abolish county governments.

True

Municipalities (Vocab)

Political jurisdictions, such as cities, villages, or towns, incorporated under state law to provide governance to defined geographical areas; more compact and more densely populated than counties.

Counties (Vocab)

Geographical subdivisions of state government

County Commission System (Vocab)

A form of county governance in which executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected commissioners.

Council-Executive System (Vocab)

A form of county governance in which legislative powers are vested in a county commission and executive powers are vested in an independently elected executive.

Commission-Administrator System (Vocab)

A form of county governance in which executive and legislative powers reside with an elected commission, which hires a professional executive to manage the day-to-day operations of government.

Cities (vocab)

Incorporated political jurisdictions formed to provide self-governance to particular localities.

Townships (Vocab)

Local governments whose powers, governance structure, and legal status vary considerably from state to state. In some states, townships function as general-purpose municipalities; in others, they are geographical subdivisions of counties with few responsibilities and little power.

Mayor (vocab)

The elected chief executive of a municipality

city council (vocab)

A municipality's legislature

City Manager (vocab)

An official appointed to be the chief administrator of a municipality

mayor-council system (vocab)

A form of municipal governance in which there is an elected executive and an elected legislature.

Strong-Mayor System (vocab)

A municipal government in which the mayor has the power to perform the executive functions of government.

Weak-Mayor System (vocab)

A municipal government in which the mayor lacks true executive powers, such as the ability to veto council decisions or appoint department heads.

Ward (vocab)

A division of a municipality, usually representing an electoral district of the city council.

Council-Manager System (vocab)

A form of municipal governance in which the day-to-day administration of government is carried out by a professional administrator.

City commission system (vocab)

A form of municipal governance in which executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected city commissioners.

Town Meeting Form of Government (Vocab)

A form of governance in which legislative powers are held by the local citizens

special district (vocab)

A local governmental unit created for a single purpose, such as water distribution

Dillon's Rule (1868) (vocab)

The legal principle that says local governments can exercise only the powers granted to them by the state government.

Home rule (vocab)

The right of a locality to self-government, usually granted through a charter.

Charter (vocab)

A document that outlines the powers, organization, and responsibilities of a local government.

general-act charters (vocab)

A charter that grants powers, such as home rule, to all municipal governments within a state.

special-act charter (vocab)

A charter that grants powers, such as home rule, to a single municipal government.

Ward or District Elections (vocab)

Elections in which voters in municipal wards vote for candidates to represent them on councils or commissions

At-large elections (vocab)

Elections in which city or county voters vote for council or commission members from any part of the jurisdiction.