Chapter 1 Flashcards
The council -Manager form of government is a direct result of the reform movement that started in the mid-1800s to rid the country of :
Political bosses and the corruption normally found within their administrations.
At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century, local governments had to address conditions created by the influx of new immigrants. Until then, local governments did little more than:
Keep the peace, put out fires and light street lamps. Many of those services were performed by volunteers or citizens drafted to serve instead of paying taxes.
The conditions created with the influx of new immigrants were:
High crime rates, poor health conditions, crowded living conditions, lack of public water supplies and no waste water treatment facilities. There was a need for urban services.
Politicians saw a way to help new immigrants coming into the country by making promises:
In exchange for their votes.
Politicians promised new immigrants___________in exchange for their votes.
Housing jobs, jobs and financial assistance.
Politicians saw a way to obtain political power by helping:
New immigrants with housing, jobs and financial assistance in exchange for their votes.
Political machines and political bosses grew on the backs of__________________.
New immigrants.
Political machines initially did a good job in expanding government services with centralized power in one person and the down side was:
Corruption; Businesses that wanted to bring major projects and developments into a local government had to obtain approval from the political boss by-passing regulations and inspections. This also included permit fees above the normal rates.
New immigrants often supported political machines because:
The political machines help them to assimilate into American society.
Beginning in the 1900s, the political machines began to topple with a series of events:
- Slow realization that widespread corruption canceled out benefits of getting the job done and delivering good municipal services. The news media had advances in technology that enabled nationwide distribution of stories about corruption.
- Immigration laws became more strict in the 1920s which reduced the influx of immigrants into the country and cutting political machine power.
- The New Deal programs offered by President Roosevelt reduced the need to look for political machines for assistance.
- As immigrants moved up the economic ladder, they transitioned to suburbia which further reduced the clout of political machines.
- The political machines got caught in the civil rights movement which split their voting base into various groups and reducing their power.
The civil service system was set-up to:
- To award jobs based on merit and not political affiliation.
The National Municipal League (NML) was created to bring about better government in a Model City Charter whereby government adapted a business model of:
- Adhering to strict accounting standards
- Adopting an open budgeting process
- Instituting strong internal and external auditing controls
- Requiring major purchases to be made by open competition
