|
<br /> ------ ~- -- -
<br /> ..... 'I
<br /> A-2
<br /> are ways in which they can express themselves, Despite these somewhat positive results, Americans' I
<br /> 5. The system is spiraling beyond citizens' control. distrust of public officials permeates all levels of govern-
<br /> Americans believe that politics have been "taken men! The bad vibes surrounding legislative and federal ..
<br /> awa"," from them" in a m~1nner similar to that of a government officials have rubbed off on all public
<br /> hostile takeover. The "culprits" are special interest sen:ants, even those who try to do the right thing.
<br /> groups, sensationalist media, and other "big-gun" According to the Harwood report: 'Those public officials
<br /> players. who do choose to reach out to their constituents. . . find
<br /> 6. The power brokers hold ultimate decision-making a mistrustful, skeptical, and accusatory public, Public I
<br /> power. Americans also feel that selcct groups, officials. indeed, are caught in a Catch-22."
<br /> including political action committees, special Is it any \vunder that appointed managers feel beat up?
<br /> interest groups, and lobbyists, ha\'e taken over I
<br /> politics and are the ultimate decision makers on How Public Perceptions
<br /> policy issues.
<br /> 7. Political campaigns turn people off. All the Affect Appointed Managers I
<br /> hoopla, rhetoric, money, mudslinging, and To understand the importance to professional local
<br /> ! propaganda associated with campaigns for public government managers of the observations discussed
<br /> office-particularly those of congressional and above, one need only reviev.: the findings of the Harwood
<br /> legislative candidates-have driven a wedge study and substitute the words "local government" for I
<br /> bchveen citizens and politics. "politics" and "council and manager" for "public
<br /> 8. The media focus only on the negative. "Media officials."
<br /> coverage of politics and policy issues leads to a sense The Harwood research focllsed on citizen mistrust I
<br /> of frustration and dismay among citizens," pushing of politics and public officials. Other researchers, includ-
<br /> them further away from. rather than closer to, ing Nelson Biddle, a consultant for the Tennessee
<br /> participation in politics. ~lunicipal League, have observed that the relationship I
<br /> 9. It's politics as usual. People have been turned off behveen citizens and their governments has metamor-
<br /> by the political process, by what they perceive as phosed from a lack of confidence to an open contempt,
<br /> inaction. They believe that public officials pursue specifically concerning state legislatures and Congress.
<br /> their own self-serving agendas, which have little In his October 1994 article entitled "Why People Have ..
<br /> to do with the common good. Become Cynical About Gm'ernment;' Biddle writes:
<br /> 10. The relationship behvcen citizens and public " . . . There \-vill be a mini-revolution of sorts. . . the
<br /> officials has been severed. The principle under- people ,vill become more and more active and try to I
<br /> lying civic democracy, that of the exchange of vie'vs take back control of their government if they can."
<br /> within the framework of representative government, In no state has the mini-revolution been felt more
<br /> is seriously threatened. Citizens maintain that strongly than in California, ,vhere citizen frustration has
<br /> public leaders avoid real issues, use doubletalk, led to "a government destroyed by popular referendum." I
<br /> and fail to tell the truth. In an article called "California's Elected Anarchy: A
<br /> GOI'ernrnent Destroyed by Popular Referendum" that
<br /> According to the Harwood studYI Americans appeared in the Novcmber 1994 issue of Harper's I
<br /> generally hold that public officials no longer are magazine, author Peter Schrag had this to say:
<br /> accessible and responsive to them, that they have
<br /> "closeted themselves away from the public." Many ". . . Californians, pursuing visions of governmental I
<br /> wonder \....hether public officials even want to interact perfection, have made it increasingly difficult for elected
<br /> with citizens. officials to make any rational policy decisions. And
<br /> therein lies a cautionary tale {or all those other Americans
<br /> The Good News. . . Or Is It? pursuing constitutional spending limits, balanced budget I
<br /> amendments, slJ.pennajority requirements, term limits,
<br /> There is good neViS concerning the image of local and the various other mechanisms designed to replace
<br /> governrnent officials, who fare best when compared with representative government in America with government I
<br /> their counterparts in state and federal government. In by autopilot."
<br /> a 1994 report, the Advisory Commission on Intergovern-
<br /> mental Relations reported that only 19 percent of the Biddle suggests that when citizens feel that
<br /> people surveyed identified local government as the level government has their best interests at heart, they are I
<br /> of government from which they felt they got the least for willing to forgo control. When they feel frustrated by
<br /> their money, compared with 46 percent for the federal the perceived arrogance of government institutions, ..
<br /> level and 21 percent for the state. however, they want control in order to change things.
<br /> ..............................................................................................
<br /> _..-~--._.--- - I
<br /> ----
<br />
|