City Caesars?

Abstract

Recently, voters in many large cities have approved charter reforms that strengthen the power of the executive, suggesting that big city residents and mayors themselves view the formal authority of the office as an important influence on whether a mayor will be successful in solving urban problems. This article employs qualitative data from three California cities to specify how structural characteristics interact with personal factors to facilitate mayoral leadership. The authors find that city structure does not directly determine a mayor's goals and leadership style, but it does create constraints and opportunities that influence whether a mayor's personal strategies will succeed.

The role of local political leadership in the reception of forced migrants: evidence from Greece

“…Here, the position of the mayor vis-à-vis other bodies within the municipal structure must be taken into account. For instance, having control over the majority of the municipal council, or authority over new appointments and budget decisions, would make it easier for a mayor to push through policy proposals (Mullin et al, 2004). In addition, the ability to respond to emerging issues through the creation of ad hoc/informal bodies can also strengthen mayors' potential to exercise leadership.…”

The Politics of Urban Climate Change Policy

“…Yates (1977) argued that mayors have very little control over municipal administrations generally, but that the influence of mayors is determined by a combination of their personal leadership style and their political environment. Indeed, the formal powers granted to a city's mayor have been shown to influence whether he or she succeeds in forwarding and implementing his or her personal goals (Mullin, Peele, and Cain 2004). Similarly, Ferman (1985) found that mayors must be able to strategically align their actions to the city's political environment to be effective.…”

Local leaders and the pursuit of growth in US cities: the role of managerial skill

“…In this paper, we argue that the managerial skill of local leaders should condition their ability to shape city outcomes. As Mullin et al (2004) point out, local officials vary in the leadership strategies that they employ to manage their cities. Drawing from methodology developed by Bloom and Reenen (2007) and Carreri (2021), we design an original phone survey that allows us to document the management practices of over 300 mayors and city managers of municipalities of all sizes across the USA.…”