On this Page [hide] On this Page [show]. Overview "Management is doing things right. Legislative Bodies City, town, and county councilmembers and county commissioners are legislators.
Executives While mayors and city managers often develop and propose policies, their basic responsibility is to carry out the council's directives and to implement the policies adopted by the council. Mayor-Council Form of Government: Policy and administration are separate. All legislative and policymaking powers are vested in the city council. This is also true for most charter counties that have county councils, including King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Whatcom counties. Administrative authority is vested in a directly elected mayor sometimes called a "strong mayor" or county executive.
Mayors in second class mayor-council cities and code mayor-council cities may veto ordinances but the mayor's veto can be overruled by two-thirds vote of the council. Council-Manager Form of Government: All legislative and policy powers are vested in the city council. The council hires a professional city manager, who heads the administrative branch of government, to carry out the policies the council develops.
The mayor is usually selected by the city council from among its members, although in a few larger cities such as Tacoma, Vancouver, and Olympia , the voters directly elect the mayor through provisions of a charter or through RCW 35A.
The mayor's responsibilities are primarily to preside at council meetings and to act as head of the city for ceremonial purposes and for purposes of military law. The mayor votes as a councilmember and does not have any veto power.
Political skills possessed by the mayor can be helpful in bringing parties together in the policy development process. Currently, the only county that has adopted this organizational model is Clark County, which is in the process of transition.
San Juan County has adopted a hybrid form that includes a county manager position but retains much of the commission form as well. Commission Form of Government: In the commission form of government, one elective body includes the executive, legislative, and administrative functions of government. No cities in Washington operate under a commission form of government any more, but 32 of the 39 counties in Washington use a commission form of government.
The board of commissioners sits as a body, passes laws, and makes policy. Clallam County's home rule charter established a county administrator to assist the commissioners, but both the executive and legislative functions are retained by the commissioners. What Staff Needs to Know about Elected Officials Policy development processes are most effective and productive when key players work well together.
Elected officials have different needs than staff. To be effective, elected officials must be responsive to the needs of their constituents. Concerns for "fairness" and "minority views" may outweigh issues of effectiveness or efficiency. Elected officials want to know where various groups stand on an issue. This information is important in attempting to balance the conflicting values that often come into play during the policymaking process.
Elected officials do not like surprises. This is particularly true at the end of a long and arduous process. A staff member's credibility can be seriously undermined if key interests introduce relevant, new information at a final public hearing before action is to be taken.
Councilmembers depend on staff to provide pertinent, timely, and complete information on issues the council must take under consideration. Elected officials like to have choices. No one likes to feel backed into a corner with only one solution. Regardless of the issue, many people seem obsessed with the question of what political leaders will do next.
Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un and many others are expected to make the decisions that will determine the course of our lives.
The world is too vast, impersonal and unknowable to face without the belief that someone — a leader or perhaps in some cases a hidden conspiracy — is causing the events that shape our lives. And politicians seeking power nurture the idea that they are uniquely qualified to guide millions or hundreds of millions to happiness. Monarchs want to rule, and we want monarchs to rule. This model of political power cushions reality but falsifies it as well. History, like the economy, is the vast unfolding of millions of decisions and events.
The idea that one person or group of people is in control of this process is misguided. It is impossible for any political leader to be aware of, let alone control, the myriad events that shape a nation from within and without. Even very powerful leaders could only govern through a political structure that underpins their own authority. They give orders to their subordinates, who then give orders to their subordinates, who then work within the broader society to try to implement the orders.
Leaders govern through apparatuses that have their own interests, and in a world of unintended consequences, where even if their directions are followed to the letter, the outcome can be unexpected.
They cannot impose their will on society by force but must align with or create coalitions that allow them to rule. The leader is shaped by the vast undercurrent of minute processes and decisions, and resistance to this process can break them. Take Hitler and Stalin as examples. He did not create the circumstances that bought him to power; he aligned himself with them. He became what the public demanded. His control was limited by a notoriously chaotic and fractured bureaucracy.
True, if Hitler intervened he would have been obeyed, but for the most part he could neither know nor control what the bureaucracy did, and the power structure rested on the general society it commanded.
Stalin emerged because he understood the Marxist-Leninist notion of the dictatorship of the proletariat. He took control of the Communist Party and the country, understanding that the country, shattered by World War I and a century of inefficiency, had to break out. He also knew that the bureaucracy — over which the czar had lost control — was the problem. He instituted a terror campaign, murdering, almost randomly, members of the apparatus who were responsible for carrying out his orders, thereby increasing the probability that future orders might be carried out.
But the orders he gave were dictated by the reality on the ground. The Soviet Union needed to industrialize or it would collapse. For this, the Soviet Union needed foreign equipment, which it could pay for only with agricultural products. Taking those products from the peasants who grew them would lead to their starvation. Stalin did create terror and starvation, but he was reacting to the reality presented to him.
Others might not have reacted this way, but it is not clear that the Soviet Union would have survived by any other means. Stalin was a prisoner of his reality, and it was a reality that demanded ruthlessness. This is not to absolve Stalin or Hitler of any wrongdoing — that it came easily to them may tell us something about their souls — but they were constrained by the circumstances that led them to their actions.
Hitler and Stalin are, of course, extreme examples. Putting others first is a great character trait for anyone to embody; it shows that individuals truly care about the value of service over self. In other words, they were elected to their office by voters. In a similar vein, a great leader is someone who actively listens. Legislators may not be able to listen to everyone at once — or please everyone, for that matter — but putting in the effort is key.
Actively listening also entails acknowledging when their preconceived notions may be wrong, which may be discovered by a willingness to learn. Whether they write their own speeches or have a speechwriter on staff, many politicians are known for their eloquence and rhetorical flourish. But great leaders must also let their actions do the talking for them. Leading by example is a quality that goes in tandem with honesty.
There are over different definitions of leadership. Develop your soft skills and apply today. What Is Political Management? Founded in as The Columbian College on land provided by former President George Washington, the University has since developed into a leading educational and research institution. In addition to 4, staff members, The George Washington University enrolls an even balance of undergraduate and graduate students; approximately 11, of the former and 12, of the latter.
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