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90 Nat'l Civic Rev. 1 (2001)

handle is hein.journals/natmnr90 and id is 1 raw text is: NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT O ne of the most important accomplishments of the National Civic League has been its leadership in developing and advocating new models for local government. This historical role goes back to the end of the nineteenth cen- tury, when America's cities were in a state of political crisis. A rural, agrarian nation was becoming an urban, industrial society The rapid growth of urban areas put new pressures on city services, and the unwieldy nature of most municipal governments seemed inadequate to respond to these new needs. Widespread corruption and incompetence created an ethos of unaccountabil- ity and cynicism. In 1894, a prominent group of civic leaders gathered in Philadelphia to create a reform organization called the National Municipal League (now known as the National Civic League). One of the earliest goals of the league was to create new models for local government. In 1897, a committee of distinguished scholars and civic reformers was given the task of developing a municipal program. In 1899, the committee reported its recommendations, which were published in 1900 as A Model Municipal Program. This first Model City Charter called for a strong, elected mayor with extensive powers and a city council elected for six-year staggered terms. The recommendation of a strong, elected executive was such a drastic departure from prevailing practice, however, that it gained little acceptance. Not only was there unwillingness to entrust such extensive powers to a mayor but there were also strong movements to interpose boards or commissions between the executive and the operating department heads to provide protec- tive cover for many services: boards of public works, health, parks, recreation and planning, and so on. In 1915 the league adopted a new municipal program presenting the second Model City Charter. Under this design, all powers were to be vested in a city council that would appoint a manager to administer the affairs of the city. By the end of 1915, the council-manager plan had been adopted by eighty-two cities, with the number almost doubling by 1920. Since 1915, the National Civic League has continued to endorse the unitary structure provided in the council-manager plan. The model charter is a tool for all those engaged in efforts to improve the structure and procedures of local government and thus to increase its effec- tiveness. The league has continued to revise the model charter over the years with the assistance of committees of distinguished individuals having wide knowledge and experience in municipal government. The most recent revi- sion, the seventh edition of the Model City Charter, was published in 1989. Clearly, the context of local government has undergone important changes during the past twelve years. Challenges and problems that were once the responsibility of the federal government have become the responsibility of local and regional communities. City government has become more active in promoting economic development and delivering social services. Even as the responsibility for solving social problems becomes increasingly localized, NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW, vol. 90, no. 1, Spring 2001 © Jossey-Bass, A Publishing Unit of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1

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