As I ended my workday, I immediately headed to City Hall in downtown Rockville. I have never attended a city council meeting or any other community style gathering. I prepared myself for a new experience and it was an interesting one. I’m glad this assignment was presented because otherwise it might have been a while before I comprehended the intricacies of city government in action. October 19th meeting No, 36-15 would become my first turnout to any kind of local, state, or federal meeting. I maintained very little interest in witnessing the procedures which contributed to my lack understanding. I arrived early to find the parking lot quite full along with a limited amount of parking spaces in a very small lot. I was able to find street parking right outside the building parking lot. As I walked toward the building a man with a chef’s hat greeted me and said “hurry in there before the food is all gone.” Not sure what to make of the comment, I politely nodded and proceeded into the building. I walked through the doors and there were small groups of people mingling the lobby. To the left was a room with platters visible from the lobby. When I walked in, there were cookies, desserts, and drinks in the one room alone. After I helped myself to a soda and a few cookies I walked to the room next door and there I found …show more content…
The agenda listed every topic, was well organized and gave me a good idea of what to expect as the meeting progressed. The council room was a moderately sized Hollywood set up of theatre seating in a panel style room. The setup seemed very modern to me as speakers and flat screen Televisions lined the room and cameras covered every angle which gave every council member the opportunity of a “close up”. It was the type of atmosphere that would complement a politically themed television
The fourth chapter of City Politics by Dennis R. Judd & Todd Swanstrom covers the rise of "Reform Politics" with many local governments during the first half of the 1900s as a way to combat the entrenched political machines that took control of many large city governments in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Over the course of the chapter, Judd & Swanstrom quickly cover the history of the "reform movement" with different examples of how the reform movement affected city politics in different areas.
There are a lot of options in the San Antonio real estate market at this time, which can prove to be a bit taxing for a prospective home buyer. Those interested in purchasing a home can browse through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in order to view all of the listings available. As a whole, the real estate market is thriving, yet the general price of properties in the area are surprisingly affordable.
Washington D.C: Our Nation’s Capital Although the entire world is familiar with the City of Washington as the United State’s capital, the city was nonexistent when we became a nation in 1789. Thanks to the brilliant design of the French born engineer, Pierre Charles L’Enfant and his assistants Benjamin Banneker and Andrew Ellicot, our capital city that was once a swamp now is beautiful with many different parks, gardens trees, tall buildings and wide avenues. Washington, District of Columbia named after Christopher Columbus, has played a unique role in the wars of our nation and has been dramatically affected by their awesome events.
The city’s budget crisis was not a surprise, the City Manager had forecasted the shortfall and brought it to the attention of the city council. Based on the organizational structure, the City Manager clearly had more knowledge and information about the city’s budget, which was his source of power. However, the city council actually controls the resources (money in this case) and how and where to distribute the resource. Both, the City Manager and city council possess authority and power that neither want to relinquish; as a result, the employees suffered. Smithville city leaders needed to come together at the onset of the budget crisis and work together in a direct democratic fashion. When leaders come together and synthesize facts and resources, organizational members can increase the power they exert within an organization (Morgan, 2006). The budget crisis could potentially have been avoided had city leaders made an appeal to the public, explained the situation and offered a reasonable solution to the problem. Moreover, the transparency would have relieved some tension between the City Manager, city council, and the three labor unions. Because the city was not transparent and forthcoming with union leaders, the city negotiators enter the negotiation process giving members false hope of receiving salary and benefit increases when there were none to give. In summary, given the current situation, the City Manager needed to exert his expert power on the budget issue, join alliance with the union leaders, and push the city council to change city charter to implement the sales tax, which would have potentially off-set the budget
...evision. I feel there are several simple things could be done that would make the meeting more accessible to not only first time attendees but also citizens in general. First of all by giving a very brief introduction to who the Council members are and why they are on the Council, as well as the who the people on the side bars are and what their purpose for being there. Just a brief background, five minutes at the tops, would give a background enough for newcomers to have a basic understanding of what is going on. Another thing that could be done to make it more accessible would be to explain the purpose of the meeting or to give out an agenda at the beginning. By attending this public meeting, I was able to see that the grandeur that is portrayed on television is very fake, but the importance is vastly downplayed.
I attended the Houston City Council meeting held on September 1, 2015. When I entered the the council chamber, at 1:20 pm, I was surprised to see that the chamber was packed with people. I had previously attended a New York City Council meeting were the chamber was almost completely empty.
James Henslin (2015) defines social location as “the corners in life that people occupy because of their place in a society” (p.2). Also it states that “sociologist look at how jobs, income, education, gender, race-ethnicity, and age affects people ideas and behavior.”(p.2).
If you ask most people today what level of government they have the most involvement with and that impacts their lives the most, they will undoubtedly respond with, “the State and local governments”; this is true for most Americans. From police and fire protection, to transportation, to conducting business, the citizens of America depend on their State and local governments to respond to their increasing needs. With this increase in demands, are we asking too much of our officials and will they be able to continue to respond with local, innovative ideas or will they grow into a mega-bureaucracy with stifling inflexibility? This paper will look at State and local government’s history, point out key legislation that made it what it is today and look at what the future may hold for local leaders.
Are you new in the Phoenix area, visiting or just a resident looking for a way to get around? There are so many things to do in our beautiful and sunny capitol. Rich in Native American and Mexican culture, nightlife and festivals, there’s always something going on for you to tag along on.
Michael Henchard's Life in The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy Whilst studying 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' it is noticeable from a fairly early stage that the title statement is ambivalent. We can clearly see that he suffered a great number of disasters, but he also achieved success to a higher level than most.
When we are young, most of us are somewhat naive. We are inherently taught that
Naples is a very unique city that attracts people from all over the world to its beautiful surroundings. Amongst the pristine beaches and championship golf courses, a teenager can find many entertaining locations. One such area can be found in downtown Naples on Fifth Avenue. Along this stretch of road near the beach lies a vast array of shops, cafes, restaurants, and other establishments. I often find myself spending many nights on Fifth Avenue, walking along the tree-lined streets or sitting in one of the numerous cafés or restaurants.
The rise of Urban America began in the mid 1800’s with the dawn of the industrial revolution. With it came a rapid increase in the population of cities. This movement towards cities did not last forever, and after WWII, much of the population of cities moved to the suburbs. With the growth and decline of urban environments, and the growth of suburban environments, there has become a mixture of different types of local governments, some of which overlap the same geographical areas. Some view this hodgepodge as a problem, and have offered various solutions. To understand the different types of local governments and how they overlap, one must first understand the development of urban areas, and the movement from urban to suburban areas.
I think we all have a beautiful place in our mind. I have a wonderful place that made me happy a lot of times, years ago. But sometimes I think that I am the only person who likes this place and I'm asking myself if this place will be as beautiful as I thought when I will go back to visit it again. Perhaps I made it beautiful in my mind.
After unpacking, it was time to go downstairs and eat dinner at the buffet. Exiting the elevator, my lungs were filled with second hand smoke as we passed first the ice cream parlor, then a maddening craze of slot machines, blinking colored lights, neon "Jackpot" signs, and hundreds o...