Overview | City Charters | Forms of City Government | At Large vs. Separate Districts | Direct Democracy
Local Government Article from Wikipedia.
State and Local Government on the Net
Cities Online Links to city web sites in the United States. From the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Charter City Project Information about charter cities in California, including a comparison of charter cities and general law cities, guidance on the process of becoming a charter city, how to amend or repeal a city charter, a list of California charter cities, and links to city charters. From the League of California Cities.
City Charters of Nevada Links to city charters of Nevada cities.
Georgia’s City Governments A clear, short explanation of city charters and the various forms of city governments. From the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
Proposition No. 1: Changes Bellevue To Charter City The ballot proposition and arguments pro and con on whether to make the city of Bellevue, Washington, a charter city.
Municipal Government An explanation of the basic forms of city government. From the Juno Society.
How Cities Govern Themselves An article on the different forms of city government. From the Missourian.
Manager or Mayor? A seven-part series examining the struggle of Scranton, Pennsylvania, with whether or not to change its system of government from a strong mayor-weak council system to a city manager. From ScrantonTimes.com.
Strong Mayor Proposal Letters to the editor of San Diego Union-Tribune on a proposed change from the city-manager form of government to the strong-mayor form.
The Weak Mayor System Actually an overview of all the different forms of city government allowed in South Carolina. The article cover an election on the form of city government in Columbia, South Carolina.
Tacoma looks for buck-stopper A news article on a proposal to change Tacoma, Washington, from a city-manager to a strong-mayor form of government. From Seattle.pi.com.
Strong-mayor plan is recipe for progress Editorial from the Cincinnati Enquirer favoring changing from a city-manager to a strong-mayor form of government.
Mayors play the central role in U.S. municipal government A history of local government and an overview of its various forms. From the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
At Large vs. Separate Districts
Each side sees measure as a way to tip the scales on City Council News article on a proposal to change Santa Cruz, California, from having at-large council elections to separate districts for each council member.
City Charter Amendment 5: Twice-defeated measure goes back to the voters A 2003 news article on the proposal to make separate council districts instead of holding at-large elections for city council in Seattle, Washington.
City of Seattle Charter Amendment No. 1: Election of City Council Members by District An analysis of a 1995 attempt to change the at-large districts in Seattle.
Council cool to district proposal News article from Cincinnati Post on proposal to change at-large to district election of council members.
Direct Democracy An explanation from Wikipedia.
Referendum An explanation from Wikipedia.
Athenian Origins of Direct Democracy From A History Guide.
California Ballot Propositions (1911–present) Database of the propositions. From Hastings Law Library.
Initiative & Referendum Institute A comprehensive collection of information regarding the initiative and referendum process throughout the world. From University of Southern California.
What Is the History of Recall Elections? A short history by Joshua Spivak.
Recall Elections A short explanation. From History Learning Site.
