Civics 107: Insights About America's Cities

By Roger L. Kemp

Civics 107: Insights About America’s Cities was written by a career City Manager that worked in and managed some of the largest Council-Manager Form of Government cities on both coasts of America. He also dealt with public officials, department managers, employees, and citizens that worked and lived in the cities that he managed during his city management career. The major sections of this book include America’s Cities, Politics and Politicians, The Urban Scene, The Government, From the Trenches, Personal Reflections, and the last section, called Closing Thoughts. Various appendices are also included in this volume to help educate the reader. These include a glossary of terms, our nation’s voting rights history, and resource directories for our states, as well as our country’s national resource directories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665547390

Roger L. Kemp

Roger L. Kemp has worked in city government for a quarter century, serving nearly two decades of this time as a city manager. He has served in cities in California, New Jersey and Connecticut. He holds a Ph.D. degree in public administration from Golden Gate University, and is a graduate of the Program for Senior Executive in State and Local Government at Harvard University. Dr. Kemp has written, edited, and has been contributing editor of over 50 books dealing with numerous aspects of local government. One of his most significant books, Managing America’s Cities: A Handbook for Local Government Productivity, was published in 1998 - - many years ago. Additionally, he has had over 500 articles published in leading professional journals throughout the world. During his career, Dr. Kemp has served a dozen mayors, several city councils, and scores of elected officials. His experience was gained from many years of public service in politically, economically, socially, and racially diverse communities on both the East and West Coasts. He is frequently called upon to speak about cities and how they work before various community groups and professional organizations, both nationally and internationally. This volume reflects the insights gained by Dr. Kemp from his 25-year career of first-hand experience working in cities, and his dealings with their elected officials and citizens during this time. He resides in the City of Meriden, Connecticut. Dr. Kemp has worked in the following cities, in those states noted, during his public service career: California City of Oakland City of Seaside City of Placentia City of Vallejo New Jersey City of Clifton Connecticut Town of Berlin City of Meriden Roger can be reached by telephone [phone]) or by e-mail ([e-mail]). He is available for speaking and consulting assignments. His personal website shows additional information about his background (http://www.rogerkemp.org/).

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© 2021 Roger L. Kemp. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  12/14/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-4740-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-4739-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021925189

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed

since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do

not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Kieran,

The best and the brightest.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Preface

Lesson 1: America’s Cities

A Child’s Dream

Evolution of a City

Viewing America

Cultural Windows

In Retrospect

Awakening of a City

City Limits

Government, Governance

The Name Game

Who Does What?

Very Special Districts

The Public Infrastructure

Civics Class

Lesson 2: Politics And Politicians

Don’t Forget to Vote!

Our Elections

Tickets Anyone!

Good Political Donations

Bad Political Donations

Circling the Wagons

Politics v. Political Leadership

Mayors: The Good Ones

Mayors: The Bad Ones

Spoils v. Merit

The Best and the Brightest?

The Union Gamble

Political Preferences

Those Public Meetings

Lesson 3: The Urban Scene

The Differences: Where Have They Gone?

Old Urbanism, New Urbanism?

Traditional Urban Design

Contemporary Urban Design

Planned Growth?

Buildings and People

Private Public Places

Evolution of the Foot-Path

Freeway

Driving Forces

People Drive Cars, Cars Drive Sprawl

Cities Without Malls

Feeding our Faces

Advertising Everywhere!

Nature’s Best: Our Coastlines

Another Tree

Lesson 4: The Government

Our City Halls

The Legislative Body

Elected Officials, Public Managers

The Legal Advisor

The City Clerk

The Buck Passes Through

The Fire Service

Those Human Services

The Library

Evolving Park and Recreation Services

Planners and Planning

Police Patrols

Essential Public Works

The Technology Battle

The Ideal Model

Lesson 5: From The Trenches

The Campaign Promise

The Invocation

A Lesson in Politics

Seeking the Grant

The Ticket Fix

The Socialist

Undercover Operation

The Bust!

The Political Sign

The Three-Percent Solution

Unions and Politics

The Advisory Body

The Analyst

Moving the Hookers

Rear Window

The Law Firm

Lesson 6: Personal Reflections

A Boy’s Dream!

Opening Packages

My Favorite Things

The Internet

Cities: The Highs and Lows

Culture v. Counterculture

Vanishing Differences

Movers and Shakers

Roots

Roadways

The Culinary Arts

Prices Citizens Pay

Downside of the Military

Military Towns

Sex in the City

Evolution of the Computer

Perspectives

Lesson 7: Closing Thoughts

Still Dreaming!

Man v. Nature

Judging a City

The Democratic Way?

Our Architecture

Monuments No More

Our Urban Islands

America’s Main Streets

Recipe for Renewal

The Workers

Buzz Words

Loyalty v. Competency

What’s in a Name?

Old Bureaucrat!

The Big Picture

Appendices

A. Glossary of Terms

B. Local Government Historical Document

C. United States Voting Rights History

D. National Resource Directory

E. State Municipal League Directory

F. State Library Directory

G. Books by Roger L. Kemp

H. World Travels by Roge L. Kemp

I. Some Final Thoughts

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grateful acknowledgements are made to the elected officials, appointed officials,

and citizens, of those cities that I have worked and lived in during my over a

quarter-century public service career on both coasts of the United States.

These states and cities include the following:

PREFACE

Citizens generally have a desire to learn more about America’s cities, including their own community’s municipal government. This is true because people spend most of their lives living, working, and paying municipal taxes in cities. Many citizens, however, know more about their state and federal government, than they do about the city in which they live. This is primarily due to the extensive media coverage given to topical issues and news events, plus what they, as students, were never taught in high school civics classes many years ago.

City government is the level of government of which citizens should be most informed. After all, the decisions made by local elected public officials – mayors and city council members – have a more direct and greater impact on their lives than do those decisions made by elected leaders in higher levels of government. This thirst for knowledge is made apparent when speaking before community groups and professional organizations about how municipal government works. Most citizens want to know more about the operations of their local government, including the roles of their elected officials, advisory bodies, chief administrative officer, and the various functional managers that make government work.

It is a shame that most high school civics classes, while starting the semester with aggressive goals to educate students about all levels of government, end before reaching the level of government closest to the people – municipal government. The author remembers how quickly the semester ended, usually right after learning about two of the three levels of government. But typically, never covering cities and, if so, only briefly providing a nominal understanding at best. In the field of higher education, this topic is generally thought to be to elementary to be included in college-level classes. Hence, this work has been titled Civics 101.

For these reasons, the author has written a collection of poems based on a quarter-century of actual experience working in various communities, and his relationships with their elected officials and citizens. This experience was gained in politically, economically, and racially diversity communities on both the East and West Coasts over an entire life of public service. During his career, the author has served a dozen mayors, several city councils, and scores of local elected officials.

This collection of poems encompasses the author’s childhood desire to visit cities, along with his twenty years of experience serving as an appointed municipal chief executive officer. To provide insights into the various facets of America’s cities, this volume has been divided into seven sections, or lessons. Each lesson should provide the reader with an understanding and insight about a particular aspect of our cities. Together, they will give the reader a better understanding about our nation’s cities, their politics, as well as how they function.

Lesson One provides a general overview of America’s cities, ranging from the author’s experience as a boy to his reflections as a seasoned chief executive officer in several cities. Lesson Two lends insight into local community politics and politicians, covering such topics as elections and employee unions. Lesson Three examines our urban landscape and environment, and the impact that seemingly unchecked urban growth has had on the fabric of our society.

Lesson Five is a compilation of actual war stories direct from the front-lines of battle in the local political arena over many years. Lesson Six offers personal reflections of the author about various aspects of cities based on numerous years working in them, as well as his travels to cities in other countries around the world. Generic titles, such as mayor and city council members, are used to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.

The concluding section, Lesson Seven, provides closing thoughts about our cities and how to improve their workings, and offers personal reflections of an aging, seasoned bureaucrat. Despite his 25-years’ experience working in numerous communities, the author feels that any individual’s knowledge of cities is somewhat limited. It is this writer’s belief that, to truly get to know a city, you must actually live in it to experience its unique flavor first-hand.

These poems are a reflection of the experience gained and the battle scars received from over two decades of service as a city manager. This work should provide insight to citizens wishing to learn more about the workings of America’s cities, or merely the operations of their own community’s municipal government. Lastly,