Civics 101: Poems About America's Cities
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About this ebook
City government is the level of government of which citizens should be most informed. After all, the decisions made by the 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 much 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.
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 (203-686-0281) or by e-mail (rogerlkemp46@gmail.com). 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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Civics 101 - Roger L. Kemp
CIVICS 101
POEMS ABOUT AMERICA’S CITIES
ROGER L. KEMP
269588.pngAuthorHouse™
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Bloomington, IN 47403
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Phone: 833-262-8899
© 2022 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 02/23/2022
ISBN: 978-1-6655-5309-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-5310-0 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022903552
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
Dedication
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 and Highways
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 Rec. 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
Lesson 8: The Future
Societal Changes and Municipal Public Services
Appendices
A. What Governments Do!
B. Glossary of Terms
C. Local Government Historical Document
D. United States Voting Rights History
E. United States Civil Rights History
F. National Resource Directory
G. State Municipal League Directory
H. State Library Directory
I. Books by Roger L. Kemp
J. Presentations by Roger L. Kemp
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, this volume will enhance the reader’s understanding about cities in general – the place where they live and spend most of their lives.
The author hopes that readers enjoy these poems as much as he enjoyed writing them and preparing this volume. Without further ado, it’s now time to turn to Lesson One! While there is no final examination at the end of these lessons, it is hoped that, after reading this book, citizens will become more astute in their deals with the public officials and bureaucrats at City Hall who run their community’s government.
Roger L. Kemp
LESSON ONE
AMERICA’S CITIES
A Child’s Dream
As a child, wondering about cities
I would visit the ones close by
To get the flavor of their existence
And why there