ABSTRACT
The structure of local government, like the organization of a private business, is a means to an end, not an end in itself. This chapter explains internal governmental structure. In theory, a charter is a legislative enactment that delegates the governing power of a state to local government. The structure of a local government does not determine how taxpayers’ dollars will be spent, nor can citizens hold structure accountable for performance. In 1974, Flint’s government structure was determined by a city charter that had been drafted in 1928 and adopted in 1929. Executive responsibility within Flint’s city government was highly fragmented. The drafters of Flint’s 1929 charter, reflecting the reformist spirit of the 1920s, tried to anticipate every problem that Flint’s city government might ever face. A more reasonable explanation is that citizens, private-interest groups, and the press lacked an adequate understanding of the degree to which the structure of Flint’s city government impeded its performance.
