ABSTRACT
One of the major developments of American politics over the past thirty years has been the dramatic increase in the numbers of African Americans elected to serve in the nation’s federal, state, and local governments. While blacks have made strong inroads at the national level, with thirty-nine black Representatives in the 107th Congress, they have had far greater success at the local level, especially in the nation’s central cities. For instance, from 1965 to 1993, the number of blacks elected to Congress increased from four to thirty-eight, while the numbers among city council members increased from seventy-four to well over 3,000 and among city mayors from three to 356 (Jayes and Williams 1989: 239; Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies 1993: xv). Nonetheless, in a somewhat unfortunate irony, African Americans achieved a higher level of urban political representation during the 1970s and 1980s when many cities experienced hard times-economically, socially, and politically-enduring a struggle for continued viability, as they lost staggering numbers of residents, businesses, and jobs to the suburbs.1 Hence, it is often said that black mayors assumed control of “hollow cities” during this time, as they presided over cities experiencing severe economic decline (Friesema 1967). Yet, how did black mayors and city council members govern their cities during these two decades of significant economic and demographic change?
