ABSTRACT
Many of the rules of contemporary city politics have their genesis in the decades-long battles that pitted political reformers against the big-city political machine. The reformers claimed that they were fighting for “good government,” to rid the city of the parochialism, clientelism, and corruption of the political machine. But the battle over reform also reflected a struggle rooted in social class and ethnicity: the reformers sought to take power away from a political-party organization that provided jobs and benefits (albeit sometimes rather minimal benefits) to newly arrived immigrants and the poor. Reforms such as voter registration and the administration of civil service tests to municipal job seekers did more than just “clean up” city government; the changes also shifted power in the city. This chapter examines the major urban reforms that have become commonplace features of local government: the direct primary, at-large elections, the nonpartisan ballot, off-year elections, merit-based municipal employment, and the initiative, referendum, and recall of “direct democracy.” The political battles of an earlier era also offer insights into more contemporary controversies, from efforts to introduce strict Voter ID laws to “motor voter” and other reforms to make it easier for people to register to vote. This chapter also looks at the impact of “positive” racial gerrymandering, that is, of drawing district boundaries in a way that will increase the election of underrepresented minorities.
The rules changes introduced by the Progressive Era have also had the unfortunate effect of vesting decision-making power in the hands of bureaucratic careerists who are not always responsive to the citizens of the city. As a result, the post-reform city has seen the introduction of a new generation of reforms designed to promote effective city leadership and to increase the responsiveness of city government to the city’s increasingly diverse citizenry.
