Governing the Character Town: The Town’s Equity Mechanism

THE SYSTEM.

The system for governing a small city or town relies on the citizen-legislator to be the locally elected officials serving on the town council or city commission. They have direct contact with their constituents and they set policy for the city staff through a professional manager. Small cities or towns that cannot afford or attract a professional manager often rely on the elected mayor to manage the town. Either way, direct accountability of the elected and appointed city officials is the rule and a main feature of a character small city or town.