The Facilitative Leader in City Hall Reexamining the Scope and Contributions

Providing a critical examination of government in American cities, The Facilitative Leader in City Hall presents the startling view that mayors in council-manager cities are better positioned to develop positive leadership than their peers in mayor-council cities. This book develops a deeper understanding of city government institutions from groundbreaking conceptual models of leadership and local government forms. Academic scholars offer empirical contributions that address governmental reform issues. Based on mayors who have served in the past decade, various case studies evaluate factors that contribute to effective leadership as well as new conditions that are faced by today's cities.

Two forms of local government are prevalent in American cities. The style of leadership found in mayor-council cities draws attention to the mayor and frequently involves power struggles as mayors attempt to assert control over city councils and city staff. However, the leadership of the mayor in council-manager cities can be less visible and easily overlooked. The Facilitative Leader in City Hall: Reexamining the Scope and Contributions boldly suggests a collaborative model for leadership that identifies what is unique in the council-manager setting. Mayors acting as facilitative leaders can successfully guide their cities drawing on the contributions of the council and the manager rather than attempting to drive them. Scholar James H. Svara builds on his work in the 1994 book Facilitative Leadership in Local Government, and provides a more critical analysis of the mayor’s office in a wider variety of cities. This book examines the model of facilitative leadership and the importance of vision in explaining the nature of mayoral leadership and its effect on the performance of city government. It analyzes responses from a 2001 national survey of city council members and examines the findings of fourteen case studies of mayors who have served in recent years. The book features ten case studies from council-manager cities, three from mayor-council cities, and one from Denmark that highlights the importance of culture as well as formal structure in understanding leadership style. This book reexamines facilitative leadership across forms of government and addresses two questions: can mayors without separate formal powers be effective leaders? And alternatively, can mayors with formal powers provide more effective leadership by using facilitative approaches? The unexpected answer to both questions is "yes." As cities face the challenge of adapting to new approaches to governance, all mayors need to lead with facilitation and vision.

Conceptualizing the Facilitative ModelReexamining Models of Mayoral Leadership, J.H. SvaraExploring Conceptual IssuesDefining Facilitative Leadership: Lawrence, Kansas, J. Nalbandian and S. NegrónFacilitation in its ‘Natural’ Setting: Middelfart, Denmark, R. Berg and U. KjaerMixing Models of Leadership in a Mayor–Council City: Yorkville, Illinois, C. Wood, G. Gabris, and B. OlsonFacilitation in the Council-Manager FormSwitching Roles from Administrator to Mayor:Winston-Salem, North Carolina, K.A. KlaseGuiding Change in a First Ring Suburb: Plano, Texas, D.J. Watson and A.C. SchortgenCommitment to Engagement: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, V.M. UpshawBuilding a Town and Its Institutions: Midway, Florida, Y. Zhang and K. YangExpanding The Scope of Policy Leadership Through Networks: Grand Rapids, Michigan, E.S. Zeemering and R.J. DurhamFrom Conflict to Cooperation: Auburn, Alabama, W.L. HassettPartial Leadership and Alternating Styles: Stockholm, California, R. Benedetti and S. LambuthCharting Progress of the Empowered Mayor: Cincinnati, Ohio, J.T. SpenceBeating the Odds or Changing the Odds in a Large City: Phoenix, Arizona, J. Denhardt and M. VanacourFacilitation in the Mayor-Council FormBuilding Trust and Developing a Vision: Akron, Ohio, R.W. Cox IIIThe Power to Persuade: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, C.M. WheelandConclusionAdvancing Facilitative Leadership in Practice, J.H. Svara