The state and local government
The Constitution created a complicated governmental system of the United States. Alongside with the Federal (National) Government there are 50 state governments plus the government of the District of Columbia. Next come still smaller units: county, city, town and village governments. The federal system was the last step in a long evolutionary process.
Each of the fifty states has a constitution, which has a similar structure with that of the Federal Constitution. The central place in the state constitution is occupied by the questions of forming the spheres of activity and the division of power: legislative, executive and judicial, like in the Federal Government.
The chief executive of a state is the governor, who is elected by popular vote, usually for a four-year term (although in a few states the term is two years). He is assisted by secretaries. The state legislatures consist of two houses (except Nebraska which has a single-house legislative body). The upper house is usually called the Senate and the lower house the House of Representatives, House of Delegates or the General Assembly. In most states senators serve four-year terms, and members of the lower house serve two-year terms. The judicial power of each state is headed by the State Supreme Court.
The state legislatures collect taxes, elect their officers, approve state government officials and pass state laws. However, no state may pass a law contrary to the Constitution of the United States or federal laws. According to the doctrine of "national supremacy", when there is a conflict between federal and state authority, the federal authority should prevail.
Each state creates units of local government. The chief unit of local government is the county, of which there are more than 3,000.
The county is a subdivision of the state, usually containing two or more towns and several villages. In most counties, one town or city is the county seat where the government offices are located and where the board of commissioners or supervisors meets. In small counties, boards are elected as a whole. In the larger ones, supervisors represent separate districts or townships. The board levies taxes, fixes the salaries of county employees, supervises elections, builds and maintains highways and bridges, and administers national, state and county welfare programmes.
The counties maintain public order through the sheriff and his deputies. The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county. He is also officer of the court: he serves papers, enforces orders and maintains the jail. The sheriff's deputy is appointed by the sheriff. He assists the sheriff in law enforcement and in some states may act in place of the sheriff.
The United States is today a highly urbanized country, and more than three-quarters of its citizens now live in towns, large cities or the suburbs. All this makes city governments very important. The city directly serves the needs of the people, providing everything from police and fire protection to health, education, public transportation, and housing.
To run big cities of America is very difficult. Only seven states of the country, for example, have populations larger than that of New York City. In many respects the cities function independently of the states. However, for most big cities cooperation with both state and federal organizations is very important to meeting the needs of their residents. There are three types of city government in the United States: the mayor-council, the commission and the city manager.
Mayor-council. This is the oldest form of city government in the United States, and until the beginning of this century was used by almost all American cities. Its structure consists of an elected mayor as chief of the executive branch, and an elected council forming the legislative branch. The mayor appoints heads of city departments and other officials, sometimes with the approval of the council. He has the right of veto and is responsible for preparing the city's budget. The council passes the laws of the city, sets the tax rate on property and is responsible for the city's purse.
The Commission. This type of city government combines both legislative and executive functions in one group of officials, usually three or more in number, who are elected. Each commissioner supervises the work of one or more city departments. One is named chairman of the body and is often called the mayor, although his power is equal to that of his fellow commissioners.
The City Manager is a response to the increasing complexity of urban problems, which require high management experience not often possessed by elected officials. That is why it has been decided to entrust most of the executive powers, including law enforcement and provision of services, to a highly trained and experienced professional city manager.
Under this type of city government, a small, elected council carries on the city economic and social policy, but hires a paid administrator, also called a city manager, to enforce its decisions. The manager is in charge of the city budget and supervises most of the departments. The manager’s term of office is not fixed: he serves as long as the council is satisfied with his work.
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