City Managers and City Attorneys

The city manager-city attorney relationship has received only cursory attention in recent years. Yet this important and complex relationship can have an extraordinary impact on the operational effectiveness of municipal government. This study identifies the perceptions held by city managers and city attorneys about each other's functional responsibilities and interactive patterns. These perceptions are then summarized and synthesized into specific recommendations for improving the city manager-city attorney relationship. The data sources for the study are 20 in-depth interviews of city managers and city attorneys and two recent (1985-1986) nationwide questionnaire surveys of council-manager cities. Out of courtesy to the officials involved and a desire to avoid creating or aggravating potential interpersonal conflicts, attorney questionnaires and manager questionnaires were not mailed to the same cities, except in a small test group. The response rates represented an acceptable, statistical populatioan cross section of council-manager cities in the United States. Fifty-two percent (104 out of 200) of attorneys responded to the first survey; 420/% (84 of 200) responded to the second survey. City manager response rates were 61 Wo (122 of 200) for the first survey, and 70% (141 of 200) for the second. Before examining the survey results, it is useful to note the historical development of the city manager and city attorney in council-manager cities

Business · Political science · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research

• "Lawyers in Government- "The Most Serviceable Instruments of Authority

  Laurin A Wollan•Public Administration Review•1978

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