City Manager

City Manager

City Manager, administrative head of a city with the council-manager type of government. The council-manager form of government is found mostly in the United States, but it has also been adopted by certain cities in Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. Some similarity exists between the city manager and the burgomaster in such countries as The Netherlands and Belgium. The first U.S. city to adopt the council-manager plan by popular vote was Sumter, South Carolina, in 1912. By the late 1960s more than 2000 Canadian and U.S. localities had adopted the council-manager type of government, and about one half of the cities with populations between 10,000 and 500,000 had city managers.

The city manager is selected by the city council, usually for an indefinite term. In some instances city managers have been chosen from among out-of-town candidates, thus leading to a professionalism that is regarded by many as highly desirable. Successful candidates without previous experience as city managers have usually been taken from other government positions. An engineering background is desirable and frequently required of such candidates. (1)

Concept of City Manager

Note: explore also the meaning of this legal term in the American Ecyclopedia of Law.

Resources

See Also

• State Government
• Local Government
• Local Government Law

Resources

Notes and References

1. Encarta Online Encyclopedia

See Also